This word must go! What were Christians thinking when they decided to name their campaigns and organizations "crusades"? It would seem obvious to any new Christian or non-Christian that such a term should be strictly avoided at any cost. The word "crusade" has a terrible connotation to virtually everyone, but especially to Jews and Muslims. What if you named your evangelistic campaign, "Holocaust for Christ" or "Jihad for Christ"? Despite the dictionary definitions, or the real reasons behind the original Midieval wars, the word "crusade" is provocative and offensive. Consider the articles below:
From Jews for Jesus:
Crusade or Campaign?
Some Christian organizations like to describe their evangelistic efforts as "crusades," but we Jews for Jesus can't use that word. Its origin is obscure enough that most Christians have forgotten, but those early crusades were a religious war against Turks and Jews. The Turks were able to defend themselves, and eventually, after five crusades, they prevailed. The Jews, however, were comparatively helpless and, as a result, suffered many atrocities at the hands of so-called Christians. When Christians use the word crusade, they think of a noble endeavor, while Jews who hear the same word think of atrocities committed against innocent people. That's one reason we Jews for Jesus call our major witnessing endeavors Campaigns instead of crusades.1
Also consider U.S. President Bush's experience with the use of "crusade":
In using the word "crusade," bin Laden was turning Bush's own words against him. Shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks, Bush referred to an international crusade against terrorism. The use of the word prompted concern in the Muslim world because it raised comparisons with the Christian effort of the Middle Ages to oust Muslims from Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land. The president apologized, and the administration no longer uses the word.2
