I've been reading this forum for a while now and finally had the nerve (I 'spose) to post a question.

My sophomore year of college I was involved with a group called Campus Crusade for Christ. It reminded me of the ICoC in a few ways in that they did not want you to be friends with anyone that wasn't in their religion or within the group itself. That and they always wanted you to come to their meetings which were at least twice a week that I know of.

I eventually left because of the restrictions of whom and who I was allowed to associate with. I guess I was just wondering if anyone has heard of this group.

Thanks!

Info can be found at:
[www.culteducation.com]
Google search too may turn up some useful info.
I found this for instance in the reader feedback section of:
[www.chron.org]

Quote

campus crusade for christ.
by cheri (tevik220@aol.com) on 01-19-2004, 14:19

I went to Ohio State University and got involved with Campus Crusade for Christ. Everyone is friendly and welcoming at first and suddenly you have about 15-20 instant "new friends". But as you become involved the pressure starts to build. You are staff/peer pressured into proselytizing other students. Then they want you to become a bible study leader and recruit your own members. There seems to be this hierarchy that exists that you are pressured to move up in. My grades suffered and emotionally I was getting very stressed. When I told them I needed to take a break, they made it pretty clear that they would "move on" without me. There was no room to take a break. If you tried to step outside their "track" of progression you were essentially cut loose from all those wonderful instant friends you'd made and you faced being alone. I stepped out anyway, despite being ostracized, but I sought counseling because I felt so mentally exhausted from the pressure of this group. For one of my classes I did a paper on cults and it was at that time that I realized how frighteningly close Campus Crusade for Christ fits the description. It took years for me to shake the ill effects this group had on me. I would never recommend it to anyone.

Thanks for your reply. I just had one of those "gut" feelings about the group. Turns out I was right...

Wow what you described was very similar to this campus based apostolic cult I was in called Banner of the Nations in Savannah georgia....they did all the above plus more ..like fasting for weeks and all night worships that induced trance states then he (Frank Spencer-the leader) piled a bunch of crap in our minds about physical imortality and "breaking down spiritual barriers to world domination of Christ's word" and that we were the " gates of Zion" and that we were the highway in which others will reach Christ" He taught that the surrounding churches were dead and only his church and a sister church in Missori were the truth....the presure was intence...we had to keep up with Frank's teachings and if we did not believe him or put other things before the church...like homework...we would be "left behind the move of God" Immense presure!!
I was in it for 2 years and it took me 4 years to overcome the dammage.
I nearly went looney and nearly commited suicide...my mom rescued me after a gut feeling something was wrong.

I am in debt 18,000 dollars due to "tithing"....I took out an un-needed student loan because we were told that what we give to God, he will give back to us many-fold and I was in finacial presure from school supplies

How the Hell he gets into our heads like this ....I dont know...but I was one of the "lucky ones" most of the church is still intact and been going for 5+ years it started there 7 years ago....It used to be known as New Christian fellowship.....but they changed the name do to a "prophetcy" but in reality most of the people at the school knew it was a cult....anyway

I found out later that alot of cults target college students because they are nieve and away from thier parrents for the first time

Jojo

Campus Crusade at Ohio University went heavy/sheperding discipleship in the mid Eighties. So your story does not surprise me. There were letters to the editor to the [Ohio University] POST which revealed deceptive recruiting practices and control who members associate with.

I confronted CC leader doing a survey without identifying who they were to a cafeteria line. I announced to the crowd who they were and what were their intentions. It was great to see a whoosh of surveys hitting the floor en masse.

Thanks for taking the courage to reply

Quote
lunaci
I've been reading this forum for a while now and finally had the nerve (I 'spose) to post a question.

My sophomore year of college I was involved with a group called Campus Crusade for Christ. It reminded me of the ICoC in a few ways in that they did not want you to be friends with anyone that wasn't in their religion or within the group itself. That and they always wanted you to come to their meetings which were at least twice a week that I know of.

I eventually left because of the restrictions of whom and who I was allowed to associate with. I guess I was just wondering if anyone has heard of this group.

Thanks!

Im sorry but this is not a cult. I don't belong to them though. Just because they try to recruit people and get them to believe in Jesus and to try to keep people from going to hell does not make them dangerous. I had know people who were part of that. You can come and leave and go as you pleased. When they were talking about not hanging out with other people not christian doesn't mean they said hate others that aren't christians. 14Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? Some of the stuff you guys are talking about is out of context.

Wow ex-shep.. i was just getting ready to comment on Crusade at Ohio University :!: I have several friends who are currently involved or have been in the past with this organization. They all seem to have the same problems that have been mentioned earlier. They simply have no time for anyone or anything else and if you aren't with them then you simply don't have quite as good of a grasp on faith as they do. I'd stay away, it seems that the bad outweighs the good most of the time.

livinXsacrifice:

While you may think this group is not dangerous, I myself believe it is in a way. They absolutely did not want me hanging out with certain people because they were not in the group. And if I were to hang out with them, I was pressured to get them to come to meetings. I lost friendships because of this and it still bothers me to this day. I was told that if I didn't attend bible studies twice a week, go to church/meetings every Thursday and Sunday, etc that I would go to "hell".

Granted, I think it's fine to have religion and believe in Jesus, but I don't think that people's opinions and ideas should be pushed on others.

I had a friend that was very active with Campus Crusade for Christ at Ohio State University. In fact he helped designed their website. He had become romantically interested in a girl outside of the organization and when they others found out they began to shun him. And they definately didn't like him having me as a friend (being the atheist that I am) He was frequently discouraged to talk to me or persue a relationship with the girl. He didn't seem to think this was a problem and thought they were just his friends that were trying to help him out and look out for him. He has recently began graduate school at another university and I worry that he will continue down this destructive path and join the organization there. How can I address my concerns to him without sounding like I'm trying to nag him. Especially since he's started a new school I know he'll be looking for friends and I don't want him to fall into the wrong group. How can I present the information to him without making him resent me? I've never had a good feeling about them. Thanks again!