Crusades are campaigns used by several religious groups to reach out on their followers. It is a campaign that started several decades by Christians and it involves gathering their followers to preach the gospel (Hindley, 2004). However, in the modern world, crusades have become a topic of controversy with many arguing that they are employed as a strategy to exploit others. Most rogue religious leaders are said to have transformed the crusade platforms for personal and secular gains contrary to its intended purpose. However, there are some religious leaders who use crusades to preach salvation.

Many religious leaders are using crusades for their personal, social, and political gains as well as for exploitation. Many of them organize lucrative multinational campaigns to solicit funds from the poor and the naïve in the name of preaching salvation. Many Christians have become preys by innocently and hopelessly gathering at the crusades in search for answers to their problems or a miracle in their lives. However, they end up being exploited. According to Shumaker, the Crusaders entice the people into pledging monetary donations by distorting religious doctrines for personal gains (2014). Therefore, instead of crusades being held for salvation, many crusaders hold them just to extort money and other gifts from the people.

Besides, some evangelical crusaders even pretend to set the disciples free from the bondage of their troubles by asking for a fee. Moreover, others claim to heal them from their diseases if they pay a fee. All this is not salvation; rather it is an exploitation of weak believers who believe in the word of the Crusaders (Tieszen, 2015).  Nonetheless, there are some religious leaders who use crusades to bring believers together and to preach salvation to the world.

In essence, Crusades remain a topic of controversy in the world, as to whether they are for salvation or exploitation. However, it is evident that crusades are both a blend of exploitation and salvation.