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Founder of the David Christian Centre, Kingsley Okonkwo, has said he has always liked tattoos, responding to reactions over his recent Bible-inspired tattoo.
Okonkwo had revealed the tattoo in a video shared on his Instagram page to mark his 50th birthday. The video, which included a Bible verse, sparked mixed reactions online.
Speaking on News Central’s entertainment program, Take 3, on Monday, the pastor said he did not expect the tattoo to cause controversy.
“I have always been a tattoo person,” Okonkwo said, adding that he was surprised by the reaction.
He said the debate showed that many people still misunderstand the message of the gospel.
“With the level of exposure we have in Nigeria, and Nigeria is one of the most gospel-centric societies you can ever imagine, as in all the big heavyweights of the gospel globally have visited Nigeria one time or the other, they talk about Nigeria,” he stated.
“We host the largest gospel events in the world, the largest auditoriums, and all kinds of records were broken.
“So with that level of exposure, I actually assumed it would not be a big deal, but the conversation has shown that we might be growing in numbers, but it seems we are not really growing in revelation or understanding of what the gospel really, really is.”
Okonkwo also questioned why tattoos are subjected to moral scrutiny while other forms of body modification are widely accepted.
“Ladies do makeup all the time. Some even do microblading or whatever they call it, you know, all kinds of things. But those are tattoos; those are drawings on the skin, you know, but it doesn’t warrant any discussion.”
He also criticised the selective use of scripture to condemn tattoos, noting, “One of the basics of interpreting scripture is that you can’t pick a text or a verse out of context. I mean, that is basic. You know, you can’t pick one verse from nowhere, middle of nowhere, and run with it. It doesn’t work that way.”
Okonkwo added that many of his followers also like tattoos and can relate to him.
“My constituency, the people I really, really reach, are the people that will relate. In fact, a lot of them have entered my DMs; a lot of them have called me to say, ‘Hey, you have set us free.’”
When asked if he would get another tattoo, Okonkwo said, “Oh, definitely, definitely,” and likened it to getting a new haircut.
