Christian group seeks image makeover

What's in a name? For the Penn chapter of Campus Crusade for Christ, a lot.

After 25 years on campus, the faith-based student group - often called "CRU" - has decided to change its name to Penn Students for Christ after many members objected to the negative connotation the word "crusade" has taken in the past few years.

"'Crusade' is a dramatic word, while 'Penn Students for Christ' leaves us to decide what we are about," said Wharton senior Jordan Regan, a member of PSC's executive board called the "Rep Team."

The change has been a long time coming, but was only seriously considered this past December when Regan joined the Rep Team and spearheaded the change.

For many members, the name switch was as much a moral obligation as it was a marketing strategy.

"What it was being associated with is not what it's really about, and that bothered me," said Wharton junior David Rice, whose interactions with non-Christian friends prompted his position.

"In a campus where there is a predominant Jewish community and a serious Muslim community, it becomes a more concrete issue that more people raise," said Steve Baker, the Philadelphia Metro Director for CRU.

The word "crusade" in a non-historical context has traditionally referred to a righteous campaign. Batman was known as the Caped Crusader; Billy Graham led Evangelical crusades across the country.

"To me, it really demonstrates that our students are doing their best to be sensitive and be good student-citizens," said University Chaplain Rev. Charles Howard.

CRU's transformation into PSC is not without precedent. Both the Yale and Columbia chapters of CRU have changed their names to Columbia and Yale Students for Christ, respectively.

The Canadian and New Zealand branches of CRU have adopted a name change as well, reflecting the growing sentiment against the Crusades.

The word's association with the religious wars has been damning of late. Graham has ceased using it, and in 2002 President George Bush received flack when he referred to his anti-terrorism campaign as a crusade.

Some of PSC's members were initially uncomfortable dropping the nationally recognized name, one that many Christian students look for when choosing schools. Yet the majority were in favor of the change, Baker said.

College senior and PSC Rep Team member Kathleen Sieffert added, "people generally like the [new] name because it's straight forward and self explanatory."

"I think it's a good move" said CoProxy-Connection: keep-alive Cache-Control: max-age=0

ege junior Malka Fleischmann, chairwoman of Programs in Religion, Interfaith and Spirituality Matters, a student interfaith group. "It's a little more personal and less intimidating."

College sophomore Jasmine Saxton-Mariah agreed. "I think it will be easier for them with their message if they change their name."

Name changes aside, neither PSC nor its Yale and Columbia counterparts are severing ties with the International CRU or changing their mission. As was written in an e-mail to PSC members, " our decision to change our name from Campus Crusade for Christ to Penn Students for Christ is part of our larger goal of communicating the truth about Jesus's life and work to the campus."

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