Campus Crusade for Christ, an evangelical Christian ministry group targeting college students, has changed its name.
According to an article by Sarah Pulliam Bailey in Christianity Today:
Campus Crusade for Christ International (CCCI) is embarking on a nine-month mission to change its name to Cru, years after its founder, Bill Bright, wondered whether the evangelistic ministry should alter the brand.
“It’s become a flash word for a lot of people. It harkens back to other periods of time and has a negative connotation for lots of people across the world, especially in the Middle East,” said Steve Sellers, the CCCI vice president and U.S. national director who is leading the name change project. “In the ’50s, crusade was the evangelistic term in the United States. Over time, different words take on different meanings to different groups.”
Yes, “Cru” sort of sound like “Crew,” which suggests either a rap group or people coming together to bring the word of Christ to other college students. “Crusade,” however, implies a group of people who invade foreign territory, kill people, and forcibly convert the survivors to Christianity.
