Tattoo artist finds his ministry in ink
18.05.12
A new generation of young believers and pastors is making Christian tattooing more common than ever, though a number of tatted-up Texans will tell you it's nothing new.
Long before Justin Bieber showed off his Jesus tattoos, church-going bikers, cowboys, rappers and punk rockers had plenty of ink of their own, bucking the taboos of some buttoned-up Christian neighbors.
"It used to be a biker thing. Now every yuppie and preppy person and surgeon could have tattoos or even sleeves," said Scott Hill, who got his first tattoo 20 years ago and now owns Anointed Ink Tattoo & Piercing Studio in Huffman. "This is a ministry … we have been prophesied over that we would change the way people think about tattoos."
Here in Texas, alternative church groups and Christian tattoo shops like Hill's reach out to believers with body modification, whether it's a tiny cross or full-arm sleeves of colorful flowers, script and faces.
At San Antonio's Rise Above Ministries, it's not unusual to see punk, rockabilly and hard-core churchgoers covered in tatts and piercings. Pastor Skip Brooks has gauged earlobes and ink covering 85 percent of his body.
Source: Houston Chronicle