How did the phrase "getting to know Jesus" come to be ubiquitous among Evangelicals (i.e. Campus Crusade for Christ)? How did the phrase "getting to know Jesus" come to be ubiquitous among Evangelicals (i.e. Campus Crusade for Christ)? To them, what is it really supposed to mean? Does it refer to the act of converting to Christianity, or does it refer to the act of living a Christian lifestyle? Can a person "know Jesus" but still not commit to Jesus's teachings?

Apparently, Catholics mean something completely different. In context, my best guess is that it means a theologically correct understanding of christology by means of understanding the role of Mary as co-Redemptrix of mankind. Hmmm... it seems to be used differently from the Evangelicals. The Evangelical meaning seems to be linked toward evanglism toward non-believers, while the Catholic meaning seems to be linked toward orthodoxy.
How did the phrase “getting to know Jesus” come to be ubiquitous among Evangelicals (i.e. Campus Crusade for Christ)?

"Getting to know" someone is indicative of a progressively deepening relationship. It is a phrase that would come naturally to a ministry to youth that makes a distinction of an active personal relationship with Jesus in contrast to the frequently held view that many denominations present Jesus as a system of rules or rituals that you are compelled to follow. There is Biblical support for this deeper Christian life.


  1 John 5:20  And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given
  us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in
  him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God,
  and eternal life. 
  
  Philippians 3:10  That I may know him, and the power of his
  resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made
  conformable unto his death; 
  
  Revelation 3:20  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man
  hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup
  with him, and he with me.


The phrase would resonate with those Christians seeking more from their Christian life than checking off denominational criteria from a list. The "house church" movement can be seen as also attempting to live the Christian life in a more relational as opposed to institutional or organizational way.

I would say that the phrase came to be more widely used because there is market for those who seek to know Jesus better than some alternatives allow.