mmmm
liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiliiilP
6B
RELIGIONACte C^atlotu
Ttiursday, January 19, 2006
Tattoo shop is part business, part ministry
mt. ASSOCIA77D FRtSS
NASHVILLE, Tfenn.-Billy
Joe’s Tattoos is part business,
part ministry But it all points
to God. according to one of the
shop's owners
“When Lynn and I got mar
ried, on our honeymoon a lit
tle over seven years ago, she
said God laid it on her heart
to open a ministry involving
tattoos,” said Billy Henry, 37,
a former Methodist lay
preacher and co-owner of the
2-year-old downtown
Nashville shop he c^)erates
with his wife,
“This is a Christian min
istry in the form of a tattoo
shop,” said Henry, a member
of the Christian Tattoo Asso
ciation. an international asso
ciation of Christian tattooists.
He said he sees the shop as a
way to communicate with
people who may not feel com
fortable visiting a church.
Henry, who learned tattoo
ing in the Air Force, says he
fell into a life of drug use,
hanging out with “some
unsavory types,” after leav
ing the military He ended up
in jail, and it was there he
said that he foiind God
“When I first got involved
with it (tattooing;, 1 also asso
ciated it with a certain
lifestjde that I no longer
wanted to embrace,” he said.
“As a ministry, we do not
force anything down anyone’s
throats. As our ministry, we
hang out with a lot of people
that a lot of Christians may
feel uncomfortable to associ
ate with”
Henry says he tries to live
by this message; Preach the
gospel as often as you can
and, when necessary, use
words.
“As a Christian, I bdieve
you should be living your life
in such a way that shows,
regardless of whether you’re
praying in a church or having
a conversation while I tattoo,”
He wants people to come in
and “see us for who we are,
Jesus loved everybody and he
looked in the inside of people,
he didn’t look at their outer
appearance.”
The Henrys live in Pleasant
View, about 30 miles north of
Nashville, and attend Cor
nerstone Church in Madison.
They also own Artistic Skin
Expressions in Tbrre Haute,
Ind., where they lived before
moving to Middle Tennessee
two years ago.
They eryoy showing that
“Christians are not the stick-
in-the-muds of years ago.”
While all shop employees
are Christians, that isn’t true
of all its customers. Artists
create tattoos with Christieui
themes but are open to otho'
varieties, except those featur
ing Satanic references, hate
or racially offensive designs.
The most-requested
designs are butterflies,
Japanese letters known as
kai^i and designs reminis
cent of Pacific Island cul
tures
(!hents include secular and
Christian musicians, tourists
and professionals, as well as
some young ministers.
Recently, more than 18,(XX)
Christian college students
attended a conference near
the tattoo shop and it had
more requests for designs fea
turing crosses, Hebrew letter
ing and ichthus, the fish-
shape symbol for Jefeus.
Henry, who has several
Christiail-themed tattoos on
different parts of his body,
acknowledges that it’s some
thing you don’t hear about
every day: a Christian tat-
tooist.
He chuckles when asked
about the history of tattoos,
the types of designs he makes
and whether it is appropriate
to link the faith with the art
form.
He said some in the tattoo
industry question how he
operates a Christian shop. A
few other critics challenge his
understanding of what the
Bible says about tattoos.
He points to Revelation
19:16, which reads in the
King James veraon of the
Bible that Christ, on his
return “hath on his vesture
and on his thigh a name writ
ten, TGng of Kings, and Lord
of Lords.*”
Some translations say the
words would be aigraved or
inscribed.
“I am sure that won’t hap
pen with a Sharpie marker.”
Lynn Henry joked.
ADVERTISEMENT
Is multiplication mandatory
for couples? Pastor says yes
By Richard N. Ostling
niEASSfKIA'lU) PRESS
Does God care whether cou
ples have kids?
The Rev. R Albert Mohler
Jr, ever-controversial presi
dent of Kentucky's Southern
Baptist Theological Semi
nary. has stirred debate by
asserting that it’s “an
absolute revolt against Crod’s
design” if husbands and
wives purposely avoid bear
ing children.
American Jewish thinkers
have expressed alarm about
their community's shrinkage
and conservative Roman
Catholics hold pro-birth atti
tudes.
Secular columnist Mark
Steyn predicts that much of
what we call the West “wiU
effectively disappear within
our lifetimes" due to declining
birth rates. Other analysts
worry that declining births
mean that eventually there
won’t be enough younger
Americans to pay into the
Social Security system.
Likewise, Mohler warned
about “'huge social problems”
that lie ahead in commen
taries for his Web site and his
denomination’s Baptist Press,
and in subsequent media
interviews. But his m^or con
cerns lie elsewhere.
Tb him, raising children is
both a (jod-given duty and
“one of the most crucial oppor
tunities for the making of
seiints.*
Following Southern Baptist
st>4e, Mohler based his case
on the Bible, saying it teaches
that “marriage, sex and chil
dren are part of one package.
Tb deny any part of this
wholeness is to reject (jlod’s
intention in creation - and his
mandate revealed in the
Bible.”
“(Douples are not given the
option of chosen childlessness
in the biblical revelation,” he
contended. ‘Tb the contrary,
we are commanded to receive
children with joy as (jod’s
gifts.”
A favored Mohler proof t®rt:
“Children are a gift of the
Lord, the fiuit of the womb is
a reward. Lake arrows in the
hand of a warrior, so are the
children of one’s youth. How
blessed is the man whose
quiver is full of them” (Psalm
127:3-5).
A bitter response was writ
ten for ethicsdailycom by
Miguel De La Tbrre, a fellow
Southern Baptist minister,
Rease see MiNISTER/5B
The Prophet’s Column, Inc.
9626 Feldbank Drive
Charlotte. NC 28216-2131
January, 2006 Newsletter - Part I
].M. Little, Teacher
This is where I lose practically every preacher and Bible teacher. Christ has never
been revealed to your heartsi You don't know what it means to be shut up in
unbelief. Only the Holy Spirit can REVEAL Christ to an awakened sinner's heart. And
when you set aside this work of the Holy Spirit, you are sowing among thorns. An
old divine said: "Never represent faith as so simple that the sinner does not need
the Holy Spirit to give him faith to believe Christ.' Another "gospel" has been
substituted in practically every church. The Gospel is Christ crucified, buried and
risen. But your heart has to be opened by the Spirit of God. The Gospel means
nothing until your heart is opened by the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit
opens your heart, He convinces you of sin, righteousness and judgment. (]n. 16:7-
11) Yes, you as an awakened sinner have a hard heart of unbelief. You are shut up
there with it. And the only way out is for Christ the Redeemer to be revealed to
your heart! And then, when the Holy Spirit reveals Christ to your heart, it is easy to
believe Him as your Lord and Saviour because the Holy Spirit has revealed Him to
you. My friends, this is how God saved me and I'll stake the destiny of my soul on
it. Preachers and Bible teachers tell me they are saved. But you cannot see that the
Holy Spirit has to reveal Christ to the sinner's heart. And when I set forth Christ
as the sinner's only Hope, you can't see it. One day I could not see it. I was blinded
just like you. You make salvation a decision by the sinner. I told an awakened
sinner sometime ago: "I am totally dependent on the Holy Spirit to bring you to
Christ." Listen, friends: it is the work of the Holy Spirit to raise the sinner from the
dead. (Eph. 2:1) The Holy Spirit does not awaken you and then leave it up to
you to trust Christ. You cannot trust Christ on your own because you are a totally
depraved and helpless child of the Devil. Now, since this is the Work of the Holy
Spirit, only the Holy Spirit can reveal Christ to the sinner.
% r
To advertise your
:■ i:- ■
church, call
vjiri' . .
704.376.0496
Vv
Jfirfit Jilt. Bon baptist Cl)urtl)
1515 Remount Rd.
(Tel.)332-8335 (Fax)372-7548
28208
Sunday Morning Worship Ser\’ices... 8:30 - 9:30 - ILOOan'
Sunday School 9:45 - 10:45ain
Singles Ministries (Mon.) 6:30 - 7:30pm
Senior Citizens (Mon.) 10:30 - 4:00pm
Dr. C.V. Oweas
Office Hours: Mon. - Fri. 9:00am - 4:00pm
You are cordially invited to worship with us!
Weeping Willow AME Zion Church
-Moving From Salvation To Distiplidiip'
2220 Mikoo Rd • ClBitoae. Ncnli Cwilm 2S2I5
Moraing Wonk^; 8:10 AM
llKWAM
Sanday Sckaol: 9:JkAM
W«d. ^aise & Piaysr: 7:0* PM
Hokltnw
•THE atVKCH THAT CAKES"
Greater Gethsemane A.M.E. Zion Church
"Ok Ourtli hM Ok Cwnmunt(y at Heart"
531 Campus Street • Charlotte, NC 28216
(703)375-3900 - Fax 372-0614
Worship Services: SAM £r 11AM
Sunday School: 9:30AM
Bible Study: Wed. 10:30AM a 7PM
Daycare Sr Afterschool Available
E-mail: 9amez531§>bellsoutfi.net
The Reverend CaMn L Miller ■ Pastor
Reverend Karen Roberts Miller ■ Spouse
Greater Myers Chapel
PENTECOSTAL FELLOWSHIP MINISTRIES
- You*re Invited to Worship With Us -
Intercessory Prayer. 8:30am
Victory in The Word 9:15am
Worship 10:30am
Sunday Evening Total Praise 7:00pm
Hour of Power/Tutorial a vail. Wed....7:00pm
Visit our WebSite: www.greatermyerschapel.org
600 Jordan Place, Charlotte, NC 28205
“WAR Fellowship Ministry Covenant Partner”
For Van Ministry
704-377-1799
(@rcciit)illf Jtknujrial S.JH.C. 2ion Cl)urrl)
^*.A leaching Ministnr Making Spiritual Disciples”
Sunday Worship Service 10A.M. Sunday School 9A.M.
BiWe Study: Tuesday 7 P.M. & Wednesday 12 Noon
(.'hild Development Center
6116 Mixiueth Dr. Chariottc, NC 28213
(Ph) 7(M-596-t742 (Fax) 7{H-597-8314
**.A Word of Hope” Television Ministry
Werlnesdays 8 p.m. Channell 21 (Pii)lic Access TV)
Rev. Dr. Sheldon R. Shipman, Setuor Pastor
Macedonia Baptist Church
of CHARLOTTE, INC.
A MinTTtry iil'Lavr and ExceiUnce"
Dr. John H. Walker^ I^istor dr
Minister, Rosie Walker
/Vpw' SumLrr I (Mm Wor$htp Expenencr
“Family First Worship”
”As For Me and My House
We Shall Worship The Lord**
SUSDAy
* Phyucal Nwd - (serving breakfut.) 8 a.m.
* .Spiriiual Hood - Christian Education School 9 am.
* Mam Course - "Hamilv Hirst Worship* 10 a.m.
WEDSESUAY
’Hour of ftvwrr" .Middav Worship 12 Noon
WO W . Word C>n Wednesday Bible .Scudy. 6:30 p.m.
TVand RADIO BROADCAST .MINISTRY:
CMPAC 21 • ■ Reioke Radio 1370am * Wed. 10:^5a
704-A92-S496 *1300 Hatteras Ave,.« WMvw.macedoniaofcharlotte.org
St. Michael & All Angels
Episcopal Church
dJlTUrltmdU Scfwicc
Sat., December 24th, 11:00 P.M. into Christmas Day
“7VUcA Senvice
Sat., December 31, ILGfj P.M. into New Years Day
No Sunday 10:30 service December 25, 2005, or January 1, 2(506
4228 Hovis Rd.. Charlotte, NC 28208 • 704-399-3151
- Rev. Wendell Phillips, Pastor -
SIMPSON-GILLESPIE
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
11 Open Hearts. Open .Hinds. Open Doors '
di. -Join Us For Service-
uT iunday School. 9:30am • Sunday Vofship, llam
Wednesday: Bible Study, 'pm
^1 Isi & 3fd Saturday: “Contemporary Vl'otship.’' 6pm...1eans Allowed"
■■
^1-- .A
Rev. Walter Pegues. Pastor
3545 Beanies Fd Rd. Char.. NC 28216 •■’04-399-2717 • Van Ministry
“We Can Do .4// Things Throu^ Christ Who Strengthens Vs"
6-^
Air
'NlSXtOK.\I.T
■Arrist cwukcu
I lis last
commandment is
our first
vr«w.8kuk«fnbc.ofg assignment.
Missionary Baptist Church
Sunday Woi'tldp • tliOOam • BoBOpia
Vfaitwnwlay..-..-..^.*. .......NowiDay Wttnhip Stody-U^
EvmvIbc Vonhtp Study .~..7iApn
Rev. Clifford Matlhewt, Jr, Potior • S75-9650
1600 Nofria Av. » Ch«Hott, NC 28206 » FAX: 375-83S7
PARKWOOD INSTITUTIONAL
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
802 Tom Hunter Road • Chariotte, NC 28213
704-921-4915 (Ph) • 704-921-4917 (Fax)
Wedsite: v%^iv.parkwoodcme.cQm
Sunday Worship 8:00 & 11:00 AM
Sunday Sdiool 9:30 AM
Bible Studv
Wednesday 12 Noon Thursday 6:30 PM
TRANSPORTATION AVAILABLE
Rodwick D. Lewis, Sr.
Pastor
Mayfield Memorial Baptist Church
“A Church Putting Love Into Action"
dp
700 SUGAR CREEK ROAD. WEST
CHARLOTTE. .NORTH CAROLINA 28213
Sunday Church School 9:30a.m.
W'wship Service 11:00a.m. and 6:(X)p.m.
Baptist Training Union 5;(X^.m.
\ ^ W.jw
Prayer Meeting & Bible Study Wednesdays 7:30pm
Office (704)596-7935 • Fax (704)596-1204
Residence (704)597-1249
St. Paul Baptist Church
Our Purpose: “To convince the unconvinced
to be convinced and make disciples’'
Sunday Worship at 7:30 A.M. and 10:30 A.M.
Sunday Morning Breakfast 8:45 A.M.
* Sunday School at 9:25 A.M. - 10:25 A.M.
Radio Broadcast Sunday 11K)0 A.M. (1370 A.M. Dial)
Bible Study Wed. 12 Noon - 6:45 P.M. - 8JX) P.M.
Youth Church 2nd & 3rd Sunday 10:30 A.M.
1401 Nexth Allen Street. Chariottc. NC 28205
Office: 704-334-5309
(jiegory K. Moss
Pasior