Category Archives: Clothes

Dressing up, dressing down

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formal wearSomeone approached me the other day to talk about my recent Heartlight article about “Dressing Down For God.” They skipped over the main points of the article, wanting instead to talk about what we wear when we go to church. The main argument was that people dress up on Sunday to give God their best.

I don’t buy it. That’s a line, not a true motivation. There was a time when people saved their best clothes for Sunday, but it’s not true any more. Those who dress up on Sunday typically dress up on other days as well. The suit they wear for God is the same one they wear to request a loan at the bank. (And if they really want to dress up, men rent a tux and women wear evening gowns)

If we were really trying to give God our best, we would have “Sunday go to meetin'” clothes that we don’t wear anywhere else. They would be by far our best, much nicer than what we wear to meetings, even with heads of state.

Most Jewish families have special plates for the Sabbath. The nicest plates they have. Only for the Sabbath. If you do that, then I’ll listen to your “give God my best” argument. Otherwise, please save it for someone a little more naive.

You don’t have to rent a tuxedo. If you normally wear J.C. Penney’s suits (Sorry women… it’s hard for me to be conversant in terms of your clothing), go buy one at Brooks Brothers. Only for Sunday. Only for church. Only for God. And you can honestly say that you are trying to give your best to God by the way you dress.

Then, of course, we run the risk of following afoul of the instructions which the New Testament gives about how to dress for church: simply. Avoiding ostentation and show. Jesus condemned the scribes and Pharisees for fancy clothes. James warns against showing deference to those who are finely dressed. Women are exhorted to dress simply; is there any reason to think that men would be exempted from that?

Now, just to be sure I annoy everyone, let me say a word about those who think that sloppiness equals godliness. I thoroughly disagree. I think you should be acceptably dressed, acceptable being a key word. It is as wrong to dress to offend as it is to dress to impress. I think our goal should be to dress so that no one notices our clothes!

Wear clean, simple clothes. And be sure to wear the following:

“Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:14)

 

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” (Colossians 3:12)

Image courtesy MorgueFile.com

How should we then dress…

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1857_Mens_FashionsAll right, some of you raced ahead of me on this one. Some cook faster than others. Now I’m ready to talk about us. Clothing styles have changed over the years. What was once unacceptable for wearing in public is now commonplace. What was once expected as minimal dress for a Sunday assembly is now out of place.

How should we dress for church? Here are some answers I’ve heard:

  • We should dress with the best clothes we have. We should ask ourselves, “How would I dress if I were going to meet with the President?” (Yeah, I know. Lots of you look at this president differently than other presidents. If you just can’t bear to think of meeting with Obama, pretend it’s Nixon)
  • We should dress comfortably, like someone who is going to meet with close friends and family.
  • We should dress as well as we do for a business meeting. If we wear a suit in our work, we should wear a suit to church. If we wear polos and khakis, wear polos and khakis. (Sorry ladies… you’ll have to come up with your own equivalents)
  • We should dress cleanly, but not too fancy. We don’t want to make outsiders feel uncomfortable when they visit.

Have I missed any? What’s your theory behind how we should dress? Dare I ask if anyone has any biblical basis for their choice?

The ties that blind

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tiesI like neckties. I think they look good. In most cases, I don’t find them to be that uncomfortable.

And I think every missionary should leave them at home.

We’ve exported an obsession with this piece of clothing to countries far and wide. In some of those countries, no one wears a tie except for preachers. They aren’t a part of the culture in those places. In others, people who otherwise wouldn’t even own a tie are forced to put one on every Sunday.

In many countries, Christians believe that a preacher has to use a tie or he isn’t worthy of respect. Preacher schools around the world have required their students to wrap this colored cloth around their necks as a sign of their seriousness and spirituality.

In Argentina, it was easy to spot the evangelicals on Sunday: the women all wore long skirts (completely out of style) and the men used ties (often with short-sleeved shirts… ugh). You didn’t even need to see the Bibles under their arms to know, without a doubt, that these people were part of some religious group, a group that had been imported from the United States. They stood out, not because of Christian behavior, but because they tried to dress like people from another place and time.

Do Christians have to dress like Americans from the 1960s to be faithful? Are we supposed to create barriers between us and outsiders by the way we dress? Obviously I think not. What do you think?