One of the driving forces between an acceptance of CRT and strife within CRU (formerly known as Campus Crusade for Christ) has announced that they are leaving the organization, citing the climate with CRU as having become “cautious, unclear and in some places toxic.”
The Lenses Institute, in announcing their departure, note that “there are elements within CRU who feel Lenses is misaligned with the CRU vision and is engaged in a drift from Cru’s central mission” resulting in a “climate of suspicion, mischaracterization, and in some cases direct intimidation” and consequently will be folding up shop.
Well, Bye.
In a must-read piece by the Capstone Report, they unpack a 174-page report prepared months ago by 350 members and handed to senior leadership that details the extent that wokeness and CRT has infiltrated and affected the organization, leading to infighting, mission drift, broken relationships, loss of membership, and loss of personal and financial support. Capstone noted:
Of particular concern is Cru’s Cultural Training called the Lenses Institute. Lenses was an in-depth “cultural competency training for Cru staff. However, it functioned as an ideological re-education camp where Christian unity was replaced by the primacy of ethnic identity.
The Lenses Institute is also one of Cru’s most closely guarded secrets. According to the report, “Staff are required to disclose nothing about the teaching content outside of the training. Independent thinking is discouraged. Most authors and scholars recommended by Lenses are proponents of CRT.”
And as information on the trainings leak, it becomes abundantly clear, why there was a gag order on discussion of Lenses trainings.
At a Lenses training on September 23, 2020, a speaker was heard to say, “Identity in Christ cannot be elevated above our ethnic identity.”
At this point, it is not known if it was a self-purge and leaving on their own accord, if the remaining conservative faction forcibly removed them, or it’s a case where senior leadership, not willing to bleed funding and support, removed Lenses to appease the conservatives as being the most visible sign of disunity, while still affirming the thrust of Lenses’ messaging.
At the very least we know Cru is better for them leaving; demonstrated by the fact that Kyle J, Howard, Jemar Tisby, and Curtis Yee are shook over it and are lamenting their loss
We pray that Cru can repent and recover, but given how deeply this messaging has been embedded, we are pessimistic that they can be saved.
