You’ve seen it a hundred times.

On the rear of a vehicle, on business cards, web sites, clothing.  It seems ubiquitous.

It looks like this:

The word, Ichthys or Ichthus, originated from a Greek word (ˈɪkθəs) meaning “fish.”

Without boring you with the history behind this symbol (you can google it yourself), it has, for centuries, been synonymous with a person who (or a business that) identifies as Christian.

But let’s pump the brakes for a minute and consider a counter argument.

Jon Randles was a dear friend, pastor and evangelist with a God-given gift for communicating biblical truth.  I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard him speak.

My favorite Jon Randles quote:

“Don’t let people see you’re a Christian by putting a fish decal on the back of your car. Let them see you’re a Christian by how your drive.”

I posted this quote, along with the picture below, on my Facebook page and received a number of powerful comments.  Here are two:

I always remember Jon talking about how we’re going to have a hard time winning over police officers if we’re speeding down the streets in our city.

And equally convicting:

Sadly, after having business dealings with so many that have the fish symbol, or a verse on their business cards or vehicles, and the dealings go bad, now if a person has them I won’t do business with them.

There’s nothing wrong with using the Ichthus fish logo.  Just remember that actions speak louder than logos.  The picture below is powerful.  nw