Recently, I attended a convention of the Northwest District of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod (LCMS). There, I was elated to see that the last few classes of seminary grads are now well into their first calls as pastors of various congregations throughout the Pacific Northwest.
These young men, like many of their generational cohorts, tend to be less worried about "church-growth"... innovational gimmicks like modernizing the hymnal, watering down doctrine or otherwise conforming to a secular humanist culture in order to fill the pews by being less offensive to an increasing secular society. This is a refreshing and deeply meaningful shift from previous generations, including my own.
This current and growing phenomenon parallels one thing we know about millennials generally... they want unadorned, unvarnished truth. They are less interested in societal niceties and being "contemporary" than they are in learning core, often ancient truths.
Recently I pictured on Facebook (and above), a young pastor I met at lunch at the conference wearing a large, boldly Christian tattoo, picturing the Luther Rose superimposed over a large cross, itself tipped with smaller crosses.
An old associate of mine, quite liberal, politically and theologically, who has posted in the past that she became a Christian in order to be a good neighbor, posted in response that "conservative Christians don't like tattoos. Maybe this person should post ornaments of good works instead of ornamenting expensive tattoos". (Quite a metaphorical flourish, I must concede!)
I directed her to a book called The Lutheran Difference, an extensive comparative theology work that talks extensively delineates different Christian denominations and exposes that false doctrine of works righteousness that exists in many of them. And I intoned the Lutheran understanding that we saved by faith which in turns comes from Grace, not by pleasing God with good works. Probably tiny seeds falling on hot rock, but you never know.
Per my previous post, this "works-righteousness", both in the form of inveighing against tattoos and tying salvation to legalistic life-components like being a "good neighbor", is an outgrowth of a non-confessional approach to Christianity, to wit, believing that the Bible only "contains" the true word of God, versus the Confessional understanding that the Holy Bible is, in its totality, the inerrantly inspired word of God. The Word that saves us to everlasting life through faith in Christ, a faith bestowed on all of us through God's grace in the death and resurrection of His only son, Jesus Christ.
Now... try as I might, I find nothing in Holy Scripture, that is the The Holy Bible, that commands us to refrain from wearing tattoos.
On the other hand, adultery is explicitly and repeatedly forbidden, yet many of these non-confessional liberals institutionally endorse adultery in the form of liberalized divorce doctrine, turning a blind accommodating eye to pre-marital sex, etc.. Same with homosexuality, a form of adultery specifically mentioned as a sin throughout scripture. But yet, these same liberal theologians and churches not only endorse homosexuality but institutionalize it by performing homosexual marriages and ordaining openly homosexual clergy. Fascinating.
Additionally, we see a works-righteousness kind of quasi-socialism at work here. "Go out and hang ornaments of good works before spending money on 'expensive' ornaments like tattoos". This monastic view of Christianity is fine, if that is what you are called for. But it is not "required" and it is not specifically "Christian". Radical concept: There are many weighs to become a "good neighbor" without being a Christian. Some of our most conscientious members of LFP Neighborhood Watch were avowed (angrily so, even) atheists. Others were Buddhists or Hindus.
Christianity is not primarily about being a good neighbor or a civically righteous "good person". Christianity is primarily about believing that Jesus Christ was and is the living Son of God, the third person of the triune God and that, by that faith, we are saved to eternal as opposed to eternal damnation and death. That is it! Just that.
Yes, good works are a natural outgrowth of that faith. Good works and civic righteousness performed outside that faith are wonderful commendable but not a credited to or requirement for salvation to eternal life in Heaven.
What is required is what commanded of us in the Great Commission. The resurrected Christ said in his final words to his disciples, "go and make disciples of all nations, preaching and teaching them and baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit". (Matthew 28:16-20).
Above all, we are to witness and bring people to faith or back to faith. We are to allow the Holy Spirit to work through us as a means of Grace.
In that light, let us return to the sadly maligned tattoo of Pastor Jason. That tattoo is no different than the cross on the steeple of a church, serving as a beacon, a reminder of Christ's work in our life, your life. His attention-getting focal point, like his clergy collar will attract the attention of needy sinners throughout Jason's life-ministry. Imagine the possibilities...
A lost and desperate person, conscious of his or her sin, some terrible sin or a bevy of smaller sins, convinced that their is no hope beyond a shallow self-serving spiritually impoverished life, sees that tattoo, talks with Jason and is brought to faith in Jesus and everlasting life in heaven. That saved person then witnesses to how many others? Does how many other ministerial good works that bring others to faith?
My last church, Messiah Lutheran in Seattle spent 20-30 thousand dollars a year on direct mailers, promoting our Adult Information Class. Hundreds of folks over the years from our surrounding neighborhoods, attended these classes, joined our congregation, came to faith or just reinforced their existing faith.
One attendee of Messiah Seattle's Adult Information Class joined the church, after being raised in a mixed-faith marriage, was confirmed into our church, went onto seminary, become a mission pastor and now runs a full-time Lutheran mission in Papua New Guinea, where he lives with his wife and four children in a crude rural setting, teaching and preaching to locals, who just a few decades ago had no exposure to Christ and His saving message... "Go and make disciples of all nations...".
What, indeed, if Pastor Jason's tattoo were to lead to a conversation that led to a conversion that led to a similar ministry that in turn brought many to faith? That is a church promotion less expensive than a $20k-plus annual direct mail budget, is it not?.
But it is not cheap. Oh, never mind the few hundred or so to get tattooed...
What of the self-sacrifice of always being under the cross? What of the derision from social liberals who frequently seem bent on lecturing openly faithful Christians about our faith, calling us hypocrites or worse?
Well, Amen to those who pick up their cross, display it openly and take not vacation from the vocation of openly preaching to the Gospel of Christ's salvation both to those who thirst for it and those who throw it back in their faces.
May the Peace our Lord Jesus Christ with you always.
Amen,
-=Doug Hansen
Lay Delegate
Trinity Lutheran Church
Mt. Vernon, WA.
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