- Christian Union (students)
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- Christian Union (with space) redirects here. For the Dutch political party see ChristianUnion (no space), and for other meanings see Christian Union (disambiguation).
Christian Unions (CUs) are evangelical Christian student groups. They exist in many countries and are often affiliated with either International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (through a national body) or Campus Crusade for Christ. Many Christian Unions are one of the societies affiliated to their universities' students' union. As a broader generic term, Christian union may refer to any Christian society – such as SCM and Fusion groups.
Since their split from the Student Christian Movement in the early twentieth century, most Christian Unions in the United Kingdom are affiliated to the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship (UCCF). Some UK Christian Unions have had difficult relationships with the students' union due to their policy of allowing leaders to choose their successors in order, they argue, to ensure a Christian leadership (students' unions often require democratic processes be followed), opinions on issues such as homosexuality and the requirement that leaders agree to certain doctrinal statements that exclude most Christians. The doctrinal statement that the Bible is the sole authority means that Catholic, Orthodox and other Christian students would not be able to join the Christian Union. This has led to criticism as it means that over 75% of the world's Christians would not be able to join the Christian Union. This has, therefore, led to calls for the Christian Union to change its name to the Protestant Union or the Evangelical Union. [1][2] Christians may also feel excluded on denominational reasons due to these doctrinal statements.
See also
- Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship (UCCF; national organisation)
- International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (international organisation)
- Student Christian Movement (SCM; national organisation)
- Campus Crusade for Christ (similar international organisation; principally American)
- Cambridge Inter-Collegiate Christian Union (CICCU)
- Oxford Inter-Collegiate Christian Union (OICCU)
- List of Christian Unions in Great Britain
Notes
External links
Christian Unions and Student Unions
- Student union suspends Christian group Article about Birmingham University Evangelical Christian Union in the Guardian newspaper
- Hull CU vindicated Article from an evangelical publication
- Christian Union returns from ban Warwick University
- Trials of 2004 An account of Christian Union at the University College London - disaffiliation from the Student Union and later re-affiliation
- Christians threaten legal action BBC News article about Exeter University CU, and the on-going dispute there.
- United We Stand Christian ThinkTank's proposals for solutions to the disagreements between Christian Unions and student unions
- UCCF Position Paper - Equal Opportunities Policies and Faith-based Student Societies
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