CCC promotes gospel and stirs controversy

On a typical weeknight, a small group of Yalies congregates in the basement of WLH. While groups in nearby rooms practice for singing jams or meet for section, the members of the Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC) bow their heads and pray for everything from peace in their daily lives to the conversion of non-Christians.

This evangelical group aims to spread the word of the Gospel as well as to provide a supportive environment for fellow Christians. Although their goals may seem similar to those of the Inter-Varsity Fellowship, another prominent Christian organization on campus, CCC stirs stronger feelings from Christians and non-Christians alike.

Carl Park, DC '98, part of the "leadership team" of CCC, concedes that their "message...will be offensive to some." Their urgency to spread the Gospel stems in part from their belief that non-Christians are condemned to hell. According to Park, the idea of "hell is glossed over" in our culture, especially at Yale, where students often encounter a sort of "spiritual death."

The organization's ardent efforts to convert non-Christians have given CCC the stigma of being a "militant-like organization," Park admitted. He drew the analogy of having Christ in one's life to holding the cure for cancer. Park acknowledged that CCC members can be over zealous in trying to offer this cure to non-Christians who question or outright reject it. "There are times when we are insensitive in the way we try to persuade people. Our passion might be slightly misdirected.... We're all at different places in our faith," said Park. "We're all sinners."

Liz Oliner/YH Every weeknight, CCC members come together for prayer sections in the basement of WLH.

To be more sensitive to the potential convert's level of religious sentiment, some CCC members try to take a more cautious approach. A former roommate of a CCC member said that "we didn't actually talk about [Christianity] for a long time. It came up once and when I told him I wasn't interested, he dropped it."

But most CCC members agree that being too reserved limits their ability to convert non-Christians. Jenny Bottomly, BK '99, for example, explained that at first, she was "over anxious" about offending people. Since then, she has overcome some of her "nervousness," realizing that "if people hadn't been talking to me freshman year, I would've missed so much joy."

Their focus on spreading Christianity draws a wide range of reactions from Yalies. Howard Clark, BK '01, who considers himself to be a "mildly religious Episcopalian," believes that CCC practices are acceptable as long as its members express "no hatred of non-Christians." He added that "it's inherently wrong in Christianity that non-Christians will go to hell." Edward Williams, BR '98, who thinks of himself as only a "part-time" member of CCC, added that the focus of CCC is that "Jesus Christ...died [and] loves you."

Jonathan Wiley, DC '00, himself a Christian, said, "I'm sure that they have good intentions." He simply warned that "evangelicalism should be a careful thing."

Other Yalies are offended by CCC. One junior, a liberal-minded Christian who was accosted several times by a CCC member in her entryway, found the member's methods to be manipulative, offensive, and scary. "We had a conversation...[and] he kept persisting," she said. In one incident, the member asked her "out to coffee" without clarifying that he was inviting her to a coffee hour hosted by CCC. The junior added, "I think they don't do a great job of debunking a lot of their myths.... In a way, they are very intimidating."

Many Yalies perceive CCC as an insular group because of the fact that the membership base is roughly 80 percent Asian-American. "It's a concern," Park said. "We don't want to exclude others." Ten years ago, he stated, CCC was not predominantly Asian-American. Park believes that once the Asian-American membership reached a certain level, many other Asian-Americans felt more comfortable and were more inclined to join.

This dynamic has not gone unnoticed by the Yale community. Bottomly, a Caucasian member, said that she has received "a lot of guff" from Yalies because she is part of a predominantly Asian-American group. Yet being a minority in CCC does not affect her dedication to the organization. "[We're] partners in the gospel...it's so joyful," she said.

The tight network of friendships within CCC also contributes to its reputation as an insular group. Bottomly believes the special bond members have is not present in her friendships with non-Christians. Park conceded "in [Christian] fellowships, there is a kind of connection or love that I don't see in other groups...there's something different."

Non-members tended to react more negatively to the closeness of CCC members. Shamed Dogan, TC '00, who recently discussed Christianity with a few CCC members, concluded, "They seem to join for social reasons. A lot of them haven't thought about Christianity.... The main thing they were saying was, `He just makes me feel good about myself' and, `I'm happy to have so many friends' including God. If you want friends," Dogan joked, "join AA."

Although Park stated that CCC members have a deep "concern for each other," he emphasized that before joining the organization, "we didn't have the peace that we have now. We're scared for what's going to happen to others."

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