A few month ago, Pastor Rob Bell was about to release a controversial book called “Love Wins.” I have no interest in discussing the book, but I bring that up for a different reason. I was told a story recently about another Rob Bell. He is a web designer living in West Yorkshire, UK. He has not written a controversial book. In fact, he is not a believer. Well, being that he is a web designer, he was early on the Twitter bandwagon and snatched up the username ‘@robbell’ leaving Pastor Rob Bell to create ‘@realrobbell’ when he created a Twitter account later on. I have read lots and lots of disgust, hate, and disapproval for Rob Bell and the book he has written. Disgust for the theology he is teaching, and what it’s implications are. As many Christians worldwide began to respond to this controversial book (before it had even been released) they began tweeting at, emailing, calling, etc. Rob Bell and sharing with him their disgust and disapproval. Unfortunately for web designer Rob Bell (@robbell) people also unknowingly began tweeting at him as well. Hateful things. Things that a believer should not say to another believer. There is a difference between loving rebuke and plain hatefulness. After a few weeks of responding to people and telling them that they have the wrong Rob Bell, web designer Rob Bell eventually said that he is not a believer but based on the way Christians treat each other, he has no interest in ever being one.

You may have also heard very recently that a ministry that I am now working with, Campus Crusade for Christ, has decided to change their name after 60 years of ministry to ‘Cru.’ This has been met with a lot of misunderstanding and perversion of what’s truly happening. Networks like Fox and people like Glenn Beck have taken this name change and truly run with it saying that CCC has given in to political correctness and bowed to not wanting to offend people. Because of this, they say that CCC wanted to remove the word “Christ” from their name. First of all, this is very ill-informed. Bill and Vonette Bright founded Campus Crusade for Christ in 1951, and what began as 2 staff at UCLA is now over 25,000 staff in 191 countries. As early as the 1970’s Vonette said that Bill had been telling her that the day was coming when they would need to change the name to help continue to share the gospel more effectively. Now, in 2011, the time has come to make this change. There were a couple things about the name hindering ministry and the gospel going forward. One of the most shocking statistics from CCC’s website and information about the name change said that 1 in 5 people were no longer interested in talking with CCC staff/students once hearing the name “Campus Crusade for Christ.” That means that, had the ministry had a different name, there is a chance that 1 of 5 people that have met CCC staff/students over the last decades may have hear the gospel and didn’t simply because of our name. On top of that, CCC did begin as a campus ministry, but is now worldwide and expressing itself in more ways than I could even begin to name, only a few of them being on campus with college students. “Campus” being in the name can therefore cause a misunderstanding for our growing vision for the gospel, being that we know that God is capable of reaching more than just college students through our ministry and are committed to doing so. Also, I don’t even need to begin to go into detail about why the name “Crusade” is sensitive. Especially overseas, where missionaries with Crusade spend their lives dedicated to sharing the gospel. The intention was never to remove the word “Christ” from the name. The intention was simply to change the name entirely. There are thousands upon thousands of gospel-centered churches and ministries that don’t have the word “God” or “Jesus” or “Christ” in the name. I am very willing to say that this does not hinder their ministry in any way. Nor are they trying to trick anyone about what they believe, or give in to political correctness. All this and much more, has led CCC to be prayerfully considering other names and eventually deciding on “Cru.” I do not have all the answers about the situation, but I am in full support of the change and completely trust that the staff surrounding this decision were in fervent prayer about it and that this is of the Lord.

Now, how that first story ties all this together is this…
I was sent the video of Glenn Beck slandering and mocking Campus Crusade for Christ about the name change shortly after the decision was announced. While on his website for the video I saw the comments that were being posted, updated in real-time, and they were terribly upsetting. Because of Glenn and Fox’s portrayal and because of people’s unwillingness to look into the situation, comment after comment was ridiculing CCC. Many people called us cowards. Many people quoted scripture trying to say that since we deny Christ he will deny us. Many people said that we no longer stand for the gospel. One person even went as far to say “Campus Crusade for Christ just became Campus Crusade for Satan.” I was terribly hurt, and felt the need to respond. I went and one at a time responded to as many people as I could, trying to be as loving as possible, yet still sharing with them the real reasons for the name change and where they could read the real story from CCC’s website. I probably have now spent over 6 hours total on that website, commenting people about the things they have said in hate and ignorance. This became a poison. I eventually became very angry with everyone who was slandering Cru and began mocking them and their ignorant responses as well. I got into a couple comment debates with people over the decision only to later think… what good was any of this doing? I was reminded of this lyric…

      ”And if we are the body, how’d the pretty man get so ugly. How’d he get all of these spaces between each limb.”
      - As Cities Burn

This, as earlier told, is not even close to the first time that Christians have been their own worst enemy, and furthered our own division and distention. We are told that there is a real enemy and his first priority is to steal, kill, and destroy. He had won in me, and on that message board. I was a part of the chaos, though I began as the protagonist I thought. I took a step back a looked at what was happening. Christians were tearing each other apart. It was horribly saddening, and then I was pretty sure I realized what was happening. The enemy was taking advantage of a situation that I think God was fully behind, and trying to create division between his body. As earlier shown by Rob Bell of West Yorkshire, Christians are often our own worst enemy. There is a place to rebuke and for the calling out of sin or cowardice. This was not that. I went back and did the best I could to apologize if I had upset or offended anyone, even with my most graceful attempts of informing or responding. I asked for people to join me in repenting of the way we were all treating each other. If a non-believer ever read those comments that are being left still to this day, I fully believe they would never come to the Lord. The picture we are giving in moments like that is not what the church looks like.

I say all this to hopefully express how important it is for all of us to consider the arena and the way in which we call out, rebuke, and debate within the body. The damage we are capable of may never be known to us, but the enemy will take advantage of every opportunity he is given. Don’t let your spiritual prowess be someone else’s spiritual downfall.

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