Lists of Christian resources? Bookstores or Libraries in the Church?

Q: Do you have a list of recommended Christian resources we can purchase? Does the church have a bookstore?

A: The answer is no...and yes. "No", we don't have a list of books for you to buy, but "Yes" we do have a library where you can find many awesome resources to borrow for free.

Many people have asked us over the years why we don’t have a full-blown bookstore in a church our size and there are a number of very good reasons:

• Over the years, our leadership believed that it was our job to focus on being the church rather than duplicating what was available outside the church. In our case, there was a good Christian bookstore about half a mile down the street that we had no desire to compete with.
• Most bookstores are a source of revenue to help support the general church budget. While we do make copies of sermons available for purchase, we never wanted to turn the church into a business.
• A church library is far less commercial than a bookstore and allows everyone access edifying books and other media, regardless of whether they could afford to buy their own copy of the latest resource. It is a Book of Acts kind of “sharing in common” that flies in the face of an overly commercial society. “What, you mean I can use these for free?” Through the sharing of our materials, it frees up individual families’ financial resources to be used other ways. Instead of everyone buying their own everything, our sharing generously with each other should, and I believe historically has, released resources for ministry and missions purposes. Consumerism is a great enemy of the church, and in tough economic times the people that often need encouraging resources the most are the ones that can afford them the least.
• In 1989 a special anonymous gift was given to the church to establish a “Pastor’s Reference Library” which when added to a collection maintained in our Children’s ministries department, donations, and purchases has grown into a full circulation library for the whole family that currently has 25,348 volumes and 6,587 users.
• Our library has always been available to those who attend our congregation and to the greater Christian community of the Beaverton area. A few years ago, we had a new family come into our library and ask how long they had to be members before they could use the library. We said that they could use the library immediately and were stunned to learn that their former church required at least six months of official membership before materials could be checked out.
• We think that the church library best supports the biblical values of the family of God that meets together here in Beaverton, Oregon.

So, back to your question about a list of recommended resources for purchase…I would recommend that you come in and visit the church library before you buy anything. We can search our collection by Title, Author, Subject, and Series Title for you. Our library team will do our best to connect you with several titles that will be of help to your particular situation and areas of interest. Some are quite gifted in addressing apologetic and evangelistic questions, while others are more than happy to point out books that have meant a lot in their own lives. The library is also a great way to “test-drive” resources before you go out to a bookstore and purchase the ones you want to add to your family libraries! Come on in and check us out!

Church Library Hours are available on our church website: http://www.beavertonfoursquare.org/index.php?nid=53195&s=mn
Our Church Library also has a blog that is found at: http://b4library.blogspot.com/

What about tattoos? Are they a sin?

Q: I just now listened to Pastor Randy's sermon from May 23, and he mentioned tattoos as being something that are widely recognized now as not being a sin. I have a tattoo from before I was a believer, and don't hold it against anybody …, but have been struggling with the desire to get another. Pastor Randy said our first question should be whether or not it is a sin according to God, and in Leviticus it says that we should not get tattoos. I have heard rationalizations that he meant that only as it relates to getting a tattoo to honor the dead, but is that just a rationalization? [Does that mean that] any tattoo, no matter what the reason, is a sin? Or was it specifically relating to doing it to honor the dead? I realize that beyond this question I am having an issue with my own conscience and doubts, so I shouldn't be getting a tattoo right now anyways, but I am and have always wondered if it's truly a sin, or just a matter of what some recognize as a freedom or not. Thank you!

A: This is a great question! It shows that you are wrestling with some of the larger issues involved and recognize both the freedom we have in making choices and the ramifications of those choices. You ask about tattoos, but really the question is how we can know if a personal decision we make is right or merely a rationalization. The fact that you are asking questions like this gives me confidence in your discernment.

Let’s first take a look at tattoos from the perspective of what the Bible says, and what our Christian tradition/culture contributes and then address four key areas that apply to your question.

Bible: Tattoos were originally proscribed in the Old Testament in Leviticus 19:28 the only place they are mentioned in the Bible. [No, this does not only apply to tattoos honoring the dead.] Tattoos were one of the pagan religious practices that Israel was forbidden to participate in. They were supposed to be holy, different from the other nations, and they were supposed to worship the One True God differently than the pagans worshipped their idols.

This command was part of God’s covenant with the nation of Israel. So does this command apply to us today? Yes and no. In their classic book, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, authors Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart make the statement, “All of the Old Testament law is still the Word of God for us even though it is not still the command of God to us…Only that which is explicitly renewed from the Old Testament law can be considered part of the New Testament ‘law of Christ’…”

So for the Christian there are no explicit Biblical commands that forbid tattoos. However, there are a number of implicit Biblical principles that we should consider.

Christian tradition & culture: Tattoos have always been taboo in the church as a defilement of the body, the temple of the Holy Spirit. Historically tattoos have maintained their close ties with the various forms of idolatry as people mark their bodies with images of their gods. It is true that “Christian tattoos” have become more popular in recent years and for people who already have tattoos before becoming a Christian it is often a personal declaration that now they serve a new master…Jesus Christ and not the dragon/ demon/ snake/ music/ sex/ alcohol that they used to. Interestingly, Keil & Delitzsch in their 19th century commentary on Leviticus 19 minimize the anti-idolatry connection and point out that it was a command designed to preserve a proper reverence for creation [as the work of God].

Here are a few other issues that I would suggest that you to consider as you try to sort out whether to get another tattoo in the future:

• Beauty…where does it come from and in whose eyes do we desire to be beautiful? While I would agree that some tattoos look cool, many don’t. The Bible talks to us about where our beauty is to come from in 1 Peter 3:3-5 “Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.” This passage is not a prohibition against external attractiveness, but a value statement on the source of adornment. Jewelry, hairstyles, etc. are not what make us beautiful to God. He values the inner beauty of a changed heart and a fully surrendered will that work their way to the outside of us and have a positive effect on those around us.
• Message…what message do tattoos send? This area is the most inconclusive in our discussion, as it seems that it would depend on the type and location of any tattoos we might have. Even though tattoos are popular right now, that doesn’t mean they communicate the right message…or why are some lower-back tattoos commonly called “tramp stamps”? Do tattoos honor God’s awesome creation, recognizing that we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), or do they express disregard for His work or dissatisfaction with ourselves? Can a tattoo be an evangelistic conversation starter? Can they serve as reminders for us to stay true to Jesus like some kind of permanent WWJD bracelet? Yes, but is it the best approach for us? Will it still be the best approach in 40 years? Is it the one God wants to use?
• Ownership…if we are going to be a billboard or a human graffiti wall we would do well to ask who owns the billboard or wall before we start. Do we really belong to ourselves? The Bible says that if we are in Christ, we have been bought with a price, we are no longer our own. “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) So why would we put a tattoo on a body that doesn’t really belong to us anymore? So for a Christian to get a tattoo is kind of like painting graffiti on your boss’ front door. Unless He has clearly commissioned you to do it ahead of time, it is not something I would recommend. The problem is we often don’t stop to ask anymore. What I like about your question is you seem to be asking!
• Self-will… while this is related to ownership I think deserves special mention. When we look at the people in the Bible who invited God’s wrath, by their actions and attitudes, it seems that most of the time it involves self-will. Even if they were not intentionally rebellious, they lived with no consciousness of God in their lives. They didn’t ask God for direction, or permission, they just did what they wanted with no thought to the consequences. I may be making a logical leap here, but this behavior is prevalent in our culture today. Even if we believe that God exists, we often live practically as though He didn’t exist. The cultural acceptance of tattooing seems right in line with that thinking. “It’s my body and I can do what I want!” But is it? Can we? Should we?

In Romans 14 Paul wrestles with these very questions (the controversy of that day was whether to eat and drink what had been offered to idols). He considers how the decision will affect others and concludes, “But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23).

I hope these principles will be helpful in more ways than deciding about a tattoo.