Bibliography  |    Awards & honours  |    links & contact details

Biographical Notes

Introduction

Rev. Nicky Gumbel practiced as a barrister before studying for the Anglican priesthood. He joined Holy Trinity Brompton church, London UK as curate in 1986 and in 1990 he took over the running of the Alpha Course, a basic eccumenical introduction to Christianity, which the church had been developing since 1973.

The popularity of the Alpha Course grew and in 1996 the Bishop of London appointed Nicky Gumbel as an Alpha Chaplain. In September 2005 he was officially installed as the Vicar of Holy Trinity.

He speaks regularly at national and international Alpha conferences and is the author of many books and pamphlets including Questions of Life, which has sold over 750,000 copies and has been translated into 48 languages. It was voted ‘Christian Book of the Year’ in 1994.

Critical Views

Despite the pouplarity of the Alpha Course (Over 30,000 courses held worldwide in 2005) both the course and Nicky Gumbel have come underfire from both ends of the religious spectrum.

As an evangellical introduction to Christianity the Course is criticised for ignoring many central aspects of non-protestant denominations, particularly in respect of justification, sin and the role of the saints and Jesus mother Mary, striking some participants as 'bland' and unrepresentative and others as aggressively charismatic and unbiblical. This is particularly evident in Nicky Gumbel's affirmation of the 'Toronto blessing', a controversial movement that lead to behaviours including:

"...hysterical laughter, physical spasms or jerks, falling to the floor under the Holy Spirit's power and speaking in toungues. Other less common behaviours include manifestations that resembled roaring like lions and barking like dogs."¹

From the liberal side of Christianity Nicky Gumbel has often been condemned as homophobic and hard line in respect of Christian moral teaching. This is particularly apparent in his book Searching Issues (Not an Alpha text book) in which he condemns homosexual activity and sexual relationships before marriage as unequivocally wrong and the practice of reading horoscopes as "a power of evil".

¹ Wikipedia Toronto Blessing

Coming soon

Coming soon

Bibliography

Click on any of the links below to see a book profile with descriptions, reviews, contents and links to buy.

• The Holy Spirit (2005)
• Who is Jesus?* (2005)
• Why Did Jesus Die?* (2005)
• What About the Church?* (2005)
• How can I Make the Most of the Rest of my Life?* (2005)
• How can I be Sure of my Faith?* (2005)
• Make Poverty History (2005)
• How to Run the Alpha Course (2004)
• How can I Resist Evil?* (2004)
• Alpha: Questions of Life (2003)
• Christianity: Boring, Untrue and Irrelevant?* (2003)
• How Does God Guide Us?* (2003)
• Is there a Conflict Between Science and Christianity? (2002)
• Is the Trinity Unbiblical, Unbelievable and Irrelevant? (2002)
• Is there Anything Wrong with Sex before Marriage? (2002)
• How does the New Age Movement Relate to Christianity? (2002)
• What is the Christian Attitude to Homosexuality? (2002)
• Searching Issues (2001)
• Challenging Lifestyle (2001)
• Life Worth Living (2001)
• Telling Others (2001)
• 30 days (1999)
• Why Does God Allow Suffering? (1999)
• What About Other Religions? (1999)
• The God who Changes Lives (1999)
• The Heart of Revival (1997)
• Why Christmas? (1995)
• Why Jesus? (1991)

In Collaboration:

• Soul Survivour: Finding passion and purpose in the dry places (with Mike Pilavachi, 2004)

* Books marked with an asterisk are booklet publications of chapters from Nicky Gumble's book Questions of Life

Awards and Honours

• 1976 - MA, Trinity College, Cambridge UK

Links

• The Alpha Course
  International portal
• Interview with John Cowan
• God in the Life of the Alpha Course
  Article by Nicky Gumble.
• Catch me if you can
  An extended article reviewing of The Alpha Course by Jon Ronson, a Jewish journalist who signed up for the Course. Held on Guardian Unlimited.
• British Humanist Association
  A view of the Alpha Course from the aethiest point of view.

Contact details

No information available.

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