--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The cross is not just a badge to identify…" description: "\"The cross is not just a badge to identify us...it is also the compass which gives us our bearings in a disoriented world.\" — John Stott" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/160/john-stott-1926_badges_the-cross-is-not-just-a-badge-to-identif_1774150.png" --- # The cross is not just a badge to identify us...it is also… ![“The cross is not just a badge to identify us...it is also the compass which gives us our bearings in a disoriented world.” quote by John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/160/john-stott-1926_badges_the-cross-is-not-just-a-badge-to-identif_1774150.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/160/john-stott-1926_badges_the-cross-is-not-just-a-badge-to-identif_1774150.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/160/john-stott-1926_badges_the-cross-is-not-just-a-badge-to-identif_1774150.png) > “The cross is not just a badge to identify us...it is also the compass which gives us our bearings in a disoriented world.” [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The cross serves as both identity marker and moral compass in a disoriented world. **In simple terms:** Cross guides identity and direction. Key Takeaway Use faith as a guiding principle. Themes faith identity direction Mood inspirational reflective Type theological motivational When to use this quote - personal decision - community building - ethical dilemmas Key Concepts theology symbolism Questions to Reflect On - How does the cross shape your values? - What compass do you follow in uncertainty? A Different Perspective Symbols can be misinterpreted. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Compass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compass/) [Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cross/) [Disoriented](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disoriented/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [The symbol of the religion of Jesus is the cross, not the scales.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/the-symbol-of-the-religion-of-jesus-is-the-cross-not-the-scales/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [There is no Christianity without the cross. If the cross is not central to our religion, ours is not the religion of Jesus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/there-is-no-christianity-without-the-cross-if-the-cross-is-not/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [When we look at the cross we see the justice, love, wisdom and power of God. It is not easy to decide which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/when-we-look-at-the-cross-we-see-the-justice-love-wisdom-and-power-of/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [It is there, at the foot of the cross, that we shrink to our true size.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/it-is-there-at-the-foot-of-the-cross-that-we-shrink-to-our-true-size/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [The Cross is the blazing fire at which the flame of our love is kindled, but we have to get near enough for its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/the-cross-is-the-blazing-fire-at-which-the-flame-of-our-love-is/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [“She didn’t want to try to explain that she was always disoriented, that she never, ever felt truly comfortable, even in her own home.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ameera-al-hakawati/she-didn-t-want-to-try-to-explain-that-she-was-always-disoriented/) [Ameera Al Hakawati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ameera-al-hakawati/) > [“He was disoriented; his eyes shot in all directions, like ball bearings fired from a machine gun.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-botragyi/he-was-disoriented-his-eyes-shot-in-all-directions-like-ball-bearings/) Chris Botragyi > [I didn't enjoy my college life in Noida much because I was quite disoriented there, since I was staying away from my family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kratika-sengar/i-didn-t-enjoy-my-college-life-in-noida-much-because-i-was-quite/) [Kratika Sengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kratika-sengar/) > [I disoriented myself from everything about being a human being and just played and played and played and sang and sang and sang.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-buckley/i-disoriented-myself-from-everything-about-being-a-human-being-and/) [Jeff Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-buckley/) > [“Imagination envisions what could be. Reality states what is. And when my journey is shaped by one of these at the exclusion of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/imagination-envisions-what-could-be-reality-states-what-is-and-when/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [There are records that, in my opinion, only reach their full potential when the listener is disoriented.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/there-are-records-that-in-my-opinion-only-reach-their-full-potential/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [There's a meeting in Command. Disregard your current schedule,' he says. 'Done,' I say. 'Did you follow it at all today?' he asks in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/there-s-a-meeting-in-command-disregard-your-current-schedule-he-says/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“I'm lost again, inside myself. Somewhere that's not nowhere. Disoriented. I've let everything go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-mcnamara/i-m-lost-again-inside-myself-somewhere-that-s-not-nowhere-disoriented/) [Amy McNamara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-mcnamara/) > [I believed or thought I was disoriented and the victim of a bizarre dream and I believe I paced in and out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-sheppard/i-believed-or-thought-i-was-disoriented-and-the-victim-of-a-bizarre/) [Sam Sheppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-sheppard/) > [Sick and disoriented, I'm able to form only one thought: Peeta Mellark just saved my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/sick-and-disoriented-i-m-able-to-form-only-one-thought-peeta-mellark/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) ## More by John Stott > [Prayer is not a convenient device for imposing our will upon God, or bending his will to ours, but the prescribed way of subordinating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/prayer-is-not-a-convenient-device-for-imposing-our-will-upon-god-or/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [Mission arises from the heart of God Himself and is communicated from His heart to ours. Mission is the global outreach of the global…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/mission-arises-from-the-heart-of-god-himself-and-is-communicated-from/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [ \[Christian rebellion\] arises from the doctrine of mankind made in the image of God, and therefore protests against all forms of dehumanization. It sets… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/christian-rebellion-arises-from-the-doctrine-of-mankind-made-in-the/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [All of us have inflated views of ourselves, especially in self-righteousn ess, until we have visited a place called Calvary. It is there, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/all-of-us-have-inflated-views-of-ourselves-especially-in-self/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [A deaf church is a dead church: that is an unalterable principle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/a-deaf-church-is-a-dead-church-that-is-an-unalterable-principle/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [So there is such a thing as perfect hatred, just as there is such a thing as righteous anger. But it is a hatred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/so-there-is-such-a-thing-as-perfect-hatred-just-as-there-is-such-a/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [The reason I am a Christian is not that it is nice, but that it is true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/the-reason-i-am-a-christian-is-not-that-it-is-nice-but-that-it-is-true/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [“Unless some people are commissioned for the task, there will be no gospel preachers; unless the gospel is preached, sinners will not hear Christ’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/unless-some-people-are-commissioned-for-the-task-there-will-be-no/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [“many former sins have become crimes’, so that responsibility for dealing with them has passed from church to state, from priest to policeman (p.50),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/many-former-sins-have-become-crimes-so-that-responsibility-for/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [When we look at the cross we see the justice, love, wisdom and power of God. It is not easy to decide which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/when-we-look-at-the-cross-we-see-the-justice-love-wisdom-and-power-of/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [If God speaks to us about himself and his own glorious greatness, we respond by humbling ourselves before him in worship... If He speaks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/if-god-speaks-to-us-about-himself-and-his-own-glorious-greatness-we/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [There is something inherently inappropriate about cherishing small ambitions for God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/there-is-something-inherently-inappropriate-about-cherishing-small/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [Every powerful movement has had its philosophy which has gripped the mind, fired the imagination and captured the devotion of its adherents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/every-powerful-movement-has-had-its-philosophy-which-has-gripped-the/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [“A guilty conscience is a great blessing, but only if it drives us to come home.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/a-guilty-conscience-is-a-great-blessing-but-only-if-it-drives-us-to/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [The concept of substitution lies at the heart of both sin and salvation. For the essence of sin is man substituting himself for God,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/the-concept-of-substitution-lies-at-the-heart-of-both-sin-and/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) [Explore all 198 John Stott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) ## More Badges quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [This is what I say about the scorn of the media elite: I wear their scorn as a badge of honor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-quayle/this-is-what-i-say-about-the-scorn-of-the-media-elite-i-wear-their/) [Dan Quayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-quayle/) > [But despite their heroic acts, the Vietnam Veterans of America continued to struggle to establish a combat badge in honor of these brave pilots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-holden/but-despite-their-heroic-acts-the-vietnam-veterans-of-america/) [Tim Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-holden/) > [It is utterly exhausting being Black in America - physically, mentally, and emotionally. While many minority groups and women feel similar stress, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/it-is-utterly-exhausting-being-black-in-america-physically-mentally/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) > [“Ideas on Earth were badges of friendship or enmity. Their content did not matter. Friends agreed with friends, in order to express friendliness. Enemies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/ideas-on-earth-were-badges-of-friendship-or-enmity-their-content-did/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [A woman with cut hair is a filthy spectacle, and much like a monsterit being natural and comely to women to nourish their hair,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-prynne/a-woman-with-cut-hair-is-a-filthy-spectacle-and-much-like-a-monsterit/) [William Prynne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-prynne/) > [It's an honour to wear the shirt and the badge, and to be part of such an illustrious club is gonna be exciting, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asmir-begovic/it-s-an-honour-to-wear-the-shirt-and-the-badge-and-to-be-part-of-such/) Asmir Begovic > [There still remains one effort of magnanimity, one sacrifice of prejudice and passion, to be made by the individuals throughout the nation who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/there-still-remains-one-effort-of-magnanimity-one-sacrifice-of/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [I'm not going to allow anybody to hold a badge up over me or a cross or any other power symbol and say I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ice-t/i-m-not-going-to-allow-anybody-to-hold-a-badge-up-over-me-or-a-cross/) [Ice T](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ice-t/) > [Yeah, I love living in New York, man, and people who live in New York, we wear that fact like a badge right on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/yeah-i-love-living-in-new-york-man-and-people-who-live-in-new-york-we/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) > [One bad review doesn't ruin my day because I realize what a badge of honor it is to get a bit of criticism at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/one-bad-review-doesn-t-ruin-my-day-because-i-realize-what-a-badge-of/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Brotherly love is still the distinguishing badge of every true Christian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-henry/brotherly-love-is-still-the-distinguishing-badge-of-every-true/) [Matthew Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-henry/) > [Appalling numbers of youth have been led into a cynical ultra-sophisticated attitude which regards drinking as a badge of social aptitude, which makes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-parker-yockey/appalling-numbers-of-youth-have-been-led-into-a-cynical-ultra/) [Francis Parker Yockey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-parker-yockey/) > [The title of Christian is a reproach to us, if we estrange ourselves from Him after whom we are denominated. The name of Jesus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wilberforce/the-title-of-christian-is-a-reproach-to-us-if-we-estrange-ourselves/) [William Wilberforce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wilberforce/) > [As long as our civilisation keeps trundling along generally forwards, then there is the possibility of a future where ethnicity is merely an interesting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/as-long-as-our-civilisation-keeps-trundling-along-generally-forwards/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) Browse all 197 Badges quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The cross is not just a badge to identify us...it is also the compass which gives us our bearings in a disoriented world.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Stott" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/the-cross-is-not-just-a-badge-to-identify-us-it-is-also-the-compass/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Badges" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/the-cross-is-not-just-a-badge-to-identify-us-it-is-also-the-compass/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/160/john-stott-1926_badges_the-cross-is-not-just-a-badge-to-identif_1774150.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/160/john-stott-1926_badges_the-cross-is-not-just-a-badge-to-identif_1774150.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/160/john-stott-1926_badges_the-cross-is-not-just-a-badge-to-identif_1774150.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The cross is not just a badge to identify us...it is also the compass which gives us our bearings in a…” — John Stott", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "John Stott", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The cross is not just a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/the-cross-is-not-just-a-badge-to-identify-us-it-is-also-the-compass/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/the-cross-is-not-just-a-badge-to-identify-us-it-is-also-the-compass/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```