Word Among Us Touts Experience-Based Alpha Program

Below is a video that dissects the spiritual booby-trap known as known as Alpha.  It is a program devised by protestants, ostensibly to facilitate evangelism (such as protestants understand the word "evangelism").  Alpha seems to emphasize protestant priorities such as "relationship" and "experiences".  Actual errors seem to include (at least implicitly) the "sola scriptura" heresy and disregard for the Sacraments and Magisterium.

At 9:17 we hear the question, "why are you promoting error to Catholics?"  That is a question that should be addressed to the Word Among Us magazine, for their Easter 2019 issue features an article that sings forth the dubious praises of Alpha.  Indeed, as I read this article, it makes evangelism sound like one big, slick marketing campaign.  Its title is most telling: "Relationship First".  That is flat-out not Christianity.  Since they are "sola scriptura", let's look at Scripture, namely the Gospel of Mark.  What's the first recorded word of Jesus from that Gospel?  Is it "relationship"?  Is it "experience"?  No, it's "Repent".

14:30 "It allows you to become a Christian without change...".  Therein lies a big danger to souls.  Let's look at what today's gospel would have been if we were in "B" cycle.  It's when Jesus sent the 72 disciples on a preaching tour to preach the gospel of repentance.  It wasn't a gospel of "experience" or "personal fulfillment", but of repentance.

Time does not allow me to recite all the ills of Alpha, but I will touch on a few.  This link states that Alpha has been linked with the dangerous practice known as the "Toronto Blessing".  I don't know the precise nature of this linkage but I'd suspect that might be found in this anthology.  About thirty years ago I was affiliated with the Mother of God Community, from whence sprang the Word Among Us.  Towards the end of its heyday, it started dabbling in the "Toronto Blessing".  I knew enough to avoid participation in it like the plague.  Such are the dangers of overemphasis on "experience" and disregard for the Sacraments and the Magisterium.  If you take a look at the bottom of that "anthology" link, you will see that Cardinal Burke condemned Alpha.

Two years ago, the Word Among Us advocated the new age practice of centering prayer. Now they've linked up with Alpha bile.  This is the kind of nonsense that will happen when one stokes lusts for spiritual "experience" instead of preaching the truths of the Catholic faith.  I'd advocate the avoidance of WAU.

Dangerous Centering Prayer Touted In Word Among Us Magazine

Imagine, if you will, that a meal is set before you.  It is well-balanced, nourishing, smells appetizing.  There's just one little problem.  You are aware that it contains just the smallest amount of poison.  The amount of poison is really quite minuscule to the amount of the otherwise nourishing, healthy meal set before you.  Would you take one tiny mouthful of that meal?  I didn't think so, and neither would I.

I believe that is how the devil seduces faithful Catholics: to surround his temptations with things that are good and perhaps spiritually beneficial in and of themselves.  We see this with the Medjugorgie apparitions; many conversions might well be happening, but the apparition is fomenting disobedience to the local bishop and the heresy of indifferentism.  Today I was alerted to another manifestation of the devil slyly insinuating poison into a seemingly harmless publication.

I am referring to an article found in the Lent 2017 issue of the Word Among Us magazine.  The analogy in my first paragraph applies with some adjustments. Owing to its rather questionable past relationship with the Archdiocese of Washington from events of over 20 years ago, I look askance upon the overall "health of that meal" in general.  I may delve more into that in a future post, but for now I refer you to this Washington Post series from 1997 for some background.  Normally I don't recommend anything from the Washington Post, but in this instance I can vouch for its accuracy owing to my own 20+ years affiliation with the Mother of God Community.

Getting back to the Lent issue of this magazine, I refer you to the picture at the right.  The name of the article in question is "A Simple Plan", discussing how one might implement the three lenten practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving.  The picture shows "different ways" to pray.  One of those "ways" (at the bottom of the highlighted list) is "centering prayer".

Ladies and gentlemen, "centering prayer" is fraught with spiritual danger.  It arose in the 1970s as a misguided attempt to mish-mash Christian prayer with practices found in eastern pagan beliefs.  The end result can leave the practitioner open to diabolical harassment.  This link to Catholic Culture gives an excellent treatment of the topic of "centering prayer", detailing its history and precisely why it is dangerous and to be avoided.  One interesting paragraph tells of its introduction at a large charismatic event.  Those involved in the "charismatic renewal" tend to be susceptible to temptations that promise "experiences"; I speak as an ex-charismatic.  It is worth noting that the Word Among Us magazine has its roots in the "charismatic renewal".

This magazine supposedly has "theological advisers".  How such a serious error bypassed them baffles me - unless they just "rubber-stamp" their approval on these articles.  At any rate, I'd suggest being very careful when reading this magazine.