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Pastor Kingsley Okonkwo has defended the practice of tattooing, arguing that tattoos have been part of human culture throughout history and that there is no biblical scripture that explicitly describes tattoos as a sin.
Okonkwo made the remarks in a viral video while discussing the controversy surrounding tattoos and some Christian views about the practice.
‘Tattoos have always been part of human culture’
The pastor said tattoos and other forms of body markings have existed across different societies and cultures, stressing that the practice is not peculiar to Nigeria.
“You know, people are just weird like that. So, tattoos have always been part of human culture. In fact, I was born and bred in Lagos.
“There were those old men all over Lagos then. So what are we talking about? It has always been part of human culture, not just Nigeria. Everywhere in the world, there are tribal marks; there are different marks.”
He also referred to a biblical passage in which God was said to have used the imagery of an inscription on the hand to explain His relationship with His people.
“So even God used tattoo as an example. To inscribe. Yes, I inscribed it on my hand.
“Because why would you use an example if you can’t relate with it? Use an example because the culture could relate with people who put tattoos to remember.
“So He was saying, ‘Look, I’ve also tattooed you.’ That means I can never forget you.”
Okonkwo argues there is no scripture calling tattoos a sin
Okonkwo maintained that tattooing has existed throughout human history and argued that the Bible does not contain a passage explicitly declaring tattoos to be sinful.
“So it’s a part of culture. It’s a part of culture throughout human history. And even biblically, there are many examples of Jesus or Christ. They mentioned in Revelation that Christ also tattooed the name on His thigh.
“So I don’t know what that drama was about, to be honest. Again, sometimes some people probably are not as exposed.”
He explained that he preaches in multiracial churches and said his interactions with people from different backgrounds had exposed him to different perspectives on tattoos.
“I preach in multiracial churches. I don’t just wear the white people. Even the pastor who was the leader, I said, ‘Yes, we’ll sit down and we’ll talk.’
“The person will tell me, ‘How can the leader say this? The tattoo I did when I was in—when I found Christ—I was in prison, and I met the Lord and I wrote my salvation story.’
“So how can you tell that guy now that that tattoo is a sin? And there is no scripture. There’s not even one that says tattoo is a sin.”
He questions the use of Old Testament passage
The pastor also addressed the Old Testament passage commonly cited in discussions about tattoos, arguing that, in his view, the passage was addressing specific practices within the Jewish culture rather than modern decorative tattoos.
“So I don’t know where they get it from. The Old Testament? So it doesn’t say it’s a sin. What it says, I don’t know.
“It has nothing to do with tattoos. And the verse after that talks about, ‘Don’t shave.’ Don’t do… and all pastors in the world are shaving, and they’re okay with it.
“So it wasn’t speaking to the body of Christ. It was speaking to the Jews because they were in a culture where people were doing certain things, and God was saying, ‘Don’t do these things.’ That was what that was about.
“It has nothing to do with the tattoo, the decorative tattoos that we do.”
‘Microblading is a form of tattoo’
Okonkwo further pointed to cosmetic procedures such as microblading, arguing that the practice also falls under tattooing.
“So women do microblading; it’s a form of tattoo.”
He said he was surprised by what he described as a lack of exposure among some Nigerians regarding the issue.
“I was just shocked. I thought Nigerians were a bit more exposed.”
He recalls opposition to makeup, jeans and television
The pastor also compared the current debate over tattoos with historical opposition within some Christian communities to practices such as wearing makeup, trousers and jeans, using television and wearing wigs.
He argued that some of these practices were eventually accepted after Christians challenged the idea that they were incompatible with Christianity.
“People don’t realise that the Christianity we have today, people fought. There was a time you couldn’t have makeup on. You couldn’t wear jeans. You couldn’t even have television.
“So people fought to say, ‘This thing has nothing to do with Christ. Let the ladies wear their trousers. Let the women have their makeup.’
“You can’t have makeup. You can’t have nice wigs. You can’t have makeup. You can’t look good. You can’t even have perfumes.”
Watch the video here…
“Tattoos have always been part of human culture… There’s no scripture that says getting a tattoo is a sin.” — Pastor Kingsley Okonkwo pic.twitter.com/KriIK0L4H1
— YabaLeftOnline (@yabaleftonline) October 2, 2026