Guest Post by Dr. Steve Jeffery, Minister at Emmanuel Evangelical Church
Of the many issues worth considering here, one that’s well worth reflecting on is the issue of permanence. A tattoo effectively freezes the wearer in time. Whatever he (or she) is saying with the tattoo at the moment it’s done, (s)he’ll be saying for ever.
This is most obviously a problem if the design is inherently sinful – an explicit picture, a pagan religious symbol, or some profane language, for example.
But other seemingly more innocuous designs can also create problems. Your teenage girlfriend Julie might love the design, but Wendy will probably be less impressed when you finally marry her ten years later.
Even things that appear harmless can, with the passing of the years, end up as badges of immaturity: a profound slogan can quickly become banal, and a teenager’s edgy motto can be childish on the arm of a 35-year-old.
The bottom line is that growing up in every aspect of life – from basic Christian godliness to cultural appreciation – is an important part of Christian living. And a tattoo simply puts the brakes on.<>
Interesting comment; I wondered; “What about if you at a young age put something about belonging to Jesus on your body by way of tattoo?” But its striking that the sign of the covenant in the “immature” old covenant was in the flesh and visible, while in the maturity of the new it is something you cannot see but remember. Just a thought, not going anywhere with it.
When I graduated from Seminary in 2012, I got the tattoo of the cross with a banner put over my heart that read, “For the Glory of God”. I do not regret it at all, and in fact, it is a great conversation starter when I am in the hot tub on vacation, etc… No regrets.
Leviticus 19:28 – case closed.
I hope you have a beard!
Leviticus 19:27
Shalom
Hermann
Fallacy. It doesn’t say to have a beard, it says what not to do if you have one. 19:26 is explicit.
There is an interesting article that adds to this discussion and it can be found on Messiah’s congregation web site. The article can be found by typing “Tattoo you” in the search.
Correction for the post above. Website is Messiah’s congregation Brooklyn and in the search block type tatoo you.
I am 46 years old and have a photo of my wife of 25 years on one arm and my 4 children’s names on the other. Does not seem out of place.
If you get a Christian tattoo, that is just the thing to be frozen in time, right?
[…] become quite acceptable within the church, too. But you still hear claims that they are sinful, childish, and narcissistic. Most of the arguments are genetic fallacies, guilt-by-associations, hasty […]
I have a host of other reasons, perhaps not theological directly, but aesthetic, and aesthetics is the result of God-given ability to discriminate, as well as to appreciate beauty. 1. First reason: it is a scarring and marring of the skin. How can that be a good thing? It sounds inherently destructive. 2. It creates busy-ness on the skin, thereby diverting the eye of others away from your face, towards a place on a limb, where you have the tattoo. We are most appealing, most convincing, when we are encouraging onlookers to look directly at us, in the face. If we wish to communicate well we need to dress ourselves in such a manner that encourages people to actually listen to us. This is harder if their attention is directed elsewhere. Many people have abandoned alll sorts of visual clutter in their homes, and have attempted to simplify their lives accordingly, which is why wallpaper is not in fashion. Millenials tend to find traditional decorating or any color or patterns too busy. On the other hand, they make themselves look too busy with nose-rings, body piercings, multi-colored hair, and fancy patterns on their skin. They have merely transpanted the wallpaper to their own person!! 3. Tattooed skin looks like bruising, unless you are up close. It’s blue, like a bruise, and is too detailed to look like much more than dirt from a distance. 4. It is jarring to nearly any outfit you wear. I have never seen anyone who looked well-dressed whose outfit didn’t clash with their tattoos, both in color, and in design. 5. It’s a fad, and therefore, it marks the tattooed person as someone to whom following the latest trend is important. To me, this says a lot about where you get your values. Are you proud to advertise that you follow the culture of the world? Does it say that you are an individual who thinks for him or herself? No, it says you would follow any trend that comes along. 6. It’s permanent, and therefore you cannot simply change your mind. Everything else you do to adorn your person is completely changeable. You hate your haircut, you grow it out and try again. You change your clothes. You dye your hair, it grows out and you can choose again. 7. To wear a message on your skin is like placing a permanent bumper sticker on your body. Think about what that is. Do you want to be a pedestrian message, or a walking billboard?
Thank you for expressing my own thoughts so clearly. Most just look like graffiti to me. They don’t add to anyone’s appearance, but rather distract from it. I see it as a modesty issue. It befuddles me, guys, I kinda understand, but for girls who are constantly going with the trends, to do something so permanent it just doesn’t make sense. I don’t care how religious they are they do not enhance anyone’s looks and comes across as a spirit of rebellion.
So…..what you really mean is, what’s wrong with BAD tattoos
Having a tattoo will not keep you from entering heaven. It comes back to not judging a book by its cover and God looks at the heart not the outer appearance. Why do you bring OT laws into this? If we want to emphasize so much about the law and the body then we need to get back to kosher foods as well. If thats the case then where does it end? We may as well just go back to living the OT. We have freedom in Christ. Not saying we can just do whatever we want, but I am saying my justification rests in Christ alone and not by the observing of rules, regulations and traditions. The body is simply a tent that houses the soul. The soul lives on, this tent is deteriorating every second. That’s the beauty of grace which gives us assurance of our final glorification. Thanks be to Jesus. Let’s give Him all the glory.