Topic: Campus Crusade Changes Name to Cru

[Jetavan]

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 already a popular shorthand for the ministry, though other evangelicals often call it simply "Crusade," the half of its name that has caused it problems overseas. The word carries connotations to the Crusades, military conquests by European Christians intended to reclaim the Holy Land from Muslims in the 11th to 13th centuries.
....
Campus Crusade is not the first organization to distance itself from the term. In 2000, Wheaton College removed its Crusader mascot and eventually became the Thunder....In 2002, evangelist Billy Graham began using the word "mission" to describe what he always called "crusades." His son Franklin Graham and evangelist Luis Palau call their gatherings "festivals"....

I wonder if the name change was also partly a result of Orthodox criticism?

[primuspilus]

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 already a popular shorthand for the ministry, though other evangelicals often call it simply "Crusade," the half of its name that has caused it problems overseas. The word carries connotations to the Crusades, military conquests by European Christians intended to reclaim the Holy Land from Muslims in the 11th to 13th centuries.
....
Campus Crusade is not the first organization to distance itself from the term. In 2000, Wheaton College removed its Crusader mascot and eventually became the Thunder....In 2002, evangelist Billy Graham began using the word "mission" to describe what he always called "crusades." His son Franklin Graham and evangelist Luis Palau call their gatherings "festivals"....

I wonder if the name change was also partly a result of Orthodox criticism?

I think the whole thing is silly. A name's a name. What they do wont change. A zebra loses its stripes, its still a zebra.

primuspilus

[Asteriktos]

When I saw the title of this thread I thought the end had been cut off by mistake.

[tuesdayschild]

[bogdan]

Dumb. I can understand the "Crusade" bit, but "Christ"?

We felt like our name was getting in the way of accomplishing our mission

I know right!?!?  If I had a nickel for every time the silly issue of names got in the way of introductions...it happens ALL the time. Seriously.

When I'm sharing my faith, I always HHHAAAATE the part when I have to say "Christ".

We were not trying to eliminate the word Christ from our name.

So you did.

Cru enables us to have discussions about Christ with people who might initially be turned off by a more overtly Christian name.

Ah, so we'll trick people into becoming Christians. That will surely result in very committed followers, who don't know who they are supposed to worship.

Quotes from: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/07/21/campus-ministry-drops-christ-from-name

[vamrat]

Perhaps it was the whole "Crusade" thingey.  I mean, the last real movie about the Crusades was Kingdom of Heaven and I would hate to be part of any organization associated with Orlando Bloom.

[Asteriktos]

Perhaps it was the whole "Crusade" thingey.  I mean, the last real movie about the Crusades was Kingdom of Heaven and I would hate to be part of any organization associated with Orlando Bloom.

You're in denial... Orlando bloom is dreamy...

[bogdan]

The plot thickens:

-----

ORLANDO -- Campus Crusade for Christ International, to be known after 2012 as Cru, has taken fire in recent days for the change of its name. The change is seen by some as an effort to obscure its core mission focus.

In an effort to showcase the organization's refreshed outlook, Cru has released a preview of a new translation of the Bible, intended for distribution at future Cru events.

The book, an edited version of the King James Bible, will be entitled Good Stories from Olden Times. Targeted at college-aged men and women with no religious background, the new translation aims to introduce the Bible to a new audience without scandalizing them with objectionable material.

On the heels of Cru's name change, this objectionable material includes the name "Christ" and other similar references to the man whom Christians regard as God incarnate.

Sidebar:

And Moses said unto God, "Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, 'The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you;' and they shall say to me, 'What is his name?' What shall I say unto them?"

And God said unto Moses, "If I told thee, thou wouldest become unhappy and surely leave right now. Wherefore, my words to thee shall be enough for the children of Israel, for they shall delight that I have not burdened them to know my name." And he said, "Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, 'Likest thou a cappuchino? Come thou, for there are open seats near the band."

The Outgoing 3:13-14 (Exodus 3:13-14, revised)

Representatives from Cru were not available for comment.

[Shanghaiski]

Perhaps it was the whole "Crusade" thingey.  I mean, the last real movie about the Crusades was Kingdom of Heaven and I would hate to be part of any organization associated with Orlando Bloom.

You're in denial... Orlando bloom is dreamy...

He sees visions of Christ every time he gets that vacant quizzical look on his face in his movies.

[Shanghaiski]

Dumb. I can understand the "Crusade" bit, but "Christ"?

We felt like our name was getting in the way of accomplishing our mission

I know right!?!?  If I had a nickel for every time the silly issue of names got in the way of introductions...it happens ALL the time. Seriously.

When I'm sharing my faith, I always HHHAAAATE the part when I have to say "Christ".

We were not trying to eliminate the word Christ from our name.

So you did.

Cru enables us to have discussions about Christ with people who might initially be turned off by a more overtly Christian name.

Ah, so we'll trick people into becoming Christians. That will surely result in very committed followers, who don't know who they are supposed to worship.

Quotes from: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/07/21/campus-ministry-drops-christ-from-name

Perhaps they've been taken over by Unitarians.

[Cognomen]

ORLANDO --
In an effort to showcase the organization's refreshed outlook, Cru has released a preview of a new translation of the Bible, intended for distribution at future Cru events.

The book, an edited version of the King James Bible, will be entitled Good Stories from Olden Times. Targeted at college-aged men and women with no religious background, the new translation aims to introduce the Bible to a new audience without scandalizing them with objectionable material.

One big rolling eyes emoticon is in order here.  Instead, I will place three consecutively: 

I like your sidebar though.

[JamesRottnek]

So, because the word "Crusade" (which is a neutral word and in no way bad when you aren't trying to slaughter lots of people) is negatively impacting Campus Crusade for Christ.  That is understandable.  If one descriptor of my business was hampering business, I might change it too.  However, because "Crusade" was bad for business, they eliminated "Christ" from their name and created an abbreviated form of "Crusade" to take the name's place?  That makes no sense to me.  It is clear from the fact that they have started editing the Bible to eliminate controversy, that Evangelicals will, by the year 2086, have replaced all churches with "Group Psychotherapy Centers" and become for-profit institutions.  I mean, seriously, churches already tend to leave out things like the genocide of the people in the Land of Canaan, and the fact that Lot's daughters got him drunk and slept with him.  Now they are even taking that out of the Bible?  What next, the scandal of the Cross?

[SubdeaconSL]

"Cru" sounds like a trendy magazine for oenophiles.

[podkarpatska]

Why do we care about this? It's not as if those most of those folks considered us 'real' Christians anyway.

[biro]

In graduate school, it was usually a Campus Crusade guy who'd be outside the Humanities building and screaming at people about how anything they ever did was cause for them to burn in Hell forever. One guy couldn't take it and dressed up as a gorilla, in order to hand out slices of fruit candy to passersby. Another time, some women in disco wigs came out and danced to a Spice Girls song. Funniest things I've ever seen.

[akimori makoto]

ORLANDO --
In an effort to showcase the organization's refreshed outlook, Cru has released a preview of a new translation of the Bible, intended for distribution at future Cru events.

The book, an edited version of the King James Bible, will be entitled Good Stories from Olden Times. Targeted at college-aged men and women with no religious background, the new translation aims to introduce the Bible to a new audience without scandalizing them with objectionable material.

Wow, this is truly one of the most offensive things I have ever read.

[akimori makoto]

ORLANDO --
In an effort to showcase the organization's refreshed outlook, Cru has released a preview of a new translation of the Bible, intended for distribution at future Cru events.

The book, an edited version of the King James Bible, will be entitled Good Stories from Olden Times. Targeted at college-aged men and women with no religious background, the new translation aims to introduce the Bible to a new audience without scandalizing them with objectionable material.

Wow, this is truly one of the most offensive things I have ever read.

Wait, hold on, were you being sarcastic?

I haven't had my breakfast energy drink ...

[JamesRottnek]

Why do we care about this? It's not as if those most of those folks considered us 'real' Christians anyway.

Well, it is good to know how the Evangelicals are behaving and thinking.  It makes it easier to try and direct our message to them, for when we convert them or they inquire.

[bogdan]

Everyone: the fake news article was a joke. "Illustrating absurdity by being absurd," some would say. I apologize for any offense it caused nonetheless.

[Agabus]

One of the gayest, most pagan men I have ever known was a Campus Crusade dropout... But I always liked him much better than the CCFC people.

[Nero]

They're sincere people, no doubt, but like most protestant denominations, they're trying desperately to attract the crowds.

This is why so many evangelical campus ministry groups are using "Christian Rock". Yet personally I think more people would find this



more appealing than this:

[serb1389]

Everyone: the fake news article was a joke. "Illustrating absurdity by being absurd," some would say. I apologize for any offense it caused nonetheless.

I'm glad I kept reading.  I almost warned you for not citing the article.   

[orthonorm]

Hey if some told me they were in cru, I would first ask if they were talking sculling or coxless.

Always looking for a partner to do a little sculling with.