From a distance, you might think that Justin Isbell is wearing a T-shirt from Abercrombie & Fitch, just like so many other teenagers.

It has the telltale block text in the center with a seemingly random number — “13” — printed nearby.

But upon closer inspection, the text reads “Bread crumb and fish,” not “Abercrombie & Fitch.” And, says Isbell, the number on his shirt actually means something.

“It’s about a Bible verse from Matthew 13,” Isbell says. “It’s about how Jesus fed the 5,000 people with the bread crumbs and fish that the boy brought.”

Isbell, a Lawrence High School junior who belongs to Christ Community Church in Lawrence, is not alone in wearing his faith on his sleeve. For many young Christians, T-shirts with roots in pop culture have become an accepted way of displaying faith at school.

“It’s not so straightforward,” says Kelsey Hagathorn, a Baldwin High School student who attends Worden United Methodist Church. “It catches people’s attention without being overly done.”

Other popular shirts in the same vein as Isbell’s Abercrombie take-off include a black T-shirt with white text that reads, “Got Jesus?” in the same font as ads from the “Got milk?” campaign. Another uses the logo of the television show “Survivor” as a basis, but replaces the text “Outwit, Outplay, Outlast,” with “Outlive, Outpray, Outlast.”

Isbell says that even though his shirts have elicited negative comments from some people at school, he views the attire as a way to open a dialogue with other students about religion.

“People make jokes about it, but you can usually get into a conversation that way,” he says. “You can say, ‘Well, what do you think?’ So it can be pretty effective.”

But some of Isbell’s friends at school say it’s easier to avoid the topic of religion, even when his clothing makes his views plain to see. Adam Phillips, an agnostic LHS junior and friend of Isbell, says that although the two don’t share the same beliefs about religion, they can connect on other issues.

“I know we don’t agree about religion, so usually we just avoid the subject,” Phillips said. “But if you want to wear a shirt like that, it’s fine with me. It’s pretty much harmless. It’s like wearing a jersey for your favorite sports team.”

Lawrence High School junior Justin Isbell displays his religious beliefs with Christian-themed T-shirts.