| Fred Clark draws a distinction between a witnessing tool, a gimmick evangelicals use to convert strangers, and one used as an instrument of contempt: The Jesus-fish on a car is not an invitation, but a declaration of tribal allegiance. It's a signal that the driver of this car is an "Us" rather than a "Them." And that Us-Them symbolism has far more to do with conflict than with any attempt at conversion. This is true as well of many of the other things we tell ourselves are "witnessing tools." One one level, they may be intended as conversation-starters, but on another level they're also intended as conversation-stoppers -- as attempts to win some implied argument. They're not really designed for evangelism. They're just the graffiti and propaganda of the culture wars. |
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At andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com
At andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com
