Since its establishment in 1972, the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion has been awarded to a living person who has shown "extraordinary originality in advancing humankind's understanding of God and/or spirituality" in any religious tradition or movement. This year's recipient is Bill Bright, founder and president of Campus Crusade for Christ.

Investor John Marks Templeton founded the award in order to recognize the spiritual dimension overlooked by the Nobel Prizes. Apart from his role in inviting the judging committee, which represents all the major religions of the world, Templeton has no say in the winner selection. Still he was clearly thrilled by the 1996 presentation of the Templeton Prize to Bright.

At a press conference on March 6 at the Church Center for the United Nations in New York, Templeton said, "I have been ambitiously praying that Bill and Vonette Bright would win this award. [Campus Crusade] is an inspiring example of progress in religion."

Press releases about the award described Bright as "one of the most vigorous Christian evangelists in the world" and cited the far-reaching expanse of Campus Crusade's ministries. "In my opinion, the Templeton Prize is even more significant than the Pulitzer or Nobel Prizes," said Steve Douglass, executive vice president of Campus Crusade. "It honors someone who has distinguished himself beyond others in advancing people's understanding of God. There is no higher calling."

"As you know," he added in his announcement to the ministry's staff members, "I have had the wonderful privilege of working closely with Bill for 27 years. I can testify to you that Bill Bight practices what he preaches. No one has ministered to me more."

Former recipients of the accolade include world-renown figures such as Billy Graham (1982), Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1983) and Dr. Inamullah Khan (1988), founder and secretary-general of the Modern World Muslim Congress in Karachi, Pakistan, who tirelessly worked to coordinate peace between Muslims, Christians and Jews.

Many winners, however, are not public figures. For example, last year's recipient, Professor Paul Davies, is a mathematical physicist whose inquiries into the workings of the universe helped breach the barrier between science and religion. When Mother Teresa was chosen as the first recipient of the Templeton Prize in 1973, she was a little-known Missionaries of Charity sister laboring in the Calcutta slums.

Bright will receive the Prize from Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in a private ceremony at Buckingham Palace on May 8. The public ceremony honoring Bright will be held the following day in the Church of Santa Maria in Trastevere, the first Christian building opened in Rome in 217.

Bill Bright says he plans to use the prize money "to educate leaders of the church worldwide to the spiritual benefits of fasting and prayer for national and world revival, and for the fulfillment of the Great Comission by the end of the year 2000."

The Templeton Prize itself is the world's largest financial annual award, adjusted in value each year so as to always surpass both the Pulitzer and Noble Prizes. This year the award is valued at 650,000 pounds sterling, or about $1 million.