Troy and Jessica Thompson

A further question, more broadly about legalism and rebellion:

It seems to me that 'legalism breeds rebellion"...did you see that at all? I'm not judging here, but perhaps, from an outside (Christian observation), it seems like BJU is more worked up about rules and regulation than working for the Kindgom. I mean, say a student, who had a tattoo, got saved and went to BJU...would they be scorned or ostricized?

I most certainly saw clashes between legalists and rebels at BJU. The legalists are those who held the BJU rules as Gospel, and judged the spirituality of others based solely on the compliance (or lack thereof) to the rules. The rebels are most often those who felt that the rules didn't apply to them, didn't make sense, or made them feel spiritually "inferior".

Legalism doesn't "breed" or "create" rebellion as much as provide extant, latent rebellion an easy, visible target. And BJU staff and faculty on the whole avoid legalistic stances; it's most often seen from student leaders, such as dorm counselors, hall leaders, some ministerial students, and the like (in my experience).

As for the tattoo? The staff and faculty of BJU would not scorn such a thing. But I do suspect there are students whose faith is more along the lines of "the inspired BJU rule book" rather than the inspired Word of God, and who would find their tattooed brother such a shock they would find it difficult to look beyond the appearance and see a soul. Now, with that said: no one is likely to see a tailbone tattoo, considering the BJU dress code!

Therefore I conclude: Legalism reveals rebellion; and the appearance (or assumption) of rebellion reveals the legalist. Interesting, is it not?

I know personally of a newly-saved guy, former drug user, who arrived on campus at Bob Jones University as a freshman... with hair in a ponytail down his mid-back, unshaven, the total "heavy metal" look to the hilt. He's now a missionary in Spain with a great ministry. He wasn't shunned: he was welcomed, and he let God change him greatly. He needed to purge himself from the world, and BJU was perfect for that.

And as a pointed nudge toward my fellow Fundementalist Baptist believers: If beauty is only skin deep, why do we let tattoos and piercings mar our opinions of people? Shallow, my friend; very shallow.