The Ichthus (also Christian fish, Jesus fish) is a symbol of Christianity from the early days of the church.  In short, “ΙΧΘΥΣ (Ichthys) is an acronym for ‘Ίησοῦς Χριστός, Θεοῦ Υἱός, Σωτήρ’, (Iēsous Christos,Theou Yios, Sōtēr), which translates into English as ‘Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior’ “.  -Wikipedia; more here.  The symbolism is still used today on everything from youth group t-shirts to church websites.  A common usage is the auto decal ichthus, and it is the pro’s and con’s of this phenomenon I wish to examine here.

Some Christian leaders do not believe a public declaration of faith is necessary.  If we live our lives as “people of the book” then others will see there is a difference in us.  If you arrive early for work, aren’t stealing the office supplies, and take responsibility for your own mistakes, then you may very well stick out like a sore thumb.  The argument is that if we as Christians conform to the image of Christ, and walk circumspectly of the world, then we don’t need Christian t-shirts, auto emblems nor anything else to announce our presence.  If we need to wear signs identifying ourselves as Christian, maybe there’s a problem.  Continue reading →