I have seen references around the blogosphere to the Alpha course. Bill Cork has a nice little article: "Is the Alpha Course Catholic? That is a question I too have wondered. What triggered my musings on this topic was that, today, I saw a poster for the Alpha course on the door of a local Anglican church. St. Paul's Episcopal in Concord NH, to be specific.
I was raised Anglican. I am sorely grieved over what has befallen my ex-church. I know that it is only to be expected when a barque sails without a captain, still, I am saddened.
Anyhow, on Alpha - I went to their web page to see just what they have to say for themselves. I think they are a genuine attempt to reach out with what C.S. Lewis called "mere christianity". It might make a starting point for some one who is totally clueless about God and Christ - but there seem to be so many errors and omissions that I could not in conscience recommend the course.
As an alternative to a Catholic who is looking for an enrichment and more information on living and practing the faith, may I humbly suggest Cursillo? It is a short course in Christianity that includes all 7 Sacraments, Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the authority that comes with 2000 plus years of real christianity.
There is nothing "mere" about the real thing!
I too had wondered about Alpha. I saw a banner for it on a Catholic Church known for it's guitar Masses. I couldn't find any reliable info on it till I just read Bill's article, which confirmed what I had suspected about it.