The Alpha course's managers estimate that they bring 7, 000 new people into the church in London every year.

ECONOMIST: Christianity

In Greater London, for instance, 550 churches run the Alpha course, the most popular evangelical introductory course to Christianity.

ECONOMIST: Christianity

The Alpha course came out of the more puritanical low-church end of Anglicanism.

ECONOMIST: Christianity

He saw in the Alpha course a way to draw in the young middle classes whose only exposure to the Gospel came at school and smart weddings.

ECONOMIST: The Church of England

On the first evening of the Alpha course at Holy Trinity Brompton in September, 600 people came to hear him defend the historical accuracy of the Bible and the existence of Jesus.

ECONOMIST: The Church of England

Mr Costa, who helps to promote the Alpha Course, which is an introduction to the Christian faith, said maximising shareholder returns should no longer be the "sole criteria" for judging how a company is run.

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