Tattoo artist and newly converted Christian Katie Von D addresses the backlash she received from other professing Christians following her baptism last month.
“I don’t really feel equipped to be the poster child for Christianity,” Von D, whose full name is Katherine von Drachenberg, said in an Instagram video on Sunday. “I think that I’m still learning and, as I do, I will become more equipped, but, for the time being, I feel like — I’ve never really been that, and I don’t plan on doing that.”
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According to Faithwire, she added that she plans to share her testimony on an upcoming podcast with Christian and conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey, whom she considers a friend.
Von D, who starred in “LA Ink,” shared a video of her baptism earlier this month publicly professing her faith in Christ, a year after she announced she gave up witchcraft and the occult. In an Instagram post in July 2022, she shared that she was letting go of her interest in the “macabre.”
“It’s never been more clear to me that there is a spiritual battle taking place, and I want to surround myself and my family with love and light,” she said.
During Sunday’s Instagram video, the former tattoo artist shared that the responses to her newfound faith were “overwhelmingly beautiful.”
“Me and my husband and my son, we’d go out to go get lunch throughout the week, and people would just come out of nowhere wanting to give me a hug and congratulate me and welcome me to the family, which I love, and it’s been pretty awesome,” she said.
At the same time, however, she noted much of the criticism she received online was from professing Christians rather than her atheist followers.
“It was really the Christians who were the worst,” she said. “It was really just sad to see this critical display of judgment from Christians, and I don’t understand what would inspire that, aside from something that’s more egoic [sic], because that isn’t Christlike, to judge people or judge people’s journey. You would think that most Christians would be happy for you when you come to this point in your life, especially when you get baptized.”
“Baptism is so beautiful, and it’s such a big landmark in time — for me, at least, it was one of the most important days of my life, so it’s strange that this handful of negative, critical Christians would come at me in such a public way,” Von D continued.
She also pointed out that some critics claimed that her salvation was “a PR stunt to get clicks and follows or views, which I think is so weird because my Instagram is not monetized,” adding that most of the followers would be “turned off” by her newfound faith. Von D also pointed out that some of the criticism she received was about how she dresses, mainly comprised of black with dark makeup.
“I think it’s really insane that we live in a time where people still judge a book by its cover,” she said, jokingly adding, “I wasn’t aware that there’s a uniform that you’re supposed to wear once you give your heart to Jesus.”
She also addressed the critics who denounced her for how she was baptized.
“I didn’t get baptized to be saved,” Von D said. “I was already saved. And I didn’t get baptized to make it about me; it was never about me.”
Von D also gave a shoutout to her church, Switzerland Baptist Church, where she sings in the choir.
“Our little choir, we sing from the heart,” she said. “We might not be the best, but we sing from the heart, and I think that’s what worship is and what it should be. I love that my little humble church was so warm and welcoming to all my friends who flew out and have embraced me and my family so deeply that I’ve never really felt this feeling of family.”
“I’m just so grateful that I’m here and I’m able to share this with my new church family,” she continued.
Photo Courtesy: ©Getty Images/Vivien Killilea / Stringer
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for Christian Headlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
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