Lausanne World Pulse – Themed Articles – Christian Tattoos: Sacred Ink or Unholy Blemish?
Christians with tattoos is still a controversial issue for many people. For some, there are questions about whether tattoo defaces the creation of God and is, in general, sin. There are helpful articles on Sacred Ink that explore the topic of Christians with tattoos and the Mosaic injunction in Leviticus 19:28 in particular. If tattoo is a biblically allowable expression for believers, but is culturally a problem for Christians, it leads to the loss of a language for modern tribal evangelism. In reaching the new tribes in this digital age it is vital we do good exegesis of the scriptures in order to confront any cultural customs that we may have added to the word of God. Twentieth century Christian traditions must not be added to the unchanging and eternal words of scripture. If we do this, we will lose God-given opportunities for sharing the excellent message of life with those whose cultures and languages vary from our own. Separating what is church culture from what are clear biblical standards and then reaching out, without imposing our subculture on new tribes, is more important today than ever. However, in this reexamination of how our traditions as Christians may have become equal with the teaching of God’s word, we must never budge on the clear teaching of the Holy Scripture.
Beyond the Monitor
A great goal for tech-testimony sites such as these would be to move people beyond the computer monitor into face-to-face, voice-to-ear friendships that will lead people toward the excellent person of Jesus. Some Internet evangelism sites, by not focusing on follow-up and discipleship, seem to be an end game instead of a part of a larger plan. Instead, our hope should be that all Internet evangelism sites will move people from mere facts on a screen into real life relationships, worship gatherings, ongoing discussion and becoming bridges to other spiritual opportunities. We live in an unprecedented time of global communication that allows people, even at great distance, to form friendships online and in person.
Social networking sites like MySpace, Xanga, Tribe and America Online, when used in conjunction with sites like Sacred Ink, allow for ongoing discussion with “not yet believers.” Building relationships through social networking sites, especially when connecting to others of a tribal subgroup with similar interests, is a powerful new ministry opportunity.
Sacred Ink Live
An example of how these new ministry opportunities are happening recently occurred at Renaissance Church in Florence, Italy, which hosted a Sacred Ink Live evening in the coffeehouse where the church meets. Mark Brandes, photographer for the Sacred Ink project, displayed poster-size images of Sacred Ink participants as a visual environment for the meeting. There was video projection of the Sacred Ink flash videos and audio testimonies. This created a multimedia framework for discussion about art, tattoo and several faith-oriented topics in Sacred Ink.
Another Sacred Ink Live application being considered is to take the images and audio to a tattoo convention where they will be used to create an artistic multisensory oasis for faith discussion, prayer ministry and a live art project. These conventions could be used to share faith with non-believers. People we meet prior to the convention through online networks would be invited to come to the convention as a meeting place to further the ongoing relationships and faith discussions. Using Internet social networking, live exhibitions and invitations to faith gatherings are exciting ways to move into the next generation both online and face-to-face.
The hope at Sacred Ink is that many tribes beyond the tattoo tribe will utilize the Internet, art, storytelling, social networking and old fashioned friendships to incarnate the message of Jesus into the lives of those who are still unconvinced about him.
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Chuckk Gerwig is creator of Sacred Ink. He is also pastor to youth and their families at Santa Cruz Bible Church in Santa Cruz, California, USA. |
Comments on this article
I personally am of the opinion that it is absolutely okay to use tattoo as a Christian witness, and am aware of the criticism I attract by saying this. I also feel that just as God created many different types of people, you will also get a very different answer depending on who you ask. I am an artist, raised in a very strict Baptist home, and I have many tatooes (against the advise of those in my church). I used to question the morality of someone “defacing” their body, as if to suggest it weren’t perfect enough on its own. I’ve changed. To me, it’s a beautiful and miraculous creation, and I only mean respect by using my God-given talent to paint beautiful images, along with life lessons that I have learned along my journey on this earth. Our body is temporary, our soul and spirit are eternal. I don’t view my tattoos as disrespect, but as a way of expression that I was born with–art. I have absolutey no regrets, and I only wish that I could go to church and wear short sleeves without feeling that it distracts others from worship and causes negativity. Until I feel that, I’ll continue to hide them as not to alienate myself.
annika :: 24 Jul 2006