I went to this awesome conference called Jubilee last Friday. Jubilee was for three days and I lived every minute of it. For those of you who do not know, Jubilee is a conference for Christians and anyone who wants to know more about Christianity. Jubilee is sponsored by the Coalition for Christian Outreach and was held at the Westin Convention Center in Pittsburgh. Some of the pictures consist of the conference and others consist of things that I did in my spare time (which was not much). There were a lot of students from OWU and we shared a charter bus with students from Ohio Dominican. The purpose of the Jubilee Conference was to instill Christianity in every aspect of life for believers and to recognize that there is always alternatives to the earthly ways of the world for skeptics and non-believers. Even though the conference brings a Christian perspective to life and its issues, the conferences sought to teach all people. The conference was not one sided and I think people left out of the Westin a lot stronger in their search for a better life and towards their walk with Christianity and its issues. I am sure that everyone was more than satisfied with the turn of events and programs for the weekend and that everyone will bring a friend for the conference next year.
To start off, I guess I will talk about leaving OWU on Friday to go to Pittsburgh. I did not know what was going to happen for the week. I just wanted to let everything fall into place. When I arrived on the charter bus, I was settling in with my books and my thoughts of the weekend. What I did not expect was the arrival of the Ohio Dominican students in full force. All of a sudden, the bus was packed. On the trip down to Pittsburgh, we watched Across the Universe. I thought the movie was kind of like an acid trip. It was surreal in some parts and just trippy in other parts. I got to know some of the Ohio Dominican students as well during the four hour bus ride. We got to Pittsburgh around eight o'clock when the conference was about to kick out with the first plenary session. We got our stuff, checked it through the chaos of 2000+ people, went to our rooms in the Convention Center, and following the crowd to the Ballroom area of the Westin. This was all done in the matter of twenty minutes after we got off the bus. The plenary session for the 8pm session on Friday was interesting. The keynote speaker was Anthony Bradley. The key point I got from them was that there is idolatry and pain in our lives and that both of these elements can effectively ruin a relationship with our family and God. If we can overcome idolatry of material items and escape pain in our lives, then we will be better able to grow in our relationship and create homes that are less likely to become broken. Right after, I had a small group discussion with a couple of people from OWU. For ten minutes, we discussed if the session had an impact and what was important in the speaker's message. I learned a bit from Anthony Bradley and so did the other members of my group. I went outside the ballroom area to purchase some books about how to implement Christianity into our lives in the professional and sports setting. The books are really interesting. I got a couple of books about hip-hop and the Bible and a book about the impact of Christianity on athletes and coaches such as Tony Dungy. After my purchases, I went back inside the ballroom area to hear a group called the Cross Movement. All of the songs were catchy and guess what, NO VULGARITY! I was hearing the truth in their message while they addressed urban issues, something I deal with in the summer when I am back home. I brought their newest CD. I have yet to listen to it since I have been back at OWU but I will eventually. I went back to the hotel room soon after the concert; it was getting late and I had to catch up on some reading for class. I got to order room service (of course, it was not the cheapest thing in the world but I figure that I would be stupid not to take advantage of the opportunity. Also, I was starving.)
Saturday-
Saturday was the longest and probably one of the rewarding days I have had in a long time. I started the day off with a tour of the five-star workout area, sponsored by Reebok. Honestly, I did not know what to expect but once I got going with experimenting the equipment, I was floored (and since this was at 7 am, I was all the once floored). I worked out for about thirty minutes, training with the elliptical, the abdominal machine, and the military presses. Seeing that I was on limited, I decided to switch up to the pool area. Around 7:30 am, I went to the whirlpool section of the pool area and hopped right in. The sensation of the bubbles on my body was tantalizing and relaxing. The whirlpool put me into a contemplative mood where I reflected on Friday's sessions and what was in store for the day. After ten minutes of relaxation and contemplation, I jumped out and headed into the sauna room for a couple minutes for more contemplation. The first time I got into a sauna was in the Mariott in downtown Cleveland and have fallen in love with it ever since. In the sauna, I prayed under the intense heat. The experience was enlightening for me. I showered and went to the elaborate locker room to change. I will explain in detail the locker room under the pictures later. I went up to Lisa Ho's room (one of the administrators on the trip from OWU) and got breakfast- OJ, bagels, and breakfast bars were on the itinerary. I had to head up to my room, which was on the 23th floor, hers was on the 19th, to quickly change as I had a breakout session at 9 am.
The first breakout session I went to was for an outreach program called Blood: Water Mission. The purpose of this program was to raise money to put in 1,000 clean water wells in regions of Africa. The program was started by Jars of Clay for outreach to Africa. I thought the presentation was good and that it seemed to really serve a valuable and practical purpose- everyone involved would be able to benefit from the outreach program. This program was a good one to warm Saturday up a bit.
The second plenary session was next at 10:30 am. The local band played to get the crowd pumped up for the day and the session went off without a hitch. The second keynote speaker of the series was Kelly Monroe Kullberg. When I first heard that she was during the keynote speaker, I thought she might take the perspective from a feminine approach. However, she did not and rather, she reflected on life stories on herself and other individual to convey her points. She was very subtle in teaching us her life story. Her triumphs, her failures, everything was included in the session. I was very happy with the overall presentation and I knew that things in the conference could only go up from here.
We left for lunch and I ended up in the strip session of downtown Pittsburgh. The streets were packed and I was trying to find a restaurant and finish it quickly to go back to the sessions at 2 pm. That did not work out as well as I thought. The plenary session ran a little late and I did not find a good restaurant until after 1 pm. I settled at a place called Roland's for lunch, a very homely place to eat in the middle of the day. I ordered a little bit and realized that I would not be back around 2 pm. Instead, I hiked back around 2:30 pm and caught the last hour for the next breakout session. Breakout session #2 was Lowrie McCown. This session was interesting for the fact that he spoke on the issue of incorporating a Christian lifestyle into the often aggressive ways of sports. I am not an athlete per se but I know the principles of being on a sports team is the same as being on any other team. There are some times where we get so caught in the passion for sports or other things that we forget about why we are playing in the first place. Integrating your thinking to be above the material things in the world of sports is something to consider. Two examples were shown. One was Tony Dungy and how he implements his knowledge of Christianity into the sports realm. The other was rather weird for me at least. The example was of Seabiscuit. Once Seabiscuit was shown and his life story explained, I understood why Seabiscuit was chosen. Determination despite being the underdog and overcoming the odds was the key for the session. I was glad to be in that session- I learned a great deal that I want to share with the athletes here at OWU.
Breakout session #3 was really interesting because it was different than any other session, plenary or breakout on the agenda. Before I arrived at the Jubilee conference, I signed up for the Jubilee Africana/Latino portion. I did not go to the two scheduled previously so I figured I better go before my time was up at Jubilee. The 3rd breakout session was off-site at Epiphany Church. The session was about the differences that Blacks and Latinos see in each other. A siren went off in my head. How controversial is this going to be? The session starts with the Blacks naming the characteristics of Latinos and vice versa for them to us. Then we analyzed the issues and eventually we looked at the message of solidarity which was given to us in 1 Corinthians 12 12:26 (I have that bible verse memorized out of all the verses said over the week). I thought the message the session was trying to convey was very cool and applicable in our lives. Despite the fact that we judge from time-to-time (Christians too), we all have to see that we are the same and that we all need to mutually edify yourselves to becoming a better people for ourselves and for God. After the session, the Church fed us food in which you will see a sample of the food in my picture. No, I did not take the picture of the food just to show it off. This picture is more symbolic and I will explain that later in the pictures section.
I went back up to the conference area to find OWU members around 7 pm in the Ballroom where the 3rd plenary session was to commence. Same format- worship, introduction, more worship, more information, then the announcement of the keynote speaker. The 3rd keynote speaker was Charles (Chuck) Colson. Just some information: Chuck Colson was the chief counsel for Nixon from 1969 to 1973 and was one of the Watergate Seven jailed for Watergate-related charges (underlined words for emphasis) After his emergence as a Christian, he reached out to those less fortunate to where the most feared criminals reside: the prison system. This is a very rare opportunity to hear someone like Chuck Colson speak about her faith and why it is important to believe in God. For about an hour, my spirit was lifted like never before and my confidence as a Christian soared as high as the heavens above. Basically in the simplest of terms, he told us that he was proud to see young Christians congregating and that we would have to continue to spread the Word. I have so much more to say about the message that Chuck Colson told us but I cannot possibly write it all in this blog. All I can say is that Chuck Colson's speech took my level and understanding for the Bible and for Christians unto a whole new and exciting level.
My small group once again on the day and this time, we all felt the message and elaborated on it- heavily. We all felt revived and happy with the sessions of that Saturday. I was ready to soak up another concert- this time with Derek Webb and his wife, Sandra McCracken. I was vaguely familiar with the work of Derek Webb before the concert because of Caedmon's Call and I never even heard of Sandra McCracken. Once again, I arrived in the middle of the concert set because of my small group meeting and browsing the books again. The music I did pick up was very fresh and good to my ears. The song that stuck out the most was Savior on Capitol Hill. The song was fresh to all of our ears, reminding us that it is that time of year in our lives (political season, that is). The song was short but to the point. To end the day, I went to the tables near the hotel rooms where people talked about seminaries, missionaries, and other opportunities for people interested and who are called to do these opportunities. I decided to go try out the Fish Market downstairs. I hung out with some of my friends from OWU for a late night fish feast. I knew that this would an expensive excursion but I am in Pittsburgh so I am going to live a little. My Livornese Chilean Seabass cost $$$$ but it was definitely worth it. I went to bed satisfied in almost every way. Yeah!!!
Sunday-
Same routine as Saturday until 9 am where I attend the final breakout session. The issue is controversial- homosexuality. Chad Thompson was the speaker for the breakout session and we discussed his book- Loving Homosexuals As Jesus Would. As controversial as the topic was, there were no major outbursts or anything of the sort. Chad Thompson told his story and then told how us the message of the book. I liked the session because it gave me a better view of how Christians need to stop being one-sided in their view of homosexuals and become more open in their views. Being one-dimensional towards a group of people will not help Christians out and that their view needs to become more broad to remove this image of Christians. I wish this session was longer because the room was packed like many of the other sessions for me on Saturday.
Last session of the conference was a plenary session with Donald Miller, author of Blue Like Jazz. I felt like this session was a success as well- Donald Miller was funny, insightful, and even had us interact and move for a little bit for a little activity. I felt that the perspective that he told us about his work as an author was a little different than the other plenary sessions. He was a little more out there in his logic even though to me it made sense. Donald Miller seemed more whimsical in his approach to implementing Christianity into the art of writing, production, and daily life. Nevertheless, he was laid back and the message was here for us to grab and spread to everyone.
Just to reflect. This was an unbelievable. Totally worth the money. Practically every second from the second I got on the charter bus at OWU until the second I got off the charter bus at OWU was a thrilling roller coaster into delving wholeheartedly into my faith and my walk with God. Celebrating my love for Christ with 2000+ other Christians was unforgettable. I am definitely telling my friends, family, and everyone else about my experience because IT WAS INCREDIBLE. I am still recovering from the high I got being at Jubilee 2008.
Now, some pictures, in no particular order, shown at the top of the page.
#1- Night life in Pittsburgh. Beautiful.
#2- The Infamous pool area and the beloved whirlpool that I reflected my thoughts in.
#3- Another view of night life, this time from the 23th floor on my room.
#4- The ultimate workout room. I was pumping that iron before I was pumping my mind.
#5- The locker room! This reeks of awesomeness! That was truly a surprise and a treat to me. The services were top-notch as well, I might add.
#6- The title of this says it all. The Ballroom where everything went down!
#7- The nice looking 5-star Westin Convention Center.
#8- The sunset that finished off our experience at Jubilee 2008. Pretty, isn't it?
#9- This image caught my eye. "To Live" is the point of coming to this conference.
#10- Jubilee- A catalytic event about living out your faith in every area of life.
#11-Derek Webb performing Savior on Capitol Hill.
#12-Ah!!! The Fish Market. High class, might I say.
#13-Shelbie Ely and Mery Kanashiro smiling for the camera.
#14- The men of Greek Life- Andrew Au and yours truly.
#15- The OWU Jubilee banner for 2008.
#16- An interesting picture of the landscape coming back from lunch. Environmental alteration, anyone?
#17- Me playing with the camera with my new bud from Ohio Dominican, Barry. I have a new facebook profile picture as a result of this picture and Barry's camera. Check it out.
#18- Dinner at Epiphany Church outside of the Westin Convention Center. ODU students await.
#19- Some of the meal. Chicken, salad, and penne pasta. Yeah, baby!!
#20-Another picture of the concert- Sandra McCracken and Derek Webb.
Living in His spirit and singing the praises of His jubilee,
Hasani Wheat
Class of '10
21 comments:
Thanks! You couldn't turn me off more than by posting this thing. Be truthful to your readers. "Jubilee is about the Kingdom of God. It’s about changing the world, through structural and institutional change. Jubilee will inspire you to see the world ignited for Jesus, it will connect you with amazing people, and give you a powerful vision of your place in God’s story." It is a story about proselytizing. You should keep it for your private journals. A clever way will be to be more welcoming to all faith traditions. A long long posting about Christian proselytizing will turn off, as it does, more people than it will attract.
These blogs are supposed to show a slice of the daily lives of REAL OWU students. People have been complaining that these blogs are censored by the Admissions Offices, are fake, are misleading.
Anonymous, as much as you might want to deny, there ARE Christians on this campus, and they have every right to practice their faith without fear of censure and ridicule.
Do you want Hasani to only post safe, tame topics, and deliver a skewed, Admissions Office-friendly view of student life at OWU? How about we practice the First Amendment for BOTH sides of the story, and leave the man alone.
If this blog were to focus on, say, a student's experience with a birthright trip to Israel to reconnect with their Jewish roots, or how a student celebrated Ramadan on campus, I highly doubt you would call them out on it. You're not offended by his not acknowledging all faith traditions- you're offended by his acknowledging Christianity as HIS chosen faith.
I am NOT a Christian...but far be it for me to tell someone else to be ashamed of their faith, or to tell them that they should shut up and only present a PC view of the school.
Hasani is harming no one. How about you practice what you preach and show LOVE to ALL FAITHS.
:) It is amusing that a paid OWU staff like Lisa Ho would call someone a "coward". Lisa Ho herself advertised an OWU event and was instrumental in getting money from WSCA for a music event, and it turned out the event was for collecting money to train Christian ministers. Now, the record is there. She pretty much lied. To me, liars are cowards. If you tolerate liars, then that's a different story.
Hasani is a proud member of the Campus Crusade of Christ and hasn't shied in the past to talk about this organization publicly on a forum that is supposed to attract prospective students. Let's think about this together.
I am not going to judge the record of Campus Crusade of Christ. The fact that many leading schools in the Northeast campuses have kicked out this organization from their campuses may indicate something. I do, however, think that its record for people with different beliefs, different sexual preferences is blatantly intolerant.
I am sorry, but it is absolutely uncowardly to question intolerance and hatred in favor of free speech. It is like saying let's have KKK because otherwise their voice would be supressed. Yes, organizations that spread intolerance and hatred need to be questioned and possibly suppressed.
Take a look at its own manuals and how it treats its members. Taken from Campus Crusade's campus ministry manual, they say, "A critical attitude of fellow staff of the Campus Crusade ministry, or of other individuals or groups, shall be considered as evidence of disloyalty to Christ, and shall be accepted as an act of resignation" (I FOUND IT!, p. 108). Can you believe this -- no criticism of anyone within CCC, nor of any individual or group outside of CCC! A cold dictatorship is a better way to understand this statement. This whole idea of not even voicing one negative thought against the leaders and equating that with disloyalty to Jesus Christ makes Campus Crusade God.
Finally, this organization is controversial. Why on earth would you want to invite possible criticism, turn prospective students off, by touting this connection? You are a member of this organization. Fine. It is your choice. Celebrate it in private. But don't potentially endanger OWU's reputation publicly by turning off potential OWU students by writing about something that will definitely turn many people off.
Haha...if Lisa Ho is really the assistant chaplain, how nice for a Christian to call someone a coward...how Christian that is...way to go!
Anonymous,
your comparisons of Campus Crusade to the KKK are quite a stretch, as is your diagnosis of the jubilee conference as a "place to train ministers". The conference is about helping people think through how their christian faith can be lived out in the world for good. it is NOT a place where teaching how to proselytize occurs. If you do a little more research, you'd find that most of the people speaking at the conference were people who are interested in making the world a better place- starting the blood water mission in africa (blood:water mission), connecting people to sponsor children in africa (compassion international), working to break down homophobic views among christians, etc. There is enormous love and hope for all people's of the world, the arts, the environment, and culture at this conference.
Again, I'd encourage you to do some more research into something before you pose as an expert on it, and to also actually do some good in the world instead of anonymously criticizing a faith perspective.
To do some research? Are you kidding me or insulting me? Take a look at http://campusministry.com/wp-content/uploads/forms/3/FaithQandA.pdf
This is posted by the same organization that runs the conference. This is one of many documents posted on their website. “Faith is without merit in and of itself; its merit is found in the one in whom you have
faith. If you have faith in the wrong thing or power, faith is of no use at all."
Does that smell like religious tolerance to you? To me, it smells like intolerance.
How about the treatment of homosexuals:
"The above scriptures address the people of God...not those who don’t know God! The
people of God should not behave this way. (See Lev. 18:27-30)"
...implying that homosexuals either don't know God or should not behave this way.
I mean really. Lisa Ho, you should be the one who reads what you spread and promote before you go ahead and call people cowards.
I can believe Ohio Wesleyan money and students' tuition is getting used to pay your salary as you spread messages of intolerance. Shame on you.
once again anonymous, you have got all your facts wrong. campusministry.com IS run by the organization that puts on jubilee, but it is an open forum where anyone can post anything about campus ministry. see http://campusministry.com/about/
In this site you will find a wide variety of viewpoints, which is the point of the site. This site is not even their main website, and that article was uploaded by an individual, not the jubilee organization.
And I think you have the wrong idea about tolerance. Tolerance doesn't mean that you go around agreeing with everyone and everything and can't disagree with someone. It means that you listen with respect and dignity and treat others better than yourself even when you have differences in beliefs. People have faith in all sorts of different things-the article you quoted was just saying that they believed that you can put your faith in the wrong thing (hint: maybe think bigger than just religions, i.e. capitalism, materialism, drugs, alchohol, an abusive relationship, etc).
Thanks for a lively dialogue though.
Lisa,
I don't appreciate you continuing to insult me. I pulled the definition of tolerance just so that both of us can see it: "a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward opinions and practices that differ from one's own." Disagreeing with someone (ie other viewpoints and what they believe in) and stripping them from the ability to call it faith is an explicit lack of permissive attitude and an even more explicit attack on individual liberties.
The treatment of homosexuals in that document, with a specific reference to Lev. 18:27-30 excludes homosexuals implying that homosexuals either don't know God or should not behave this way.
Lisa, these are facts. You or I can't change them. These are documents coming from people who organize the sessions that you use Ohio Wesleyan money to send students to.
It is absolutely distasteful in that you continue you to do it by organizing events with a lot of Ohio Wesleyan money that sponsor the Mocha Club to train ministers while misrepresenting the objective of the event. When a student posted his comment disagreeing with giving his money to train ministers, you removed it. These are facts. You can't change them. If you remove comments which only posted information from the Q&A section of the Mocha Club website on the event's site and you remove them (effectively silencing his voice), you can't tell me that this is being tolerant and having a permissive attitude of other viewpoints. You can't redefine what tolerance means to most people. I am sorry.
If you did this only with people who choose to accept your viewpoint and they are the ones paying for the event, then I wouldn't care. But you use Ohio Wesleyan WSCA money, Ohio Wesleyan tuition money, you misrepresent the real purpose of events and you do so deliberately trying to attract more students to attend you events by tricking them. This is absolutely unacceptable!
i just want to get one thing straight for you. I'm not this Lisa you keep talking about. I have no affiliation with Ohio Wesleyan. I just noticed your comments and how off based they were.
Thank you for continuing to qualify them. I simply pulled off the definition from the dictionary. I guess it, too, is offbase.
Anonymous,
Why don't you get fired up about something more important. Hasani was picked to give his blog in order that he share his experience at OWU and the many clubs and organizations he is involved in. The blog on "Jubilee Weekend" is sharing with people at OWU as well as prospective students, an event that has changed Hasani's life for the better. You are allowed to believe in what you want, whether that be Christianity, Buddhism, etc., and you are allowed to share your beliefs with others...last time I checked there was nothing in the Constitution that states otherwise. Hasani is a Christian and he is proud of it. Just as he is proud that he is apart of Phi Delta Theta, Circle K, Habitat for Humanity, and SUBA just to name a few. I'm sure that if he had a weekend in Colorado with Habitat for Humanity rebuilding a poor area, he would share about that....and I'm sure no one would be criticizing him for going to Colorado to help out the poor or being a part of Habitat for Humanity.
The Bible does not tell people to hate and kill people because they are Buddhist, but rather it instructs to love all faiths. I would encourage you to read the Bible and think about how you would feel if someone attacked you for what you believe in before you ruthlessly attack someone else.
Well said.
This is a fascinating discussion. If you are truly unhappy with the organizations someone is involved with then by all means voice your opinion, but that is why there are four other blogs. You are not forced to listen read Hasani's opinions and can switch blogs at anytime. The bloggers act as a check on each other so the campus doesn't come across as one sided.
Also, I don't understand how someone "nameless" can be so excited. Identity is the essence of believability. For all we know, Hasani is arguing with himself to stimulate discussion. (Though knowing Hasani, I don't believe he'd do such a thing).
Way to stimulate discussion fellow blogger. Keep on, keeping on.
I agree with the previous anonymous.
The issue here is not about freedom of opinion. Hasani is not any more special than any other Ohio Wesleyan student. Everyone is special in his or her own way.
However, his perspective carries an extra bit of "weight" for the Ohio Wesleyan community in that he is only one of four students representing OWU just as much as he is representing himself. This is a special but also a challenging role to be in. Having said that, his perspective is to support very very very controversial groups like the Campus Crusade for Christ.
This is not my opinion. This are facts. Take a look at:
http://www.jewsonfirst.org/07a/clm_afacademy.html
http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060422/REPOSITORY/604220348/1013/48HOURS
http://www.factnet.org/discus/messages/3/1142.html
http://www.rickross.com/reference/mormon/mormon49.html
http://www.cbn.com/700club/guests/bios/brad_bright_102704.aspx
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3752/is_200701/ai_n17220518
http://www.edcottrell.com/downloads/riceevangelicals.pdf
http://www.clovisnews.com/schools/campus_crusade.html
How odd that a 2-minute search yielded so many websites with numerous people complaining the very controversial record of this organization.
The Campus Crusade for Christ has a controversial record even at Ohio Wesleyan when its members 3 years ago were throwing bibles at gay members of the community.
Is that the kind of free speech we promote? Sure, if you tolerate this kind of hatred, by all means...let's have more of it here at Ohio Wesleyan....
Hasani, why don't you let your homophobic feelings be expressed and heard in a separate blog entry for the prospective students to see? I mean, don't worry, your perspective is protected by Lisa Ho, the Chaplain's Office and Pam Besel. You are allowed to believe in what you want even if you make many more prospective and current students feel uncomfortable. Who cares, you have a few enthusiastic supporters here who tolerate such hatred. Plus, don't worry if it is one-sided...The bloggers act as a check on each other so the campus doesn't come across as one sided.
Bravo, dear anonymous, bravo. You have a mastery over the language.
I believe to judge a university on one person's perspective is wrong. I believe Hasani represents a group on campus. I believe Courtney, Kate, Raza, and myself represent groups on campus and together we represent the diversity that is OWU.
Personally, I don't agree with CCC but it is not my place to tell Hasani what to believe and what to involve himself. To do so is against my position as a Blogger.
The blogs were established to give perspective students the opportunity to see the vast options that our campus offers. By attacking Hasani, all you do is show that we are a close-minded campus and I believe that such comments turn prospective students away more than Hasani's blog ever could.
And I still want a name.
The question is is as much about free opinion as much about not hurting others or making them feel uncomfortable. That's the bottom line. One has to decide which one is more important. If you want Hasani to stand up as a proud Christian for the controversial Campus Crusade for Christ and express his opinion but make many non-Christians feel uncomfortable because of hearing the views that Campus Crusade for Christ shares, then so be it. If the issue was so black and white why do 20 top universities have resolved it so easily by removing this intolerant organization from their campuses?
I can't judge other universities.
I am an OWU student. I have never had problems with any religious organizations on this campus.
At OWU we would provide for numerous religious groups: CCC, Hillel, FCA, Kappa Phi, Newman, and Tauheed.
I believe the religious toleration of a place should be judged by the events at the place. All of your citations are non-OWU events. Judge OWU by OWU stuff, not by "20 top universities".
And a name too.
Just curious why Pam Besel's name was invoked as part of this discussion...care to elaborate, anyone?
Other top schools, like OWU, have wrestled with similar issues and the same organization and have decided to remove it from their campus. I really do not think that schools like Dartmouth, Oberlin, Vassar are any less tolerant than students at Ohio Wesleyan. If you carefully look at the websites that were listed previously and highlight just a few of the many problems that this organization has run into in the past, you would know why. I can understand your willingness to have every voice heard and let people supporting CCC voice their opinion but there is a major difference between CCC and the other organizations that you listed here. Hillel, FCA, Kappa Phi, Newman, and Tauheed and any other Ohio Wesleyan organization comprise believers who peacefully pursue their faith and while they generally welcome newcomers they do not impose their own belief system aggressively by intruding in the space of other students. On the other hand, the Campus Crusade for Christ does exactly that. It is in its mission. It is in its actions. Campaigns like "Do you know Adam?", "Do you know David?" at Ohio Wesleyan are nothing like any other campaign that any other religious organization at Ohio Wesleyan has ever done. Students from other religious organizations are aware that using the CCC methods would be inconsistent with having events be ones at which persons of all faiths—and non-religious persons—would feel welcome.
Samantha,
There seem to be many people posting as anonymous, so I am just going to add something else to the thread. There have been several cases at Ohio Wesleyan when CCC and other controversial evangelical campus religious organizations ran into problems with OWU students. They were major incidents that appeared in the Transcript and from what I know also appeared in the Chronicle for Higher Education articles. If you are unable to find them, I can give you references for them to find out exactly the history of this organization on campus and why so many people resented its presence especially at Ohio Wesleyan. Let me know.
I would like to exchange links with your site hasaniowu.blogspot.com
Is this possible?
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