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Friday, April 26, 2024 — Houston, TX

David Gorrell


NEWS 8/28/08 7:00pm

From 'Crusade' to 'Agape,' the message remains the same

Campus Crusade for Christ at Rice is now known as Agape Christian Ministries. Below is an explanation of this change and how our new name reflects what we do.To some, the word "crusade" is an offensive term associated with the horrific religious wars of the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries. Last semester we began to consider the effect our name had on how people viewed our organization. In an effort to see how the campus viewed the word "crusade" in our name, we did a campus-wide survey. We found that 50 percent of students entering Rice had a mildly or strongly negative view of the name Campus Crusade for Christ and many said they would view a name change positively. In light of these considerations, we voted for a name change. We are still part of Campus Crusade for Christ International; However, at Rice we will be known as Agape Christian Ministries. Several other branches across the nation have made a similar name change.