Preparing for Easter with Alpha

By Amy Lang

For years I have claimed to be a Christian, yet for much of my life I did not attend church, read the Bible, or contemplate my faith at all. What I did instead was study everyone else's. Yet questions surrounding my faith have driven my life. My degree is in Modern Middle Eastern history, which required extensive study of the three monotheistic religions originating in that holy region. I studied textbooks, the Koran, and the Torah, but not the Bible. I pushed my faith aside as I searched for answers, confused about why and how I believed something that I didn't understand. You see, I did things backwards; I believed before I understood. I believed Jesus was more than the great moral teacher many describe him as, yet I did not know why. The questions continued to plague me. My lack of understanding led to a confidence shortfall. My faith was not strong. I stagnated in my Christian growth, fearful of asking my Christian friends about these questions, afraid I might be labeled "one of those unbelievers."

It was with this mindset, faithful yet uncertain, that I took the Alpha Course here at Central, anxious to have all my questions answered. Guess what?! It didn't happen. What Alpha provided instead was the knowledge that Christians do have questions and that those questions are OK-even good. Jesus himself describes the importance of having a strong foundation, built upon good soil in his parable of the four soils.

Listen to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed that was sown along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. (Matthew 13:18-23)

I needed the freedom Alpha offered to ask, discuss, and debate my questions so that I might be that seed in the good soil, growing strong in my faith and commitment. Our discussions did not provide all the answers, but they did allow me to discover the logical conclusions of Christianity. Alpha helped me understand that following Christ does not need to be a leap of faith, but rather merely a step-one based on logical, factual information. I still have many questions that remain unanswered, but as we celebrate Christ's resurrection this weekend, I assure you I am no longer stagnating. Alpha's content, paired with its open, honest format, allowed me the freedom to step ahead in both belief and the understanding I lacked for so long.