Tattoos. Christian tattoos. Is that the same oxymoron that it used to be? Is there such a thing as Christian tattoos? Can Christians get tattoos without it being a “sin”? Is what was once a sin now a scruple? Are some tattoos always sin and some have the potential to be used for godly purposes? Is the meaning of the tattoo the determining factor of its innate goodness or evil? Does personal significance or outward perception now decide if a tattoo is a valid choice for a Christian?
My husband and I had conversation yesterday with two friends, one with multiple tattoos and the other planning his first tattoo. Both Christians. Both that we met at a Christian College because all four of us are studying and preparing to be in full time ministry. This prompted my shower-time thoughts to center around this topic that has almost being a fopa as of late.
This brought me down a long path and I hope to bring you along with my thoughts.
Somewhere along the thoughts of a Christian tattoo, the idea of a Christian tee shirt entered my mind. It seems that this phenomenon was started sometime in my life time, and the trend has continued with many, but I oft wonder the impact that these tee shirts have on a Christian’s witness, whether positive or negative. Just over a year ago, we took our small youth group to a large annual convention that is often known for being so lame that it’s funny. We told our group to use their phones to take pictures of the cheesiest, stupidest and most heretical “Christian” tee shirts they could find. They found the task to be so easy that the fun was quickly replaced with an appalling nausea at the so-called “outward Christian expression” that were on these tee shirts for sale. Shirts that had sayings like “God doesn’t believe in atheist” brought both our leaders and our teenagers to a halt. I can recall one of the girls saying with such wisdom “how will this advance the kingdom? My friends in school would be offended and pushed further away from the Gospel with a message like that.” Has the concept of the Christian tee shirt become a source for non-believers to mock all Christians, simply because some of them do not promote the true Gospel in their attire? On the other hand, are there Christian tee shirts that are positive conversation starters? Is it possible for a Christian tee shirt to be used without being cheesy or turn people away from the Gospel we hope to proclaim? Or should these be abandoned altogether?
Although some items seem to be a timeless expression of Christianity, such a pendants and rings, I wouldn’t dare to put tee shirts in that category. It would seem to me that although these tee shirts began in my time, they were not geared toward my generation. Rather, they were appealing more to the generation before me. And now, I wonder, have tattoos become my generation’s outward expression of their Christianity? Although not as removable as a piece of jewelry or clothing, have the Christians who are now a part of the post-modern generations (if I can throw such a term around so loosely) found a need for something as lasting as their relationship with Christ and have thus chosen one or many tattoos to convey such truth?
This process led me to the Old Testament prophets and their direction from God for an outward expression of the spiritual climate of them as individuals or a collective body. In some noteworthy instances, God told prophets like Jeremiah (4:8), Daniel (9:3), Joel (1:8), Jonah (3:5), and even Esther (4:1-4) to put on sackcloth to demonstrate to the rest of the world their dependence on God in their time of need. This may have been for repentance, protection, or something else, but in each instance (that I could find, anyway) it was to serve three main purposes: 1. to demonstrate to God their seriousness, 2. to remind themselves of the severity of their need for God, and 3. to display to the people around them what God was doing in their lives. I think a comparison can be made to the purpose for which many Christians get tattoos that reflect their Christianity. I am purposeful to not make this sackcloth analogy stretch too far, as I don’t mean to imply that all Christians should get a tattoo, but rather to serve as an explanation as to why many Christians, especially in my generation, tattoo themselves without thought of it’s “sinfulness”.
Of course, this brings up additional questions that must be considered before one can begin to answer this sin-scruple issue. Is, perhaps, not the only the art itself a matter of question, but also the motivation behind such tattooing? If simply to be defiant or rebellious, but be justified in the content of the tattoo, is it any different than the Pharisees using legalism to get their own will accomplished? In contrast, if well intentioned, but a despondent or offensive image permanently adhered to the skin to serve as a “conversation starter”, is it any different than the heretical tee shirts stating that “God doesn’t believe in atheists” that is offensive but not primarily to serve as a theological truth? Like most things about the Christian life, does this then becomes an issue of balance of positive and godly motivation, but also well-done and Christ-pointing actions? Could we say that those who get a tattoo that reflects their Christianity both in purpose and in execution are not only not sinning, but also pursuing God in a way that has continued on since the Old Testament prophets? Perhaps it is simply the mode that has changed over time, beginning with sackcloth, continuing with jewelry and tee shirts, and has now progressed toward tattoos, but the original purpose has remained.
Leviticus 19:28 “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.” is the typical reference used to indicate that tattoos are always a sin for Christians, but this Old Testament Law is much deeper than one might assume at first glance. Many of the things in this section of the list of “Various Laws”, as my Bible titles it, have long been disregarded as a poor practice for that time but are now acceptable as a result of the new implications of these laws. However, some of the laws still hold true as the day they were written by Moses. It has been said by some that the tattoos are to be included as an outdated law because they are no longer associated with sorcery or worship of the dead, but it would seem that even that might be a question, not of culture, but of personal intent. The beginning, even of this chapter of laws in Leviticus, is all about the intent of the heart and how that comes to fruition in action. Scattered throughout the history, prophets, the Law, the Gospel, the instruction, the love of God displayed in His Word is the small, yet powerful phrase “Be holy, because, I the Lord your God, am holy”. Paul says in his many epistles that holiness may look different to different people based on the intention of the heart and its perception to those within your grasp of ministry.
Generation to generation, place to place, culture to culture, what is constituted as “holy” will change. Just as everything must be scrutinized, let us allow tattoos (and yes, even Christian tattoos) to be judged not simply on outward display, but also by inward motivation and personal holiness. Let us all strive to be holy as only He is holy.
