What does the Bible say about tattoos and piercings?

History has never witnessed two consecutive generations in agreement on how things should be. Whether you are 18 or 80 you can recall times when your parents objected to your clothes, entertainment, jewelry, etc. For hundreds of years the generation gaps were relatively small. These gaps, however, have grown as exponentially as the technology in our culture.

Much of the generation gap is based simply on personal preferences and prevailing trends. Particularly in the last 40 years, though, prevailing trends have become much more sexually suggestive and self-destructive. Today’s parents encounter cultural trends that are radically different than those of only ten years ago. With such rapid change parents and, increasingly, grandparents need to be even more vigilant about what kids are doing.

Too many parents try to enforce their own arbitrary standards in the home. Parents are admonished, however, to raise their children in the light of God’s unchanging word (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). Children taught traditional standards achieve normalcy. Children raised according to biblical standards achieve holiness.

There is an ongoing war for the minds of every “next” generation. Parents need to prayerfully pick their battles, and focus on ensuring that the child has a relationship with Jesus Christ. God does not measure a parent’s success by how children look on the outside, which only lasts a lifetime. God looks for Christ-honoring hearts, which last for eternity (I Samuel 16:7). If Jesus is on the inside, the outside will likely take care of itself.