Christian unions (CUs) are

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

Christian student groups. They exist in many countries and are often affiliated with either the

International Fellowship of Evangelical Students The International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) is an interdenominational association of 180 evangelical Christian student movements worldwide, encouraging evangelism, discipleship and mission among students. The headquarters is in O ...

(through a national body) or the Campus Crusade for Christ. Many Christian unions are one of the societies affiliated to their universities'

students' union A students' union or student union, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social, organizat ...

. As a broader term, ''Christian union'' may refer to any Christian student society, such as SCM and Fusion groups.

In the United Kingdom

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 Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship (UCCF; also UCCF: The Christian Unions) is an evangelical Christian student movement with affiliate groups on university campuses in the United Kingdom. It is a member of the International Fellowsh ...

(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 Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexu ...

and the

role of women A gender role, or sex role, is a social norm deemed appropriate or desirable for individuals based on their gender or sex. Gender roles are usually centered on conceptions of masculinity and femininity. The specifics regarding these gendered ...

, and the requirement that leaders affirm a fixed

conservative evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of the Christian go ...

Doctrinal Basis. Many, but not all, CUs require all members to sign this Doctrinal Basis. The latter includes doctrinal statements that go beyond the historic ecumenical creeds, ''e.g.'' recognising the Bible as the sole authority, and belief in

penal substitution Penal substitution, also called penal substitutionary atonement and especially in older writings forensic theory,Vincent Taylor (theologian), Vincent Taylor, ''The Cross of Christ'' (London: Macmillan & Co, 1956), pp. 71–72: '...the ''four main ...

. A considerable number of Christian students have problems affirming these points, and feel excluded from Christian Unions. This has led to calls for local Christian Unions to change their name to something more specific, e.g. Evangelical Christian Union.
United We Stand? A report on current conflicts between Christian Unions and Students’ Unions
''. Ekklesia, 2006. Pages 4, 7, 9, 12, 14. Christian Unions are active in

evangelism Evangelism, or witnessing, is the act of sharing the Christian gospel, the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. It is typically done with the intention of converting others to Christianity. Evangelism can take several forms, such as persona ...

to fellow-students. As well as hosting traditional talks and debates, they may hold unconventional events such as "Text a

Toastie A pie iron, also called pudgy pie iron, sandwich toaster, snackwicher, toastie maker, sandwich maker, panini grill is a cooking appliance that consists of two hinged concave, round or square, cast iron or aluminium plates on long handles. It ...

". These particular events involve providing a number to students, to which they text a question about God, the bible, or Christianity more generally, and in response two members of the Christian Union deliver a toastie to them and answer their question. While considered unusual by some, this has proven an effective way of communicating with other students for many CUs.

References

External links

UCCFIFES IrelandIFES EuropeInternational Fellowship of Evangelical Students
Christian Unions and Student Unions

Article about Birmingham University Evangelical Christian Union in the Guardian newspaper

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 ongoing dispute there.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christian Unions Christian student societies in the United Kingdom Fellowships

In the United Kingdom

See also

References

External links