Hating the Icthus

Maybe "hating" is a little strong but I have decided that I don't like the Icthus. 'Why?' you may ask. "Is it because you don't love God anymore?" No I still love God, that isn't it. I have decided that the Icthus is not only not necessary but a distraction. The Icthus started as a symbol that early Christians used to identify themselves to each other while still remaining secret to outsiders. It was used to help escape persecution. I can not fault early Christians for not broadcasting their faith to those that would wish to put them in an arena as a Lions play toy or crucify them upside down, sort of the equivalent of casting your pearls before swine.

However in modern day America I haven't seen anyone boiled alive or disemboweled for preaching Jesus. You may be called a fanatic or the dreaded "fundamentalist" but it is unlikely that anyone will lay a finger on you. So why our obsession with the Icthus, why must we plaster it on our cars, wear it around our necks and on our T-shirts? Is it because we are ashamed of our faith and only want to be recognized by other Christians? No, in fact it is quite the opposite, the Icthus or "Jesus Fish" is pretty much known by everyone to represent Christianity, so there is no secret involved. People adorn themselves, their cars and their music albums with the Icthus because they are proud! They want to proclaim it and they want everyone to know that they are a Christian.

"So what is so bad about that, Heath? Would you rather them be ashamed?"

The problem with the Icthus is what we are so proud of. What is it we are proclaiming? We are Christians! We want everyone to know we are not ashamed. But what does it mean to be a Christian in today's culture? Is it hard to be a Christian? Is there any sacrifice involved? No, not really; in a lot places it is not only easy to be a Christian, but it is hard not to be. What I am talking about is the Christian counter-culture. Today it is cool to be different. Rebellion to the status quo and individuality is championed above all else. Therefore the Christian "struggle" against the mainstream is hip. And this struggle also helps to unite us. We battle against immorality, abortion, homosexual marriage, gambling and pornography on the Internet. We fight for prayer at graduation and the ten commandments on public property. Sure we get called names by liberals like "bigot" and "radical." They say that we are anti-choice and that we violate the separation of church and state. But where is the sacrifice? We abstain from certain things like smoking or drinking too much and doing drugs. But is that sacrifice or just a healthy lifestyle?

Don't get me wrong. Abortion is a modern holocaust and possibly the most evil thing that I can imagine. Gambling and pornography destroy families. Homosexuality is against God's will, and the first amendment does protect free speech in the public arena, even if it does mention God or, heaven forbid, Jesus.

So we fight for or against all of these worthy causes sporting our trendy Icthuses, listening to our Christian radio, reading our Christian books, going to our Christian clubs and Churches, in the meanwhile isolating ourselves from the World in so desperate need of truth in love.

So why do I not like the Icthus? That is a good question. Paul said in 1st Corinthians that I resolved to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified and earlier in the chapter he describes the cross as a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the gentiles. The cross is both our shame and our glory. Paul says at the end of Galations "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." The only thing that should be offensive about us is the Cross of Christ. It is the symbol of our death and resurrection. It represents our new life. It is the great stumbling block. Not a fish. The fish has come to represent Christian counter culture devouring the lie of evolution in one fell gulp!

Although I abhor the theory of evolution and the consequences of its idea, God didn't place me here to overcome evolution. Even though I believe abortion is one of the evilest things man has ever done, I wasn't placed here to fight abortion. I was created to love God and be loved by him and I was left on this planet to share this same love with others so that they to might believe. Not that the Icthus stands against all of this, but the "Christian Counter Culture", which the Icthus has come to represent, isn't helping to win disciples, sadly it turns many away. Sometimes our lack of love makes all of our good causes nothing more than "resounding gong(s) and clanging cymbal(s)"

I am not suggesting that we have our logo all wrong, it should be the cross instead of the Icthus, many still wear the cross without any idea of its true meaning. Our logo should be on our hearts not on our cars!