Representing Well

You may have recently noticed a change on this site. My logo used to look like this:

And now it looks like this:

Before explaining the difference between the two, I should mention something. The word “logo” comes from the Greek word logos which has a plethora of overlapping meanings in the ancient world (see images below); however, dictionary.com defines it:

“Also called logotype. a graphic representation or symbol of a company name, trademark, abbreviation, etc., often uniquely designed for ready recognition.”

The word logo can be accurately understood as “a representative of a reality.” A business’s logo represents what that business stands for. And the Greek word can be understood similarly in the New Testament.

John 1:1 explains, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (emphasis added). John 1:14 further explains, “The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (emphasis added).

John does not name Jesus until 1:17, so the point he is making is that the logos (the metaphysical reality that is God) became a physical entity in Jesus Christ so that we could better understand who God is (cf. Colossians 1:15). This is why Jesus is the logos, and this is what good logos do. They represent and reveal what something is.

The original logo I used for this site was simple (and there is nothing wrong with simplicity–I fear the new is not simple enough). It sought to represent the reality that I was trying to guard doctrine and fight wolves (Jude 3).

While there was nothing inherently wrong with that mission, I’ve since realized that God would rather transform wolves into sheep than destroy them (Isaiah 11:6-9). The sad reality is that Christians (myself included) have often hindered good in their zeal to root out “heretics” (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43). And too often those who are physically dangerous have been allowed to continue working with the vulnerable in the name of “love” (Mark 9:42-49).

I’ve been guilty of “heretic hunting” in the past, and I would now rather rejoice in our similarities than nitpick differences. If you click that link and read about my journey, I’ll point out that the story has a part 2 beyond that blog, but it doesn’t negate what I said there. It only intensifies it.

As a result, my new logo tries to capture several realities. The Bible is the basis of everything, which is one of the reasons why I focus so heavily on Bible exposition here. The Bible is our source for knowing and loving Jesus Christ accurately (thus the cross), and rightly knowing and loving him will lead us to better love others (the heart). The music notes simultaneously represent my creative side projects (especially music) and the fact that we should be led to worship as a result of knowing God through Christ (worship can and should be expressed through our creativity). The mountains are a reminder that we are on a journey and have yet to reach our destination, and that we need help to succeed (Psalm 121:1-2). The Bible passage in the horizontal crossbeam is the source of the whole concept of “live in Love; find your true reward” (1 John 4:15-17) that drives FYTR Ministries (“Find Your True Reward Ministries”).

My prayer every day is that I would represent God well in-person and online to everyone I meet. I know I’ve fallen short many times, but by God’s grace I am not what I used to be. Tomorrow is a new day and his grace is new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23).

My new logo is one way in which I hope to draw people to Jesus and spur the Church to represent Jesus magnetically to the world.

In this with you!

Thanks for reading.

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References

1. Franco Montanari, “λόγος,” The Brill Dictionary of Ancient Greek, ed. Madeleine Goh and Chad Schroeder (Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2015). ↩︎
2. H.G. Liddell, An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon: Abridged from Liddell and Scott’s Greek-English Lexicon (1888; repr., Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1996), 476. ↩︎