You’ve probably heard by now that Campus Crusade for Christ has changed it’s name to Cru. I am strongly in favor of the name change as I think it will help us be more effective for Christ.
I am honestly shocked by the very harsh criticism of the name change (by a vocal minority)Â from inside and outside of the Church.
I welcome honest, fair critiques but most of the critiques have been slanderous and mean spirited – helpful comments like, “you might as well be Campus Crusade for Satan now” (seriously) and “they took Christ out to appease the Muslims”.
Cru has responded with this, New Name — Same Commitment to Christ.
I wanted to provide a thorough list of posts and articles on the name change to provide accurate information (from those outside the Cru organization and those within).
A couple quick thoughts and then a bunch of links.
- It is bizzare that the name change is getting such attention from the mainstream media. I remember thinking it strange, when Bill Bright (one of the 3 or 4 most influential Christians of the 20th century) died, that none of the media even reported it. But the name change has been covered by all large newspapers and news channels and was even trending on Twitter (meaning it’s one of the 10 most talked about things in the world).
- A friend on Twitter pointed this out: why do Christians take their cues on the church from Glen Beck and Fox News instead of respected, proven leaders in the church: John Piper, Tim Keller, Louie Giglio, Mark Driscoll, Intervarsity, The Navigators, Ed Stetzer, the Gospel Coalition, Francis Chan, David Platt. . . (the list could go on and on of Godly men and organizations that support both Cru and the name change)?
- Rest assured:
God is moving in and through Cru and I’m really excited about what the next years hold for an organization that is on the leading edge of reaching young professionals, families, faculty, and college students of every ethnicity, and people in every tribe, tongue and nation with the gospel
You will be hard pressed to find a more committed organization to sharing Christ in every corner of earth
Here’s some thoughtful posts on the name change . . .
From outside of Cru:
- Christianity Today
- Benson Hines provides a 2 part look at the name change (with some honest critiques).
- Intervarsity -Â “we offer best wishes to Campus Crusade (Cru) on this step forward for their ministry”
- An interesting look at it from a secular graphic design site — critiquing the logo, etc
- CNN, Washington Post, New York Times and Huffington Post all have good, balanced articles
From within the organization:
- Cru has a great FAQ list.
- Stephanie Nannen
“I find it highly ironic that our organization, which for 60 years has carried the reputation for often being too pushy and upfront about Jesus, has now, overnight, become too wimpy.”
“Alas, I digress. I think what I want to say, what I want to plead for, is to ask my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to not fan the flames of dissention. Ultimately, the name and reputation of Campus Crusade for Christ/Cru is not important. But the name of Jesus Christ is. Please help us lift His name high by giving our ministry the benefit of the doubt.”
- Chris Zaug – some reflections on the name change from a national leader in Cru
- Jayson Whelpley
“I know this might sound a little backwards, but it’s Jesus renown that led our leaders to make this choice.
Our name has been a significant hindrance to the Gospel. As CCC looked into the possibility of changing our name over the past three years, there was one fact that stood out that made us know that we had to change it — of people who said they were willing to have a conversation about Jesus 20% said they would no longer be interested when they heard the name “Campus Crusade for Christ.” That means that 1-in-5 people who might be open to the Gospel became closed to the Gospel when they heard our name. That is an incredible loss in effectiveness.”
- Shawn McGrath has a helpful post looking at popular brands/names (Christian and secular). The article was written before the name change, before he knew what the new name would be. Especially helpful on why a non-descriptive name is good (very few corporate names describe the majority of “what they do” with their name).
- Scott Crocker with some good wisdom:
“For those that identify themselves as Christians and are critical of this decision, I ask you to do a heart examination. If you have never personally stepped out in faith to share the gospel with another person, if you’ve never had the privilege to see another place their faith in Christ, if you’ve never personally invested your life into the spiritual life of another or have never left your family and home for the sake of the gospel, then may I suggest that you seek the Lord on how you can personally be involved in His mission rather than criticizing those that are already doing it.”
- You can join the (maddening) “conversation” on the official Cru site.