WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT TATTOOS, pt. 6
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT TATTOOS, pt. 6
What about Pr0minent Christian Influencers who are Tattooed?
Let’s turn our attention to the question about prominent Christian influencers who are tattooed.
First of all, there is the issue of Christians who have been tattooed in their early lives before giving their lives to Christ, and as already discussed the tattoos have no bearing on a person’s current state of salvation. But what about well-known and influential Christian people who are getting tattooed now? What do we make of this in light of what we have already discussed?
The highly successful Christian rock band, Skillet, for example, is comprised of people who are heavily tattooed. I have read and listened to the testimony of Skillet’s lead singer, John Cooper (pictured here), as well as his perspective on certain social and spiritual matters, and it appears to me that John Cooper is a Christian of high character and uncompromised commitment to his relationship with Jesus Christ. This might seem at first blush to be a conundrum as it pertains to the arguments presented here on tattoos.
Actually, it’s not difficult to decipher. There are people in the Body of Christ who have great insight in certain areas while also suffering from areas of blindness and ignorance in other areas. The fact is, there simply hasn’t been very much teaching at all in the Body of Christ on tattoos, and where there is lack of teaching there is error and ignorance. It doesn’t make the people who have these areas of ignorance bad people, of course, because each of us are works in progress and we are all still learning and growing. None of us are without areas of personal blindness in one or more areas. As the Word of God says, we all see and understand imperfectly in our present state, but someday we will know and understand fully (see (1 Corinthians 13:12).
While it’s unfortunate that some mistakes are evident for a lifetime because of the permanence of the decision (such as would be the case with tattoos), there is nevertheless forgiveness available in Christ. Some people will grow to see things in a new light in time, and God’s Word and His Spirit will reveal those things.
I will add that while I agree with and respect most of what I have heard from John Cooper, it’s clear that as Skillet has grown in popularity the rougher-looking and more tattooed the members of the band have become. Is this an attempt to identify with the world? I won’t assume to know the heart and motives of the band members, or anyone else for that matter, but there does seem to be a troubling trend among Christian musicians to try to be just as “cool” as the world. Late Christian singer, Keith Green, once addressed this problem in his article, Can God Use Rock Music:
“I have not taken up my pen to defend the ‘Christian rockers’ because, frankly, I have been just as offended by most of what I have heard and seen as any sweet ole Christian grandma who accidentally stumbles into a blaring-loud gospel concert. It isn’t the beat that offends me, nor the volume – it’s the spirit. It’s the “Look at ME!” attitude I have seen in concert after concert, and the ‘can’t you see we’re just as good as the world’ syndrome I have heard on record after record. Jesus doesn’t want us to be as good as the world, He wants us to be better! And that doesn’t mean excelling them in sound, style, or talent – it means surpassing them in value – in our motives for being up there on stage, in our reasons for singing our songs, and especially in WHO we’re singing for! If there is anything wrong or worldly at all about the so-called ‘Christian rock,’ it’s the self-exalting spirit and attitude that comes across so loud and clear in many of the records and concerts today.
That is well said! The self-exalting spirit that Keith Green points out is indeed a problem on concert stages and even church platforms throughout the nation today. And could it be that tattoos are a manifestation of this same “Look-at-ME!” attitude that Green so accurately identifies? John Cooper even said in a recent interview that he didn’t think he would ever have tattoos, but “now look at me; they’re all over me.” He went on to say that the people who told him that once a person gets one tattoo they end up wanting more were correct, because that’s what happened to him. Getting even one tattoo creates a strange craving that is never quite satisfied in many people, and that goes against the standard set forth in Romans 6 that instructs the people of God to not be ruled by anything. If you are being ruled by a strange craving for more, that cannot be from God.
Let’s grapple with some questions. Do tattoos enhance one’s Christian witness? How? Do they attract unbelievers who are tattooed to Jesus, or do they do the opposite? Could tattooed Christians cause unbelievers to see themselves as justified in their own eyes because they see little difference between themselves and proclaiming Christ followers? Why do certain people in the Body of Christ feel they need to have a certain look to connect with unbelievers? Did Jesus use these kinds of tactics? No!
Jesus drew unbelievers in with love, unmatched wisdom, and with words spoken truthfully and courageously no matter what the outcome. Jesus did not attempt to be like other people in order to identify with them. He gave people words of truth, then let His hearers decide for themselves how they would respond. If they rejected His truth, Jesus let them walk! He didn’t chase after them and try to make the message more attractive by using “seeker sensitive” methodologies that made sinners feel more comfortable. His words sometimes comforted, and they sometimes cut deep. Whatever the audience, Jesus never waivered from the truth and never tried to make His message more palatable or attractive. That’s why Jesus is called a stumbling block in the Scriptures (see 1 Peter 2:7-8). He is a stumbling block to those who don’t like the packaging and who therefore refuse to believe.
As it pertains to prominent Christian influencers who are tattooed then, I would love to have a conversation with John Cooper in 25 years when his rock music career is over and his aging skin begins to crinkle and sag. I wonder if he will still be happy with his decision to get tattooed. Maybe he will, but maybe he won’t. Perhaps he will grow and change and later regret his decision like my friend I mentioned earlier. Time will tell. Nevertheless, John Cooper’s tattoos don’t make him a bad person or render his music and his message void of truth. God can and is using John Cooper and others like him to minister to certain groups of people. God can and does use anyone who is committed to His Kingdom regardless of what they look like. Therefore, it is my personal conclusion that God is using John Cooper in spite of the tattoos, not because of them. Skillet became very popular when the band members still looked fairly clean cut. Therefore, John Cooper could still reach the same people without the tattoos because it is his music and his message people are attracted to, and the tattoos likely do not enhance either.
Furthermore, what John Cooper did when he decided to get his arms, hands, and fingers tattooed is potentially narrow his audience to only a certain group of people. As discussed earlier, people like John Cooper will automatically be dismissed and discredited by some people based solely on their rough appearance. That’s not fair, I know, but it is a reality. John Cooper and others like him will fail to connect with certain people they may have otherwise been able to reach simply because they have chosen a look that will alienate certain segments of society. This is the opposite of what the Apostle Paul did. Paul said he desired to be all things to all people in order to win a few (see 1 Corinthians 9:22). In other words, Paul was saying that it was his desire to try to connect with as many different people as possible so as to possibly win a few. Paul had no desire to narrow his focus to only one class of people. He wanted to connect with all different ages, races, creeds, and classes of people. And that’s what you and I should be doing. Tattoos don’t help that process, but rather hinder it in some respects. So while I don’t know enough about John Cooper to question his message or character, I nevertheless find it unfortunate that he has potentially narrowed his audience down considerably with his appearance.
A good perspective to consider here is that God’s people are called kings and priests (Revelation 1:6, 5:10). Whether you think of yourself in those terms or not, God thinks of you in those terms because you represent Him. Whatever one deems appropriate for a priest, therefore, should be the standard for oneself. Let us conduct ourselves like kings and priests of God during our sojourn in this life.
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In the next post we will bring our series to its conclusion by looking at the Old Testament’s mandate against tattooing and why this isn’t just an Old Testament issue, and close out with a short discussion on the empowerment of grace.