http://alphana.org/
The past couple of weeks the church I attend has been gearing up for "Alpha Course", which is basically a video series that answers some common questions Christians and non-Christians would naturally have during their progression either towards Christianity or away from Christianity.
The format is usually the same every meeting, our group meets on Sundays in the evening, the host family makes a main dish and everyone else in the group contributes a side dish and we gather around talking about our week and how things are going in our lives. I really like that idea because as I can be fairly anti-social at times, I do like the social aspect of it, most of the people are older and I tend to identify with older folks usually (there are a couple of younguns in the group). After a hearty dinner we will be watching a series of dvds that contain a fellow by the name Nicky Gumbel, he tackles some issues such as, "what happens after you die", "Who is Jesus", and "What relevance does the Bible have to our lives today".
Yesterdays dvd was about who Jesus was it was quite interesting, and they stated a bunch of evidence which I've long forgotten (my brain works on repetition surely and once is never enough for my piddley little brain). But they also were talking about how Jesus never claimed to be God, but was God. To be honest with you that confused the heck out of me. How is Jesus, God? Just like the Jews kept saying, isn't that blasphemous? I've always known Jesus as "the son of God". Is this not true? I mean I know Jesus was an immaculate conception, God made Mary pregnant with Jesus. But that doesn't MAKE him God does it?
Another question was raised as we were sitting around looking at each other in uncomfortable silence, "Am I satisfied with the description of Jesus as an incredible teacher of God and morals" or if someone came up to me and explained him to me in that light would I be satisfied. I piped up ( because no one was talking) I thought that was what he was. An incredible teacher of God and Morals. And then came the grumbles, well, I was told, that is the easy explanation and that would be the uneducated description of Jesus. In a way it made me feel bad for even answering. He was a great teacher and a fulfiller of prophets. But to the "Real Christians in the room" that wasn't enough.
It sort of put me off to the whole alpha group thing. Everyone seems so uncomfortable and unwilling to even say anything when questions are asked, but when I pipe up I felt like it was a bit dashed instead of explained.
We will see what next Alpha meeting holds, if it's more of the same, I might just not go. I surely can do research on my own and hash things out with my pastor.
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5 comments:
Good for you participating! No one is ever always on the same page, so don't let others keep you from voicing your opinion. (In other words, don't be like me.)
Keep us posted on how it continues!
What-ever Emily, you've totally spoken up at least a couple times in class and that's more than a lot of people ever do.
Erica, like Emily said good for you, for speaking up.
I'm sorry people made you feel bad about answering - I definately know how that feels.
I think people might have reacted badly because they knew that your viewpoint didn't mesh with theirs, but they didn't know how to explain what it was they thought and why they didn't think what they thought.
Or they're just like me an incapable of tact - either way, I would try not to take it personally. More a reflection of them than you - ya know?
We will see what next Alpha meeting holds, if it's more of the same, I might just not go. I surely can do research on my own and hash things out with my pastor.
Both the research and the talking to your Pastor are excellent ideas - but unless it's really awful you might not want to give up on the meetings just because - well it's already made you ask some questions and question are good.
Plus - I bet you'll make other people ask their own questions where they might have been content to not think about it before and that's good too.
Or maybe they just want people to walk the line and follow blindly, asking people to swallow their version of Christianity and/or whatever other religion and not question it??? I don't know.
Nonetheless, Erica has my support in whatever pursuit she chooses, just as long as it isn't detrimental to her own health and sanity.
I agree with Mik in that it seems like a course for blind followers: A quasi-brainwashing session designed to indoctrinate rather than to really engage in vigorous discussion. But, hey, that's what we do at "church" the vast majority of the time. It's a real problem, and even when one wants to get out of the say-the-right-things mentality it is really tough. A real problem issue. And, quite honestly, there is something about being in a "church building" that makes people hold back. That's why meeting in homes is so cool. When you're hanging out in some dude (or dudette's) house you can keep it real and be honest with people you know.
Erica. question someones world-view and they will get defensive, there world-view is only what order they have made them selves from the surrounding chaos, threaten there world-view and you threaten there little sanctuary, the only place they feel safe from harsh haphazard reality, its good that you do this.
Emily said no one is ever on the same page? sometimes people are on the same wavelength and that is a magical thing, Erica your welcome in my church anytime. Paul
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