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Evangelism almost always trumped theology under Bright's leadership. Turner says he only confronted a theological problem when absolutely necessary. When Bright decided that speaking in tongues distracted from evangelism, he barred staff from this practice. Yet when Crusade branched out overseas and began to cooperate with Pentecostal churches for evangelism, the organization reversed its ban. Turner reveals another factor at work in Bright's decision-making: His son, Zachary, began speaking in tongues under the influence of Greg Laurie and Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa.

Turner's book alternates between a biography of Bright, an institutional history of Crusade, and a movement history of evangelicalism. The book is most colorful when he describes Bright, whom Turner calls a "hard-nosed autocrat and a tenderhearted evangelist." He was not shy about speaking his mind. Visiting friend Dan Fuller, in Basel Switzerland, Bright asked, "How on earth can you stay in this room and study theology when all Switzerland and Europe is going to hell?"

Personal anecdotes such as this illuminate Crusade's philosophy. Bright worried about colleges because they generate ideas that undermine Christianity. He raised money by sharing tales of Communism run amuck on campus. His response was to evangelize college students, not to intellectually confront these ideas. His approach to politics was similar. If you convert the politicians, you will change the system. In Crusade's successes and failures, we see the strength and limitations of evangelical individualism. Indeed, God has used Crusade to transform thousands of college students. Bill Armstrong, a former U.S. senator from Colorado, was converted through Crusade's Christian Embassy in Washington, D.C. (He's now the president of Colorado Christian University.) Yet it is evident in retrospect that individual conversions have not transformed college campuses or national politics.

Even if this bigger goal hasn't been achieved, Crusade has carved out space for a thriving Christian subculture on U.S. campuses. Evangelicals join their fellow students by cheering on sports teams, listening to popular music, and surfing Facebook. But they stand apart from that culture by standing firm in their conviction that salvation comes through Jesus Christ alone. They forsake sins such as drunkenness and premarital sex to follow him. Turner argues that this is no small accomplishment.

"Partly due to the creative and persistent efforts of organizations like Campus Crusade for Christ, however, it is no longer reasonable to conceive of American higher education as moving inexorably toward a secular, or post-Christian, future," he writes.

With thorough research and careful analysis, Turner has produced a worthwhile read for thousands of Crusade alumni and anyone else who wants to learn from the fits and starts of evangelical history. He quotes a number of former Crusade staff who share concerns about the ministry and Bright's leadership. But seeing these flaws can only help us learn from Bright's mistakes. We rejoice in how God used a man who transparently loved Christ and wanted everyone he met to know Jesus personally.

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August (Web-Only) 2008, Vol. 52