Despite asserting that they are committed to proclamation evangelism the specific incident cited in not denied - there is just a vague assertion that I have quoted the source material in a "twisted" way. I may well have misunderstood something - but without being told what it might be it's hard to be sure!
Fusion are also very unfair to UCCF here. Saying that UCCF policy is to prevent working together even when students want to makes UCCF staff sound like some sort of "big brother" - and I know from personal experience that none of them are like this. What, I think, they mean is that UCCF will not permit (or at least will actively discourage) joint affiliation of a CU to both UCCF and Fusion. Which is absolutely right because UCCF, not Fusion, is the CU movement. Additionally the vision of the two movements is so different in terms of thinking about Bible study, preaching, proclamation evangelism, the place of secondary issues and more that dual affiliation invariably creates massive internal tension in the CU which causes far more problems than it ever solves.
No doubt there are lots of other things to be said - comments please!
7 comments:
Good post Andrew - yes they are very vague and I think it is right to be concerned about Fusion.
Not so sure (in response to a previous post which I just happened across) about your endorsement of Fisk! See here
Having been on the CU exec in Sheffield I can say that whilst Fusion and Fusion like groups do claim to be supportive of proclamation evangelism it is simply not the case in practise. There are a large number of students in Sheffield who have split allegiances to the CU and to a more church-based group very similar to Fusion (Sheffield does not actually have an active Fusion group, but currently has a church based group that follows a similar model). In my 3 years at university there has been a visible and comprehensive lack of support for any event that has involved proclamation evangelism, apart from, perhaps, the Carol Service. It saddens me deeply, especially having been very involved in organising events, to see a complete absence of those who claim to "love your uni" at events where the love of God in Christ, the very love and source of love from which any Christian love should flow, has been clearly proclaimed.
Beyond the frustration of lack of support the split in allegiances has been a perpetual source of confusion, division and tension. There is no complementary nature to the CU/Fusion ministries. They are in direct conflict. Our universities need to hear the gospel… It saddens and angers me deeply that this division is essentially a Christian-made stumbling block to our universities hearing the gospel.
God Bless.
Dear Freedom
http://www.dearfreedom.com
*I blog anonymously for security reasons*
Dear All
having read the blog and comments I'd like to comment:
I am not linked to either Fusion or UCCF (but understand the ethos of both), but as a youth worker have had the joy of seeing young people from our situation moving to university and joining either Fusion or UCCF.
Their experience has been that thy have tried both and opted for the one that meets their needs best.
I think Andrew should be ashamed as a church leader to use terminlogy such as 'competition'. If local churches took the attitude he has taken there would be a breaking down of Church unity in many places. There is no competition in the kingdom of God! UCCF have an amazing ministry drawing many to God's kingdom and helping them to get involved in God's work. Fusion also have seen great fruit through their ministry.
The ethos and underlying principles/values are different in some areas (as is theology I expect) but this should not mean that we have the right to write a public attack on members of Christ's body. The brevity of the Fusion response felt gracious to me, asnd I would commend them for not rolling up their sleeves.
Perhaps if we were getting on with what God has called us to do we would have less time to criticise other ministries. God's kingdom is diverse (just look at the original disciples!) and we need diverse ministries to do what they do best. For UCCF this may mean proclaimation evangelism (and as a preacher I applaud this ministry), whiloe for Fusion this may mean acts of kindness. the main thing is to glorify God through living out our worship and witness in God-honouring ways.
I pray that Fusion and UCCF see God's blessing on their ministries becuase they are both awesome and have potential to reach different students in different ways.
Every blessing
Stu
Stuart,
Thanks for your comment. You say I should be ashamed of myself for using the word "competition".
But it seems to me that this is simply to state the facts. In every place I have had involvement where Fusion groups have started the way they have done it has been to take some people out of the existing CU group and setting up another group - members of which are often told not to go to the CU. Often a Freshers' Fair stall has been set up to recruit people to this new ministry where previously there was only the CU representing the full breadth of evangelicalism. How else might this be described?
I am by no means commending competition - quite the opposite. But where other people are behaving in a competitive manner it seems perfectly reasonable to describe it as such. In my own city of Liverpool when Fusion started the largest church involved put their student cells on the same night as the CU. In order to address the concerns of some student who went to that church the CU changed the day that they had their main meeting so people could go to both. The church then promptly moved the student cell day to the same day as the new CU meeting. My understanding from talking to many people involved in student ministry is that this was by no means an isolated incident.
I would also want to add Stuart that strongly implying I am not getting on with what God has called me to do is a much more devastating criticism than any I have made on Fusion! which proves, I guess, that we all think (quite rightly) that it's OK to criticise others - we just disagree about who is right and wrong. Personally I think we would all do much better if we tried, as I have done, to write about the issues of concern rather than criticise people for crisicising others!
intresting stuff man
in my experience uccf come across as old gits who are scared of their boat sinking
i have been very involved in cu and done some great stuff but the is structure a tradtion and in my case it felt a lack of space to move in the ways the spirit was leading new frontiers and expressions around campus
I know many people that see mission weeks and gopel events as bribing people in with free food and then giving them a bible bashing. A lot of students christian and non are sick of it.
The is room for more christin groups i belive the more communities the better as long as at the end of the day we can get along.In Swansea the are 20,000 students we need as many missional communites as possible to reach them all the more the better!
Im now involved in a love your uni thing and we have a blank canvas to work on and boy its refreshing...
I appreciate your comments and thoughts on these matters which is an issue for lots of christian students. I thik the most be unity in diversity and space made for all groups to do their thing and times to come together coperately aswell.
cheers
chris
I have worked alongside Fusion and UCCF based ministries. Both have done a great job. But i would like to bring a slight correction to your thoughts- neither lead the CU movement.
Both are there to enable the CU. Both organisations only have as much say as the leadership (and chaplaincy) of the CU allow.
rhyfelwyrbach... Actually UCCF defines itself as being "the CU movement". So while there may be CUs in universities that are not affiliated to UCCF they are anomalous. Each invididual CU is, as you say led my students (though I would add that chaplains, in almost all instances, do not have any significant influence over them - and a good job too since the majority of university chaplains would never sign up to the CU statement of faith). But UCCF leads (or better IS) the movement.
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