Campus Crusade for Christ simplifies name to Cru

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Campus Crusade for Christ announced  that it is ditching its name in the United States for a new, simplified one — Cru.

The old name is being shirked because the ministry hopes to “overcome existing barriers and perceptions inherent in the original name,” according to a press release.

One contention with the old name is the word “crusade,” which no longer carries the same reputation it did when the organization was founded by Bill and Vonette Bright in 1951. For some, in a post-9/11 world “crusade” conjures up thoughts of jihad.

Although “Cru” may not seem far from “crusade,” Campus Crusade for Christ has field tested the new name since the 1990s. In contrast, the old name has caused some people to lose interest in the ministry’s message. Twenty percent of people who were willing to consider the gospel turned away when they heard the organization’s name, according to the Campus Crusade website.