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CU Rise Set to "Disrupt" Spiritual Climate of U.S. Colleges
By erin conner, writer and communications associate
In 2022, Christian Union first launched CU Rise, an evangelism campaign designed to share the gospel with students at nine of the nation’s most influential universities more boldly, strategically, and frequently than ever before. This month, Christian Union is at it again, as CU Rise takes form for the third spring in a row with its campaign entitled "Jesus Disrupts."
For eight weeks, starting March 17, the goal of CU Rise is to proclaim the gospel, disrupting the current spiritual climate at highly secular universities that produce a disproportionate amount of U.S. and global leaders. Matt Bennett, Founder and President of Christian Union, recently told the Christian Post that this theme was chosen “to introduce students to how radical Jesus is.”
The schools across the country that this campaign will focus on include Brown University of Rhode Island, Columbia University of New York, Cornell University of New York, Dartmouth College of New Hampshire, Harvard University of Massachusetts, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University of New Jersey, Yale University of Connecticut, and Stanford University of California.
“Students today at the nation’s most rigorous schools are largely unaware of the most important message in the history of humanity. Jesus Christ has brought more good into the world than any other person, and these students deserve to know, said Bennett. "Jesus is also the only one who can forgive sins and transfer us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. We need to do everything we can to give these students the opportunity to believe in Him.”
Read Christian Post's full article entitled "‘Jesus disrupts’: Christian Student Group to Launch 8-week Evangelism Tour" here.
Read FaithWire's related article entitled, "Christian Leader's Sobering Comparision Between Communist China and Ivey League Campuses" here.
View and share videos, testimonies, or articles from the CU Rise campaign that explain Christianity here.
Washington Times Op-Ed on Secularization of Educational Institutions
By Erin conner, writer and communications associate
Sunday, March 17, 2024-- The Washington Times published an opinion article today by Matt Bennett, Founder and President of Christian Union, entitled "America's Founding Universities Lost Their Religion. Are They Worth Saving?"
The article briefly discusses the histories of several educational institutions in America, such as Harvard, Cornell, Columbia, and Stanford. The article also presents a compelling claim that students at these institutions ought to know the fundamental truth upon which their schools were founded: Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and, through Him alone, humanity finds salvation and life.
Former Student President Claims Victory in Texas Primary
By Erin conner, writer and communications associate
Leaders developed at Dartmouth shape the future of our country by determining what media gets disseminated, what laws get passed, and how major decisions get made. Dartmouth has produced influential figures, including author Dr. Seuss, beloved T.V. personality Fred Rogers, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and former central banker and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner (ChristianUnion.org/Cornerstone/Vox). It seems another name of influence may soon be added to this list: Brandon Gill.
Brandon Gill claimed victory in the GOP primary for the 26th district of Texas to replace U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess, who is retiring after 21 years in Congress, according to the Dallas News. Gill received 58.4% of the vote and will now face Democrat Ernest Lineberger III in the November election.
Gill's Congressional webpage states, "I attended Dartmouth College and graduated cum laude with degrees in both Economics and History. I was President of the conservative paper, The Dartmouth Review. I was also President of Christian Union and grew it to be one of the largest student groups on campus, despite being on a campus hostile to the Christian faith. In college, I fought the left nonstop - on their own turf - and I left Dartmouth even more conservative than when I arrived."
"Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the Gospel of God- the Gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord." - Romans 1:1-4
Grace and peace to you in our Lord Jesus Christ!
We are off to an exciting start to the spring semester here at Christian Union Vita at Cornell! The sun has been peeking through the normally gray skies more than it usually does during this time of year, and God has been pushing back against the kingdom of darkness as well! We’re celebrating what He is doing, and we want you to be able to celebrate with us as we share these with you.
First and foremost, we are praising the Lord for six students who have put their faith in Jesus this semester! This is an extraordinary blessing, and we are grateful for the movement of the Holy Spirit and allowing us to be a part of His work in bringing the lost to Himself. Your support allows us to carry out the ministry that makes this possible, so rejoice with us as part of the team of workers who were a part of this harvest. Pray that God continues to draw more and more students to a saving knowledge of Him!
The Lord hasn’t stopped working, and neither have we here at Christian Union Vox at Dartmouth! As always in ministry work, our urgency remains undiminished. Jesus tells us in John 9:4 that “We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned to us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work.” If even Jesus, with all the resources of the Godhead at His disposal, felt urgency, how much more must we as we look out upon this lost and dying world! May we continue to have faith, rely on His grace, and work hard.
Greetings from Princeton! God is on the move here in Christian Union Nova and I’m excited to share with you some of the amazing things that are happening!Greetings from Princeton!
At Christian Union Caritas, we are so grateful for how God has been speaking to us through His Word and by His Spirit! This past month, our Bible courses finished our 10-week study of Colossians. During each course’s final sessions, students cited the supremacy of Christ in 1:15-20, Paul’s critique of the empty philosophies of this world in 2:8, and the hope of glory when Christ appears in 3:4 as some of the passages in Colossians that breathed life into them during this study.
We also recently hosted our second ever alumni panel after our most recent Friday night leadership lecture series (which we call Venture). It was so great to hear faithful testimonies and wisdom from five CU Caritas grads walking closely with the Lord!
Grace and Peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ. I’m happy to be writing to you again, and am grateful for your prayers! The Lord has been working in our midst.
Since I last wrote, we have taken 37 students on our winter retreat where we went through the book of Esther. The retreat was titled “Conspiracy & Sovereignty” and we looked at how God orchestrated His will and how Esther, as a leader, sought God and led others to do the same in response to God’s sovereignty that He would move on their behalf. Here is what some students said of the retreat:
We greet you with gratitude and joy as we reflect on the extraordinary journey we've embarked on over the last month. Our ministry has been a beacon of transformational leadership, deeply inspired by the principles shared in a recent article that beautifully outlines the impact of embodying such leadership in Christian Union Lux. This piece, featured on our website, delves into how authentic, Christ-centered leadership can profoundly affect both individuals and communities, advocating for a leadership style that is not only transformative but deeply rooted in Biblical truths and the example of Jesus Christ. Embodying Transformational Leadership | Christian Union
