From the Revd Neil Britton
Sir, - I was deeply shocked by Canon Angela Tilby's comments
in her column "Strategy or truth in mission?" (Comment, 21
February).
My first concern was her dismissal of the contents of the Alpha
course as "banalities". She must know that these courses have been
the means whereby thousands of people have come to faith in Christ
and commitment to his Church? She is presumably reacting to
goings-on at "Holy Spirit days".
I can testify, however, that many of those who responded to the
work of the Holy Spirit in their lives on such days are still,
despite many challenges, active members of congregations. The Alpha
leadership at national level is constantly reshaping Alpha so that
it may continue to be used by the Spirit for the evangelism of this
country.
My second concern was her statement that "there is almost no
worthwhile Christian apologetic on offer to wrestle with questions
of truth." Has she not read anything by, among others, Bishop Tom
Wright, notably his questioning of some writers' arguments about
whether the St Paul wrote the epistles attributed to him?
NEIL BRITTON
Rose Cottage, 7 Newbury Road
Kingsclere RG20 5SP
From the Revd Dr Catherine Shelley
Sir, - With reference to Canon Angela Tilby's article
"Strategy or truth in mission?": recent statistics from the
University of Birmingham may be instructive. It is notable that the
highest attendance at an Anglican Society meeting this year was for
a discussion on suffering; and the lowest was for an evening
experiencing Messy Church.
Students very clearly stated that they wanted resources to be
able to discuss their faith with others, a position that was also
affirmed by the Christian Union's recent campus campaign.
CATHERINE SHELLEY
Anglican Chaplain
Multi Faith Chaplaincy
St Francis Hall
University of Birmingham
Birmingham B15 2TT