Hi Pr. Dave, i came across your web-blog and was wondering if maybe you'd be able to answer a question for me...more like give me your opinion on a topic. I was wondering what your opinion...as a pastor, is on tattoos and piercings?!?! I've been getting mixed responses on this lately so would really appreciate your point of view on it and some help...
Thank-you
_X_X_X_X
----
Dear _X_X_X_X,
Thanks for you email. It's great to hear your thoughts!
Piercing is really a cultural issue. There is plenty of it happening in the Bible. Have a look at Ezekiel 16 for a story told by God through his prophet. In that story God is talking about his love for his people. Because piercing of the nose was a way of honouring a wife, God says he gave a nose ring to his lady! Cool, eh?
Today the people of God are not a particular nation, but those who love Jesus. We are called his Body. We are called his
Hudson Taylor, a missionary to
So, Go for it! Bring those people to Jesus! How will you do it? How will you represent Christ? How will you be his
God bless,
Dave
----
wow! thanx for
...sorry to hassle you...but im a bit dense tonight (haha). so am i right in thinking that what your telling me is that as long as im doing it for the right reasons (as opposed to me just wanting to do it 'cause its the 'cool' thing) its okay for me to do it?
I'd like to say that i was doing it so that in some way i could maybe reach out to some non-christians but honestly it's more just the fact that i want it...i've heard people say that once you're a christian you 'should' stop being selfish...i guess...and stop doing things just because you want but you have to now think of God and what he would want from us (i dunno if i explained that properly).
I guess what i want to know is if it's wrong for me, as a christian to get these things done...?!
P.S thanx heaps for
_X_X_X_X
----
_X_X_X_X,
I am currently studying with a girl that has both ears pierces twice, nose, tongue and belly button... all pierced. And she asks some of the best spiritual questions I've heard in a long time. She is very passionate about all she does and especially about her new found relationship with Jesus.
I, on the other hand, only have the holes in my body that God put there. And I am quite well adjusted and have an occasional good thought without the extra ventilation. :)
We live in a world full of choices. What will I wear? Where will i spend my waking hours? Who will I hang out with? When will I clean my room? What will I pierce. It's all about pro's and con's. consider it. Pray about it. do it. live with it. wash. rinse. repeat until clean.
God bless,
Dave
----
Dear Pr. Dave
Thank-You very much for your opinion and guidance...you've helped me heaps so...very much APPRECIATED!
God Bless
_X_X_X_X
.jpeg)
just a personal thought: Piercings etc. are all about perception. If you get a whole load of metal stuck through your body and then make a huge point of showing it off people are going to wonder why you do such a thing. Tattoo's and piercings should all have personal meanings and each one you should love. I know it sounds ridiculous but each of my piercings have been done to remind me of something in my life. A couple are even constant reminders of silly things i've done and they're tangible reminders!
ReplyDeleteI've never felt that they've hindered me in any way at all. They certainly haven't hindered my spiritual growth!!
SJ
Should we find in Ezekiel 16 a reason to do it or are we really missing the bigger picture there? Should we also take the rich man and Lazarus as reality that the dead can not only speak, but speak to those in heaven?
ReplyDeleteThe bigger point to see in Ezekiel 16 is that it was God who placed these ornaments on the person, not us. It is definitely figurative as you can see in v8 where God says "so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness".
The whole picture to see in this passage is that, in God, we are beautiful because of the way God makes us beautiful. Not because of our own works.
Other Scripture that must be considered before coming to a conclusion: Gen. 35:2-4; Exodus 33:4-6; Jeremiah 4:30; Hosea 2:13;
1 Tim. 2:9-10; 1 Peter 3:3-4); Revelation 17:4.
Yin, It's nice to see you live a life free of the self-righteous fetters by which so many others are bound.
ReplyDeleteFreedom in Christ is an amazing thing.
It's beyond the reckoning of most... I reckon. :)
Dave, there is only one person in history I think of that has any right to be self-righteous, and it's definately not me!
ReplyDeleteI'm only human and I enjoy having my piercings, something that is completly selfish :P
We all have out vices right?