The most well known college ministry, Cru, just like every other major denomination and parachurch organization was embattled with those who would want to bring in not only Critical Race Theory but also the Revoice Movement which seeks to soft peddle homosexuality in the church. Evangelical Dark Web has written about rising stars in Big Eva that were cutting their teeth in Cru. Such false teachers have included Grant Hartley and Rachel Gilson.
At Cru, the institution responsible for proliferating the Critical Race Theory with training seminars that had rules that resemble Fight Club. This was exposed through whistleblowers and podcasts like Conversations That Matter. Evidently this exposure mounted enough pressure by staff and donors to rebuke the Lenses Institute from their midst. The Lenses Institute released a statement announcing an evident defeat.
Dear Ones,
To say it has been an eventful 2021 is an understatement. So much has happened and we’re only at the midpoint of the year. This is not a letter that was ever desired to be delivered. It arrives after much prayer, fasting, and deliberation. Our emotions are of profound sadness and disappointment. The climate within Cru, affected by forces inside and outside of the organization, has become cautious, unclear, and in some places even toxic. For Lenses, the goal has always been a John 17 pursuit of Oneness, Grace, and Family. However, those same forces mentioned above, both inside and outside of Cru, have fostered a climate of suspicion, mischaracterization, and in some cases direct intimidation. 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. The reality is that the Lenses framework and biblical structure is within the foundation of what Jesus taught in John 17. As a result, our Lenses Exec Team has determined that U.S. Lenses will be closing immediately. In taking this action, we are prayerful that Cru will find the solutions it seeks and those who have been faithfully serving in the Work with Lenses will receive the healing and nurture they need in this complex and challenging environment.
Peace in the Struggle,
The Lenses Executive Team
The statement upset all of the right people. This statement also denotes the effectiveness of discernment ministries who helped expose this heterodoxy.
2 Responses
“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.”
Excerpt from Capstone Report, May 12, 2021
The first rule of Lenses Institute is to not talk about Lenses Institute. The second rule…