Tag Archives: truth

Alpha

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Alpha LogoYesterday, I had my first introduction to the “Alpha” course. Alpha is a process by which people can explore the meaning of life, and ask any question in a relevant, respectful, and relational manner. We have heard about it for years through our friends in South Africa – Skip and Sheila Collins.

We were recently introduced to Alpha through our young friends Nate and Mary Kurz, as they returned from a year of church ministry in England. They had been a part of the Alpha course in the church where they were serving. They spoke very highly of it, and had a desire to use it here in the US. So, we decided to go to the orientation event held yesterday in Naperville, to check it out for ourselves. Nate and Mary were there, along with Valery and Ruth Dodgson.

I learned that Alpha was developed by a church in London, England called Holy Trinity Brompton, and the vicar there named Nicky Gumbel. Today, over 10 million people in 163 countries have been through the Alpha course. Here is a link to the UK website, and here is the USA website.

I am intrigued with what I heard and saw yesterday and am seriously considering hosting this course in some way in the near future.

The “God Delusion” Debate

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Richard Dawkins and John LennoxLast night at 7 PM Chicago time, a debate was broadcast on Moody Radio Network between Richard Dawkins, author of “The God Delusion,” and John Lennox, professor of Mathematics and Philosophy of Science, both at Oxford University, England. Dawkins is considered one of the leading intellectuals in science today, and a spokesman for the “New Atheism.”

The debate was held at The Alys Stephens Center at the University of Alabama, and was sponsored by a group called Fixed Point Foundation. I heard about the debate from my brother Barry, and also saw it advertised in Christianity Today magazine.

The debate was positioned to center on Dawkins’ views as expressed in his book, and their validity over and against the Christian faith. Lennox is a well-know Christian apologist, and has written a rebuttal to Dawkins’ book entitled: “God’s Undertaker: Has Science Buried God?” Dawkins was given the first and last words for the evening debate out of “Christian charity” as the host humorously noted.

I was able to listen to the first 30 minutes before attending a previous commitment. In that time I heard introductions of the speakers by the moderator, and a 5 minute biography introduction by each debater.

I plan to purchase the DVD of the event through the Fixed Point website as soon as it is available. I’ll do a more detailed analysis after viewing that.

What I found personally interesting is that when I was in Oxford in 2006 for the RZIM Summer School (see my 2006 Summer School Posts), John Lennox was one of the lecturers that I heard on a daily basis. We also heard our evening lectures from Ravi Zacharias and other RZIM speakers, in the British Museum of Natural History, where Richard Dawkins has his office.

Kind of ironic!