Synod’s Alpha and Christianity Explored snub
by Julian Mann, Christian Today:
The vote in July’s General Synod against an amendment affirming the Alpha and Christianity Explored courses in prisons showed a disturbing level of hostility towards the gospel message that charismatic and conservative evangelicals are proclaiming.
On Saturday July 8, the Synod meeting in York accepted a worthy motion from Mrs Kashmir Garton, a lay member from Worcester, celebrating the contribution of faith to the rehabilitation of offenders. The motion noted “with pleasure the decision by the Probation Service to recognise faith and belief in reducing offending”.
Rev Matt Beer, a clergy member from Lichfield, tried to beef up the Christian content in the motion by inserting an amendment rejoicing “at the effectiveness of courses such as Alpha and Christianity Explored in helping prisoners and detainees come to faith in Christ and transform their lives so that they can make a positive contribution to society”.
But after two members branded the amendment “partisan” and “sectarian” Synod voted it down in a show of hands by an apparently large majority.
Ruth Abernethy, a lay member from the Channel Islands, said: “My concern with the amendment is that it identifies two particular courses that espouse views of Christianity that are somewhat partisan.”
Robert Thompson, a clergy member from London, said the amendment would make the motion “sectarian and coming from a particular part of the Church of England”.
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