IV a Cult?

Just recently I came across www.exjewsforjesus.org. Basically, this website contains many testimonials of people's previous experiences with Jews for Jesus (www.jewsforjesus.org) I have no idea as to whether the Jews for Jesus organization is a legitimate organization or not. However, reading about this has caused me to think about the distinctions between cults and Christian groups on campus. Whenever people hear the word "nondenominational" the word cult somehow comes up. These questions are important to ask. It's probably a good thing to know whether you should be worried the next time Cool Aid is served at an InterVarsity event. Rest assured, IV does not believe in UFO's, extraterrestrial saviors, nor human sacrifice. InterVarsity is clearly outlined at IVCF.org.

To my knowledge InterVarsity (IV) is not some insidious cult that seeks to brainwash weak-minded individuals. I think the main question that needs to be asked is: what is IV all about? Is this organization promoting their members to identify themselves with InterVarsity or with Christ. I certainly hope the answer is the latter and not the former. All I can write about are my experiences and interactions with InterVarsity. Here are five basic issues that I have had to deal with:

1. Promoting Christ, not Christian fellowships.
I remember the beginning of the semester as I set out to invite people to get plugged into an InterVarsity small group. My motivation was not as a recruitment for InterVarsity, but rather as an attempt for individuals to get plugged into some sort of Christian community whether it be CFC or Cru. I truly believe that freshmen students basically splinter off into two different directions when they encounter their new found freedom in the college environment. One leads to a deeper relationship in Christ and the other sadly leads them away from Christ. Starting out the semester, I desired to help guide people into a place that would enable them to develop a vibrant faith. I fondly remember one individual who apologized to me because he decided to commit to going to CFC rather than InterVarsity. On the one hand, I was sad that I could not be more involved in developing his faith with God. However, on the other hand, I was quite glad that he decided to get involved with some sort of Christian community. There was another person who was deciding between IV and Cru. IV wanted him to fill a vital need they had in their organization, however he felt more drawn to Cru's environment. He felt that Cru was a place that could most develop his faith. What was I to tell him? No brainer, join Cru. Wow! Let me tell you. This guy was passionate before, but he is even more on fire to proclaim Jesus to the lost.

In these two cases, the individuals were looking to join a community of Christians. They were already seeking to get plugged into Jesus. And I believe that even if they were to have joined different Christian fellowships, they would still have been blessed. The true question deals with those who are not even seeking Christ at all. Am I promoting InterVarsity or do I want them to establish a relationship with Christ? In the case of those who are not actively seeking community, I believe that I have to take a different approach. Christ is still the central theme, but how can one come into intimate relationship with Jesus with out a structured community to support their growth? By promoting individuals to a structured community of like-minded believers, we are essentially helping people get a more concrete grasp of the character of Jesus. Whenever I invite someone to establish relationships and connections to a group of believers such as InterVarsity, they are not only meeting people, they are meeting the person that these people represent. Why promote people to become so actively involved with InterVarsity? Because a relationship with Jesus is not solely developed through personal revelation. A relationship with Jesus is manifested in relationships with other people.

Honestly, as the semester progressed, I found myself promoting IV this and IV that. What is best for IV on campus? How do I get more people to get plugged into IV? How do I get more people to join IV? And so on and so forth. I started to label Christians according to which group they were affiliated with. We are IV, they are CFC. The real problem was that I down-graded God. I longed for God to work within IV and missed out on God's larger potential to work over the entire campus. Sure, having goals for God to revive his people in InterVarsity is a great goal. But God has greater aspirations. His will is bigger than IV, CFC, Cru, or even all of the fellowships combined.

2. Promoting Church and individual identity
One thing that I recently came to realized is that InterVarsity is not a church. In fact, IV should be a supplement to the church in their responsibilities. Sadly, I promote IV and IV small group so much, I forget to promote the need to join a church body. The church body provides a more solid and trustworthy understanding of God through the guidance of more qualified individuals such as ordained pastors. The church body provides a broader sense of the inter-generational nature of God's kingdom. Old people actually have good things to say. The church body provides things that fellowships cannot such as baptism and Eucharist. Lastly, a church provides people to grow in their relationships with God outside of InterVarsity. Many times I forget that InterVarsity is merely an outlet for people to know Jesus. One thing I love is the fact that there are different people from all walks of life who go to IV. Man, too many times I find myself trying to make people conform to my view of what the "real" Christian walk is like. One thing that God has really convicted me of is the responsibility for me to let God speak to people in the way He feels. We are to sow and harvest. God does the growing.

One thing that really humbled me recently was seeing the way a good friend uses scripture to test everything he believes and hears. His knowledge of God's Word showed just how less I knew about Christianity, and his willingness to test out the statements of speakers with scripture really reminded me of our need to pursue God on our own and not to solely rely on the word of other people. That is one reason I love inductive bible study and manuscript study. These tools really help people come to revelations about God's character on their own.

3. Gut-check our motivations.
This is getting too long. I talked about this already. Next!

4. Loving all people.
Over the course of the semester, many times I looked with disdain on those that choose to skip out on IV events and even non-Christians. This is totally wrong on my part. On the same note, feeling nothing for people who choose to reject what is good for them is also wrong. People have the right to choose life or death, God or themselves. However, we know that Jesus has the longing to gather his people under his protection. We also know that Jesus had such a convicting desire to be in relationship with us that he paid for our sins. Believe it or not, Jesus loved everyone: pharisees, whores, Jews, and gentiles. Anger nor righteous anger is the right response to people who reject who you are and the person you stand for. First, all have rejected Christ. We are no better than others. God alone is justified to have righteous anger on those that have rejected him. Second, our deserved punishment was paid fully by the atoning sacrifice of Christ. Sadness be on those that choose death over life. I pray that God give me a love for all people.

On a side note, there does exist a special love with in the Christian family that non-Christians are not able to experience. Christians have an obligation to love their Christian brothers and sisters in a different light. This kind of love testifies to the fact that only in Christ can one find true love and acceptance. The love that Christ offers is different than one of this world.

5. Clear stance on views especially in leadership.
While I think that InterVarsity should be accepting of all people no matter where they are in life, one crucial factor for any group is to have a strong scripturally based foundation. The leaders have the greatest responsibility to live apparent and God-based lives. That is not to say leaders are perfect and without sin. I believe that they are the ones that should be the most apparent about just how messed up they are. I have realized that the more one realizes how flawed and messed up they are, the more they depend on Christ.

People look to leadership as the representatives for what an organization is all about. Because of this reason, leaders have the responsibility to be convicted and apparent about what they believe. Requiring individuals in the most influential positions to affirm to a scripturally based and God-centered lifestyle prevent the subtle undermining of God's authority. I think that a lot of actual scary mass-suicide cults arise from leaders who live non-apparent, non-biblical lifestyles. Also what I think is really cool is that InterVarsity is run by a collection of staff and students. This collective teamwork helps keep people in check and ultimately, I believe, more focused on Christ and his calling. It is my personal belief that many times we can best discern the voice of God through the collective movement of the Holy Spirit in many people rather than through one.

Through my experiences of leading a small group, hidden sin restricts the full working of God. Satan also utilizes it to undermine my confidence in my relationship with Christ and thus in helping other people. I still deal with a lot of shameful things in my life, but I find that God can even bring about his glorification with once shameful sins. Seriously, hidden sin suppresses God's authority over one's life. I have experienced that especially through the area of sexual struggles and pornography - and I believe that many Christian men struggle with similar things. For a great deal in my life such things were preventing me from fully walking with God. I still struggle, but through confession to God there is so much hope (I will address more on the issue and share God's story of healing later). As I have taken more influential roles, God has really convicted me to surrender all to him. Healing only begins once we expose sin to the light of Jesus Christ. Search deep in your heart and give to God all things. He will heal you.

Well, I have spend up to three hours typing about things that God has been convicting me of and growing me in. Praise be to Christ! Remember that everything I have discussed about InterVarsity is solely based on my own experiences and opinions. All I can say is that InterVarsity has been a crucial place for God to grow and develop. Praise be to Christ and Christ alone!