It started with this.emergentfriend2.jpg

 

 

 

 

And then this was quickly added.20070126-discernment.jpg

 

 

 

And now ;ately, I’ve noticed on blogs that are proud of not being friends with individuals due to a particular belief or worldview have proudly displayed this little symbol:emergentfriend1.jpg

 

 

 

 

Now it hardly seems fair that only one end of this particular family feud gets to define themselves by unfriendliness so I worked up this little symbol:not-a-friend-of-not-friends.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

And of course, I wouldn’t want to be accused of being unfriendly by those who define themselves by their unfriendliness, so I factored their needs into this:not-a-friend-of-not-a-friend-of-not-a-friend.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course by this point, discerning what’s at the heart of this cycle of unfriendliness is starting to get a bit difficult (thus the symbol imitates the reality).  And so I had to come up with something else to reflect the continuing cycle of unfriendliness.  So I came up with this:

jesus-fish-eating.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And in what has become a nuclear proliferation of unfriendliness its time to construct an unfriendly bomb that can consume the world 43 times over with its antagonism payload.

jesus-fish-eating-false-jesus-fish-copy.jpg

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 8th, 2008 at 7:00 am and is filed under Original Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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21 Comments(+Add)

1   Rick Frueh    http://judahslion.blogspot.com/
April 8th, 2008 at 7:21 am

I’m not sure, but wasn’t the Jesus referred to in those fish a “friend of sinners”? I love it, whoever can provide the greatest and most identifiable symbol that lets everyone know that you are doctrinally without spot or blemish and that you will not tolerate or even give a friendly handshake to any dcotrinal scoundrels – is lauded!

The author of the modern day emergent movement -
The Honorable Dr. Joseph Goebbels and his lovely wife Magda. Between them they had six emergent children named Brian, Rob, Doug, Dan, Rick, and Chris L. Goebbels whose descendents later infiltrated the modern evangelical movement.

2   Rick Frueh    http://judahslion.blogspot.com/
April 8th, 2008 at 7:36 am

Friend of Insurgent

3   chris    http://agendalesslove.wordpress.com
April 8th, 2008 at 7:39 am

Not quite up to the level of Phil Johnson (his graphics anyway) but it is more hilarious.

4   Keith    http://fivepts.blogspot.com
April 8th, 2008 at 8:09 am

Give a guy a copy of PhotoShop and he thinks he’s a graphic designer. 8^)>

The third image looks kinda familiar…

What is the definition of a “friend?” People throw that word around alot. I doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone.

5   Jerry Hillyer    http://www.dangoldfinch.wordpress.com
April 8th, 2008 at 8:39 am

Anything with the Jesus fish eating something is going to be funny.

jerry

6   Jerry Hillyer    http://www.dangoldfinch.wordpress.com
April 8th, 2008 at 8:40 am

It’s too bad you couldn’t work in the Darwin fish, and the Red ‘A’ from the atheists ‘out campaign’, and a pink triangle too.

7   Tim Reed, Owosso MI    http://churchvoices.com
April 8th, 2008 at 9:29 am

It’s too bad you couldn’t work in the Darwin fish, and the Red ‘A’ from the atheists ‘out campaign’, and a pink triangle too.

This is a family feud, not a crusade.

8   Rick Frueh    http://judahslion.blogspot.com/
April 8th, 2008 at 10:05 am

“This is a family feud, not a crusade.”

You obviously haven’t done your Goebbel’s homework!

9   nc    
April 8th, 2008 at 10:10 am

I am laughing so hard right now.

The “friend of emergent” thing was really just a way to identify your relational connection to a network of people.

It never meant “I believe everything that Brian McLaren writes” or even means “I own every book by Brian McLaren, et. al”.

But it was inevitable that the self-righteous crowd would have to jump on the bandwagon and in their perpetually ongoing inferiority complex read “Friend of Emergent” to mean:

“These people are intentionally and maliciously against me even though they have no idea who I am, don’t care, and have never heard of me, my radio shows, my friends blogs, etc.”

I think the whole “banner” battle was quite revealing about those who tantrum at any and all things “emerging”.

It shows some of these people assume bad intentions and adversarial malice on the part of those they fear…even when that hasn’t been demonstrated.

Cuz, God knows that if someone believes differently from me, they are purposely trying to destroy the faith. It couldn’t possibly be because they are trying to be faithful within their understanding of the message of Jesus.

oh well.

Thanks for the laugh

10   Brant    http://www.branthansen.typepad.com
April 8th, 2008 at 10:19 am

Brilliant work, Tim. Classic.

There’s like this extra line coming out of the eye in the “discernment” banner.

Is that a log?

11   Rick Frueh    http://judahslion.blogspot.com/
April 8th, 2008 at 10:26 am

nc – “Cuz, God knows that if someone believes differently from me, they are purposely trying to destroy the faith. It couldn’t possibly be because they are trying to be faithful within their understanding of the message of Jesus.”

That is quite s statement. It reveals the “intent” aspect of discernment. I have yet to find any person with whom I substantively disagree with (MacLaren, Warren, etc.) that I thought had “behind closed doors” intenet. Also, there’s that love thing.

The ingredient that derails so many is when we “think too highly of ourselves” than we ought. If indeed someone is teaching error, and I confront it, but I begin to think of myself as a God anointed warrior, then my approach may well nullify my words even if my perspective is valid.

Good comment, nc.

12   I. Todyaso    http://itodyaso.wordpress.com/
April 8th, 2008 at 11:44 am

I think there is some subliminal message in one of those fish… if you look close there is backwards masking… instead of Jesus we have suseJ which we all know is gibberish unless Tim is promoting Satanism.

Believe because,

I. Todyaso

13   iggy    http://wordofmouthministries.blogspot.com/
April 8th, 2008 at 11:46 am

Tim,

funny how crossing out the “friends of emergent” is not seen as being divisive…

I mean if we are not saved, then why attack us. They don’t spend as much time on the JW’s or Mormon as they do on emerging/emergents…

Makes you wonder… with all the real perverted gospel why they seem intent on attacking brothers and sisters in Christ.

iggy

14   Rick Frueh    http://judahslion.blogspot.com/
April 8th, 2008 at 11:58 am

“I mean if we are not saved, then why attack us.”

Iggy, my friend, you have an enviably niave view of the artistic nature of the internet google gift. To look and read and then sift and cull out all the posts and articles, both Christian and secular, is the gift of administration in action. And the range of issues is challenging as well.

Paula White and her marriage is an important issue for the dcotrinally invested Christian. When a devoted believer kneels at his prayer time and just when he is about to interceed for others and receive personal correction he suddenly hears a voice telling him to read about Paula’s marriage.

We have too often concentrated on the cross or the resurrection or grace or mercy or eternity or many other tributaries of divine truth while ignoring the refreshing main river of personal gossip about others, not to mention feasting on the sins of the hell bound hordes.

I wish Tim would make a “Friend of Sinners” poster with a giant line through it. That, my friends, is orthodoxy in all its glory!!

15   Chris L    http://www.fishingtheabyss.com/
April 8th, 2008 at 12:30 pm

We’re close, Rick – in the sidebar, we use Brendt’s “Friend of People” logo…

We just need the line through it to be orthodox…

16   Evan Hurst    http://breaktheterror.wordpress.com
April 8th, 2008 at 12:31 pm

What is the definition of a “friend?”

um.

treating others as you’d like to be treated.

that’s all.

Tim, please make a “frien-emy of emergent” sticker for me.

17   Tim Reed, Owosso MI    http://churchvoices.com
April 8th, 2008 at 1:00 pm

Just in case you want to benefit from second-hand awesomeness I’ve created this symbol to be used by my friends who want to benefit from affiliation with Team Awesome.*

*note: for all those who spend time examining my life for information to use against me this was done tongue-in-cheek with liberal amounts of cheesy irony applied.

18   iggy    http://wordofmouthministries.blogspot.com/
April 8th, 2008 at 1:06 pm

I wish Tim would make a “Friend of Sinners” poster with a giant line through it. That, my friends, is orthodoxy in all its glory!!

hmmm

That gives me an idea…

iggy

19   Rick Frueh    http://judahslion.blogspot.com/
April 8th, 2008 at 1:09 pm

Tim – Can we order one with a line through it??

Oh yea, you have run out of those!

20   Tim Reed, Owosso MI    http://churchvoices.com
April 8th, 2008 at 1:16 pm

For all those who hate awesomeness and want to proclaim it to their friends. Clicky clicky haters.

21   Keith    http://fivepts.blogspot.com
April 8th, 2008 at 2:29 pm

This is one of those times that having a “Friend of Sinners” (stinkin’ Pyromaniacs/John MacArthur lover!) symbol OR a “No Friend of Emergents” (stinkin hatemonger!) symbol is going to get you on the CRN.Info “bad list”…no matter what.

Oh well, I’ve been on worse lists.