We live a culture where people have done some intense stuff to their bodies. We have people who are overweight, people covered with tattoos, and people who alter their body to look like their favorite celebrity. As a follower of Jesus, we wonder if our human bodies matter. That is what Matthew Lee Anderson, in his book Earthen Vessels addresses.
This book addresses various topics regarding the body including the Biblical worldview concerning the body. That we are formed from dust by God to be a temple What is that temple? It is "the place where God himself dwells within his people...but the temple is in ruins. The incarnation of Jesus affirms the body's original goodness. The death of Jesus reminds us of its need for redemption. And the resurrection of Jesus gives us hope for its restoration" (pg 31).
One chapter that caught me attention was the one on tattoos. As a Youth Pastor in Texas, this subject comes up every once in a while. I know I have had personal discussions with family and friends on should a Christian get a tattoo. A lot of times, Christian, which included myself at one time, referred to Leviticus 19:28 as the anti-tattoo verse yet, as Anderson points out, we neglect other verses in that chapter such as the one that says you cannot wear clothing of two different fabrics (Leviticus 19:19). The only negative about the chapter, and the book, is that I felt the answer to should Christians get a tattoo was not clearly answered. The more I thought about the more I realize that I do not think there will ever be a clear answer.
This book was a great book to read. I recommend it to all pastors especially Youth Pastors since body imaging is a tough subject for teen girls.
Thanks to Bethany House, who allowed me to review this book.
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