CCC is not a cult but you will always experience 'pressure' to go to meetings or church. itis a fact of the evangelical life. do not let a few overzealous members taint the organization. some people just have a warped view of their responsibilities and take them too seriously.

not everything is a cult nor one in waiting, don't let paranoia direct your thinking and color your eyes.

I am surprised to see Campus Crusade for Christ in any discussion about cults. I was involved as a student for 2 years and on the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ for 8 years. I came to faith in Christ through the students involved in Campus Crusade for Christ at Arizona State University in the 1960s. The year I graduated from ASU approximately 22 people went into full time Christian work as a result of the CCC ministry at ASU. Some joined Campus Crusade for Christ staff like me but others became seminary students to eventually become pastors, youth pastors and went to numerous other ministries including other Christian groups. My wife and I met several years later via that ministry. I continue to know and financially support staff members serving around the world.

Anyone who has had a bad perception about Campus Crusade for Christ must have either run into a bad staff member or there is something else that is a logical explanation. The statement made here about needing to raise funds to go somewhere on a vision trip is stuff that churches and mission groups do all the time - I have never heard of any figure over a few thousand dollars for these trips. The large amount mentioned is possible for a long term trip, I guess, but I have to question that because we never had anything close to 1/10th of that. I can't question the validity of that post but can only speak what I know after 40+ years of formal and informal involvement with the Campus Crusade for Christ ministry.

We held meetings on the campuses where I ministered and encouraged people to attend - just like all the other Christian group and other groups on campus did. We encouraged students to be involved in a local church and we as staff were required to start attending one of our own choosing in any area where we ministered.

We never told anyone that if they did not do something or attend a meeting they were doomed to Hell. There was a healthy supervision and mentoring of all staff members to be sure that they would not fall into error or go off down any road like that.

One way to look at cults is to look at the founder and what their life fruit looks like and also to look at others that were involved in the formative stages of the faith. Bill Bright was a part of a group of about 1/2 dozen men God raised up at about the same time - mainly as a result of the ministry of Henrietta Mears. His life and ministry were nothing but examples to us all of embracing Christ with all you heart and following the vision God has given you.

It is not a cult. Funny :-D
Too bad I have dozens of the "secret" guides that your organization uses to indoctrinate young people... How about a sort of "CC4C-wikileaks"? ;-) In the meantime, I will choose one at random. [www.scribd.com]

Wow that was too funny. I did not see anything in this that appeared to be a conspiracy or indoctrination of anybody. These are training materials for an organization - in this case a Christian organization. What would you imagine would be in training materials for such an organization? Probably encouragement for people to live Godly life and encourage others to do the same. Maybe you would find ideas like encouraging people to come to meetings and to bring their bible. That is not a conspiracy any more than a TV advertisement to get you to purchase Wheaties or State Farm Insurance.

I can't imagine what you would say about the company manuals for the different companies I have worked for. There is actually some really interesting stuff in those like don't give away company secrets or speak ill of your employer online. Wow, you would have a field day with those with your conspiracy mentality.

What you will not find in these documents is encouragement to have people worship a person or to sell all their possessions and give the money to the movement. You will not find strange practices like drinking kool aid to prepare for a day when they will have to drink poison kool aid like Jim Jones followers did. You will not find anything where funds are siphoned off to a large administrative overhead because they are not.

You just have to really make a big leap - no a gigantic leap that is not supported by a shred of evidence to call CCC a cult.

Actually, I'm moved with compassion for you.

For more information about CCC, see here:

[www.culteducation.com]

(note from moderators--for safety and confidentiality, do not put personal contact information in your posts. Interested persons can correspond privately and confidentially using the Private Message function of the RR message board. The personal contact emails in this message have been removed to preserve user confidentiality)

I would have to agree with you. CCC has some (FEW) but some good individuals carrying its label. For the most part, however, and thanks to their "in your face" approach to "evangelizing," there are more with the same label that taint any hope one may have had to entertain the curiosity surrounding the concepts, freedom, openmindedness and believes relating to Christ.

With this said, I would like to introduce myself. I, like many on here, I have had a negative run-in with CCC. Also like many of you, I have too given many many chances to the chapters I had associated with. My encounter to CCC was at first out of curiosity. Before I entertained this notion, I was socially awkward, different, not a cool kid. I was a musician halfway through college.

My story surrounding CCC is illustrated using real words, no Christianese. I am not a spiritual guy and above all, my story highlights what many of you have accurately portrayed as a controlling atmosphere, of which is solely influenced by CCC values.

A bit of background before I get started. I have spent my years as a federal agent deployed alot. I have seen life in all of its glory and in all of its misery and in death. I have been there for others as others have been there for me. One thing CCC is really horrible at is being there, unless of course you want to talk what CCC will call shop (religion, Jesus, faith). It has been my observation that CCC is only interested in winning you over to Jesus and then forgetting about you when you leave the group. I have met alot of Christians in my time. Of those that are undoubtably true to their word, they are the least Gody-type of people. What seperates them from the others in that they love others without condition. "Without condition" does not include those who befriend only to win a soul over for Jesus. That is called a condition. I believe it was in Peter that said "hope for people to share the same hope you share." How many times has that verse been twisted into a refashioned statement of "make others believe what you believe and if you don't then you are a complete failure and if they don't, then keep trying?"

My experience with CCC was comical at first then tragic at the end. My full realization was not until I had joined the Army, saw life outside the confides of a control environment (what CCC thrives in). CCC nearly cost me my family, my job, my friends (because those in CC were clearly fake) and my life. The following is how...sit back grab a beer, or your favorite drink and something to snack on, this is going to get turbulent....

I was 20 years old when I realized that college wasn't working out great for me. My youngest brother had just deployed to Iraq with 2nd Infantry Division. It was 2005, the year of some of the most significant levels of service men and women lost to the Iraqi conflict. My brother an his new groups of friends were heading into the pit of it all (between Al Anbar and Al Ramadi). These places I learned had a nickname, and for a good reason, they called it mortaritaville (mortar-it-aville). My brother never told me, but after my first deployment in 2008, I have learned what he went through. My brother had been scarred deeply by those who evangelized and those who were out for souls for Jesus. What he shared with me were his observations of their hypocrasy and cruelty. Before Iraq, my brother and I had both grown up in church for 14 years before the congegration disolved. Some of you may know of this organization. Its called the Worldwide Church of God. That is an entirely another story.

So yes, I was in college, my brother was at war. I entertained curiosity about Jesus and started to attend CCC. Along with CCC were people that belonged to a chruch group in town called the Gathering. It was an alternative outlet to the party and get thrashed type college scene. The Gathering and CCC worked together and had a pig roast where I met a girl. To maintain soem semblance of confidentiality, lets name her Lily. Me being a niave, young, college punk, I follow my hormones and chased after Lily like there was no tomarrow. In retrospect, I am glad she never called cops on me. ha! I learned that Lily was alot like myself, quite, reserved, not alot of self confidence and often underminded. Her and I hit it off ok, not great but ok. Because she was insanely attractive though, I continued talking with her and yes, I was suprised she talked to me. Time went by and eventually she had invited me over to a group event at her house. She had lived in a house that was affiliated with a women Christan group. The place also happen to be the the subsidiary HQ for CCC on the particular campus I was attending at the time in Edinboro, PA. As the time went on and after meeting who she lived with, I immediately picked up on the controlling atmosphere. Lily would tell me they were just trying ot protect her. I just laughed when she said that. Little did I know that what I was laughing at would become the one thing that has driven me throughout the recent years to do the best I can to expose what some chapters in CCC are really about. Here is a part of it...college graduation nears and I am approached by those who I thought then were really my friends. I thought they were coming to ask about whats next in life after school, what I planned to do and visa-versa. No, they approached me, all five of them, and said "we need to talk." I said ok. We went into the campus library to a study room. There they told me I couldn't see Lily anymore. I called Lily and asked her about it and she shared with me the same thing happened to her. Lily and I were graduating. I was getting my commission as an officer in the US Army and Liliy was going to Grad School the following Fall.

So you remember the part where I was ganged up on and told that I couldn't see Lily anymore. Among the crowd was the president of the CCC chapter for Edinboro, Pennsylvania. it was May2006 when Jason Whelpley lead the short discussion instructing me not to see Lily anymore.

Out of spite, I stayed in constant contact with Lily, saw her, helped her with alot, was her friend and eventually we kissed and have been dating for over 4 years. The last year has been hard as Lily has grown distant from me as I am in Iraq again. This also happened my last deployment around the same time Lily got tied back into CCC with the same chapter in Edinboro, PA. To date, Lily has started once more back in CCC, and thus the pattern repeats in that Lily is growing seperate from what her and I have had. Its a shame really. An organization that screams come follow Jesus but also asks you to leave behind those you love , or, if they don't follow Jesus the way that CCC says you ought too, then all contact should be broken away from those in conflict with CCC perspective.

Oh yeah, while I am deployed, I am writing this on my half-day off.

I doubt if Lily and I will every tie the knott, however what I would like ot highlight is the socially controlling and destructive nature of CCC. There is more indeed and if you would like to know, email me at (removed). I have to go for now, but I leave you with this...

I am not ashamed to speak for those who have been betrayed, used, manipulated, let down and left as chaft in a turbulent world by a group (CCC) who promised lasting friendships but in all accuality, are only there for the numbers and your money. I salute those of you who have taken a stand against CCC chapters that share similar characteristics as the one in Edinboro. My ears are open to the chapters of CCC that do not exue these negative traits. My recommendation to CCC is that you clean house and do some serious re-evaluation of who it is that is staffing your chapters. I say this having had good experiences with those from other schools (via Katrina Effort). Yes, not all of CCC is jacked up, but it only takes a few to spoil it and destroy it all for the rest. I will caution CCC in that who they have in current staff positions need to get away from the emancipated concept that guys should be spiritual. I am not spiritual, but I am a Christian. I have heard CCC state many times that if you are not spiritual, you and not a real Christian. I have been through many furnaces and will likely be through more in my life by virtue of my job. CCC, some of your staff disgusts me and has caused many to want nothing to do with the refreshing word and chance that Christ offers us all on a day to day basis. Wake up CCC, because you are not far from the globallyrecognized cult the Worldwide Church of God. Here too, I have lost friendships of 14 years, all due to the fact that I no longer attended there. Here is something to think about, I WAS 17 WHEN THAT HAPPENED!

To those who have the willingness to stand, I salute you. If you would like to start something, contact me at (removed).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/21/2011 11:27PM by corboy.

Quote
rlewis123
Wow that was too funny. I did not see anything in this that appeared to be a conspiracy or indoctrination of anybody. These are training materials for an organization - in this case a Christian organization. What would you imagine would be in training materials for such an organization? Probably encouragement for people to live Godly life and encourage others to do the same. Maybe you would find ideas like encouraging people to come to meetings and to bring their bible. That is not a conspiracy any more than a TV advertisement to get you to purchase Wheaties or State Farm Insurance.

I can't imagine what you would say about the company manuals for the different companies I have worked for. There is actually some really interesting stuff in those like don't give away company secrets or speak ill of your employer online. Wow, you would have a field day with those with your conspiracy mentality.

What you will not find in these documents is encouragement to have people worship a person or to sell all their possessions and give the money to the movement. You will not find strange practices like drinking kool aid to prepare for a day when they will have to drink poison kool aid like Jim Jones followers did. You will not find anything where funds are siphoned off to a large administrative overhead because they are not.

You just have to really make a big leap - no a gigantic leap that is not supported by a shred of evidence to call CCC a cult.

Actually, I'm moved with compassion for you.

LOL
Apropos of drinking... Have you ever opened a dictionary?

From the Oxford American Dictionary:

cru
noun (pl. crus pronunc. same)
a vineyard or group of vineyards, esp. one of recognized quality. See also grand cru, premier cru.
ORIGIN French, from crû, literally ‘growth,’ past participle of croître.

I noticed these postings stopped after 2011-2014. Why?

I would like to hear from anyone that has had any similar experiences as described in all these previous postings.

Also does anyone know if the National Org. of CRU controls how the local organizations operate? I would assume the National Org. controls the messages/teachings across all local organizations. ??

My son is being pulled in and we're trying to learn everything we can about this organization. We've spoken to the university that my son goes to and they think the National org. is the one were concerned with and not the local org. For some reason that doesn't make sense to me. Wouldn't the Nat. control all the local messaging and teachings?

I think your concerns are warranted. Admittedly, I have not been involved with Campus Crusade for decades, but from what I read about them not much has changed. When I was involved, at first it was really a good experience. The meetings were mostly student- led and the area evangelical churches were involved. But gradually the leadership( adults sent in by Crusade) began to.pressure us to get more and more involved and to drop all our outside activities. The emphasis was on recruiting people and the leaders could be very pushy and not respectful.of people's boundaries at all. It may have been different at other campuses. I feel that Crusade really interfered with my critical thinking skills and developing autonomy and it still bothers me that our public school allowed them to come into the school and recruit people. I ended up dropping out of it and when I had a death in the family none of the Crusade people called or came to the funeral. So the friendships weren't very deep or lasting. I just hated the feeling of having to approach people as potential recruits, and always having an ulterior motive for befriending them. A lot of these kids already belonged to their parent's churches, but being Catholic or mainline Protestant didn't count with them. Also, the founder of Campus Crusade, Bill Bright, was part of the founding of the Christian Right and was very influential in the evangelical takeover of the GOP. I feel.like the young people were just sort of pawns in all this. Again, not saying Crusade was a cult, and other chapters may have been different, but that was my experience. Things may be different now. I hope things work out with your son.

Thanks Indigo for your thoughts.

It hasn't changed unfortunately from seeing what has happened to my middle son.
My oldest son attended a conference where they even paid for him to attend.
He was very uncomfortable as to what went on there. The pressure to give up everything to get more involved is dead-on. He said if he hadn't had a couple of his buddies there to push back he can now see how young students feel so pressure and guilty for not giving up their future careers. They made him feel like he was literally criticizing Jesus Christ himself by not doing what they were asking him to do. It scared him. He came home and didn't talk about it and never went back to the church(Grace Bible) or the organization (CRU) that was trying to recruit him.

If you criticize CRU in anyway, that's appears to be like your criticizing GOD.
They tell their members to stop communications with their family if they criticize this org. at all. What "healthy" church or christian org. would ever tell a member to cut off communications with their family? RED FLAG right there!
The isolation of his family and friends started early when he got involved with his girlfriend. We first blamed her, but now realize she had already gotten deeply recruited by the same church & CRU.

We have heard horror stories of students being told they will go to hell if they don't raise enough money to go to the place they are told to go. Some students were promised jobs after their long 2 year return only to find they were given free boarding for 6 months, paid $80/day, and told their 25K salary had to be raised by them via donations. That student got out.

Scary how these large organizations are swooping down on these young college kids all over. This org. is on 420 campuses in the US and 220 Internationally.
I've heard of business ventures where they say it's a 50/50 busin. venture and the student does 100% of the work and gets paid nothing and on welfare.

Hopefully if ex-members start speaking up and sharing experiences, we can hopefully stop some of this from effecting other young adults.

Thanks for sharing!