On
Campus - Be Careful With Whom You Pray
Introduction
The
Boston Church of Christ, Alpha Omega, Campus Christian Movement,
Hope On Campus, Students Advocating Christianity Today, Upside Down
Club, and Campus Advance all seem to have something very important
in common. They are all part of the same organization that takes on
as many names as it needs:
Associated Press, February 22, 1999
LUBBOCK - A dozen Texas Tech University ministers are urging
students to avoid a new campus religious group, the International
Churches of Christ, calling it America's most dangerous cult.
The national organization's local affiliate, the Lubbock
Christian Church, began meeting late last month at the Lubbock
Memorial Civic Center.
In response, the 12 Texas Tech ministers have signed their
names to an advertisement warning students about the group. The
ad, headlined "You Have a Right to Know," is expected to
appear in this week's University Daily campus newspaper.
"We, as established campus ministry organizations . . .
cannot endorse or support the activities of the ICOC on the Tech
campus or in our community," the ad reads. "People use
caution and sound judgment if approached by a member of the
Lubbock Christian Church."
The ministers say the church has a history at more than 30
other universities.
"Our goal is to limit their effectiveness on the
campus," Adam Looney of Christ in Action Student Ministries
told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.
Full
Text
A
Dancer's Experience: "I got caught up in a cult"
Excerpt
from Seventeen Magazine, Sept 1995, By Jeanette Batz
Full
Text
Donna Buckmeyer was a college freshman, 2500 miles from home,
hoping to find a few new friends. Instead, they found her - and
pulled her into a zealous religious group that took over her life.
In high school, Donna Buckmeyer, was totally into dance. She had
trained since she was 8, and she performed with a local company.
She was an honors student - math and physics were her favorite
subjects - who also knew how to have fun: seeing movies, going out
with guys, hanging with her friends.
But when she was 18, she stopped dancing. She swore off boys,
ditched her friends and gave away her favorite dress - a
cobalt-blue strapless - because she was convinced it would
"tempt men into sinful desires". She also gave away
nearly $4,000 of her hard-earned money.
What changed Donna? She had found a new group of friends - or
at least they seemed like friends. Feeling lonely during
her freshman year at college, she joined the New York City Church
of Christ.
"All of a sudden, this group seemed to meet all the needs
I had," Donna says. "It gave me a purpose in life, a way
to help the world and, most of all, friendship."
...
Donna encountered no power-mad guru who tried to control every
aspect of her life. She found nothing about the Church of Christ
that extreme or bizarre.
"They seemed like such wonderful people. I never suspected
anything could be wrong," Donna says with a sigh. "I was
on the lookout for people who could physically hurt me, mug me or
steal my purse. But not for people who would befriend me."
Read
the complete article from Seventeen
Our
Recommendations
This
material is presented to help you to reach your own conclusions. If
you looking for a new crowd to hang out with, or a bible study group
we recommend that you study the links in the next section.
DanceArt.com
suggests that dancers, especially those in new schools or towns,
should avoid letting new acquaintances introduce them to bible study
or student religious organizations. It is very difficult to figure
out what the organization is really about, especially when your new
friends seem so nice and since it can be nearly impossible to figure
out who is behind the creation of such groups. Many of the groups
you need to be concerned about have names that are just like the
names of safe and trusted organizations.
Instead,
ask old friends and family members that have attended your school
about groups you can trust on campus. Your clergy back home might
have contacts for you. Be very careful of the name of the group and
confirm that the leaders' are the people that are expecting you. Ask
faculty on your new campus for suggestions and use the Internet and
your schools' computer network to search for old newspaper articles
about the group's activities.
Failing
that, don't wait to be recruited by people that you don't know. Get
a copy of the local yellow pages and seek out established community
churches in the surrounding neighborhoods.
Additional
Reading
Rick
Ross: Huge collection of ICC articles
Reveal
- Former Members of ICC Web site
http://www.cultsoncampus.com
Charisma
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