Referee's Crucifix Sparks Debate on Christian Faith and Religious Images

This Salvadoran referee, Iván Barton, has gone viral on social media after the Spain vs France semifinal because he attached a crucifix to his whistle.

I have read the comments of many Christians on the matter, and almost all of them were positive. People seem to appreciate the fact that he openly expressed his faith, even on the world stage.

Interestingly, no Pentecostal or Protestant shouted “idolatry,” as some are doing under my previous post right now.

You may have your reservations, but I will keep saying this: the problem is not images. Human beings cannot do without images. It is impossible. If you claim that God is against images, then be consistent. Get rid of every image you have. Begin by deleting all your pictures, including those of your football GOAT.

The real problem lies at two opposite extremes. On one end is the Catholic who treats religious images as though they are the source of salvation.

On the other end is the Protestant who assumes that once an image is made, it automatically becomes an idol. Yet the same person has pictures of people he admires, loves, and even celebrates.

Both positions miss the point. The Catholic is wrong when he treats an image as an end in itself or attributes to it what belongs to God alone. The Protestant is equally wrong when he assumes that the mere existence of an image is idolatry. An image is neither a saviour nor an idol by its mere existence. What matters is how it is understood and how it is used.