Quote:
Originally Posted by Rico
This isn't about choosing a pastor. This is about allowing someone into the pulpit to preach and whether or not they should be allowed to because of being tatooed all over their face. Stick to the topic at hand. If you care to discuss my choice of pastors and how I feel about Christmas then you will have to wait until our yearly Christmas argument.
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Well, you know how it is...Christmas starts earlier and earlier every year...commercialism and all that. Can't hurt to try....
So here's my take on the tattoos:
Its important for a minister to be able to influence his audience, to hear him. Its simply a matter of practicality. If folks are offended by his very appearance, chances are, they won't hear what he has to say anyway, unless he can find some way to
bridge that gap, which would take wisdom on his part, and no small measure of self-deprecation, to set people at ease.
As I said earlier on the thread, as a parent I would feel uncomfortable with such a person speaking to my kids,
unless he clarified his position, and made mention that this is where he came
from and not what he IS or that his tattoos don't represent what he believes now. I think that's important. I don't think he should be excluded from ministry because of a pre-conversion choice. I do think how he addresses it, and how he approaches people who may be immediately put off by his appearance will either open doors or slam them shut.
People are people, and if you don't take the time to deal with their humanity, then you've tripped over the first step of the ministry ladder.
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