I know it's been a LONG time since I posted, and I'll try to get back in the habit, guys.
I want to talk about dress code in church based on a rather interesting discussion I was having with a pastor yesterday. Unfortunately, I had to take a phone call that necessitated the abrupt end to the conversation.
I had mentioned that I believe God would rather me be comfortable when attending church, rather than in a suit and tie that is not a natural outfit for me to wear. The pastor brought up an interesting point in that the Old Testament has some fairly clear guidelines of how one is to approach God. He did say that he wasn't sure what that looked like in today's culture and time, but I had responded that how we approach God is a reflection of our heart and God cares about the state of our hearts rather than the kind of clothes we wear.
Unfortunately, this is where the discussion was interrupted and so I will continue on here, in hopes of generating further discussion.
I was raised with the idea that going to church was a special occasion and that I should look my best for God. All through my childhood I would dutifully get dressed up so I could fulfill that teaching. In my teenage years, I began to go a little more casual, noticing that my peers were doing the same. Now, I dress so I will be comfortable and hardly ever wear a suit, except on occasions that it is required or when I feel like it.
One question that I always had is for those that work in office environments or workplaces that require the wearing of a suit all week...how are you dressing any differently when you go to church? This is where my childhood teaching breaks down. A suit is a suit, regardless of where it was purchased. And to say that God wants us looking our best for him is not saying a lot about the depth of God's character. Aren't we supposed to believe that he looks at the heart of a person? I'm not saying we should show up in jeans with holes all through them, but if that's all the person has, who are we to judge them?
I believe that Jesus focused more on people's hearts and that we should mirror that approach. Care for the heart and you care for the person. If you cannot get past outward appearances, then perhaps it is you who should do some self-reflection to find out what's going on beneath YOUR surface. I've heard too many stories of people who have been turned away because they did not measure up to some ridiculous rule or regulation...I even heard of an international church leader turned away from a church in his own denomination because he was carrying his guitar with him. And he was the guest speaker that day!
We must get away from a culture of judging (reality shows and programming like "American Idol" do NOT help) and move to an attitude of acceptance. If we can accept people where they are at, instead of asking them to come all the way to where we are at, then we will win many more hearts for Christ...after all, isn't that what it's all about?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
I agree! Thank you Tim for saying it.
To me the idea of 'dressing up' for church implies that God only notices our existence while we're at church. To put it another way, God only deigns to acknowledge us while we're parading ourselves through the sanctuary. So we must primp and preen to impress God to fool him into thinking we're better than we are.
The problem for me is that this clothing tradition presupposes a God who is petty, spiteful and capable of being fooled who only cares for us when we're behaving or dressing properly. The idea that any church-going Christian sinner could fool or impress God is laughable.
Not only that, this 'fashion police' mentality leaves Grace out of the equation. We're saved by grace, not a nice suit with a coordinated shirt and tie. Christ Himself settled this argument with His parable of the Publican and the Pharisee.
God cannot be fooled nor can you hide your intentions and motivations from God with nice clothes. Nor does God rank us by our quality of dress. And for a pastor to intimate such an idea with a discussion of appropriate dress is disheartening.
We are all equally sinful. Dressing well, going to church, adopting a Christian lifestyle doesn't change that. We must accept this fact if we are to understand and accept God's grace. Only then can we learn to embrace the rest of the sinners in the same manner that God accepts us.
So, in conclusion, I'd just like to say that I agree with you Tim.
Ken: To be fair, the pastor was not really allowed to express his full thoughts as we were interrupted; I don't want it to seem that his thoughts were truly and fully expressed. :)
I'll just say up front I partially agree and partially disagree.
I agree that we shouldn't have to follow by what ken called "fashion police" think we should wear or not wear to church. We also shouldn't judge others based on the way they dress. The only Bible text I can think of that says how you should come before the Lord is Psalm 24 that talks about clean hands and a pure heart…this is where my argument takes a turn...it could be argued I’m taking this verse too literally, but I have other reasons for saying that it’s a really good idea to come with clean hands. While I would never turn someone away from church for what they were wearing (or not) or if they had showered (or not), I do think it's common courtesy to at least take care of one's personal hygiene. The idea is to yes, feel comfortable, while one is at church, but also not to make others around me feel UNcomfortable. I was also raised dressing up for church, and maybe it’s a “girl thing” to a certain degree, but I still like dressing up. Obviously the definition of “dressed up” changes based on the culture and so there is a church I go to that semi-formal is the norm and I would not wear jeans, but there is another church I go to that jeans and heels is dressing up…perhaps this idea of what we wear to see God also comes from how we view him. When I’m going on a date with my boyfriend, I like to dress up. Even when we’re just hanging out, I like to at least smell nice. So, for God, the reason I still dress up to go to church is not that I feel condemned if I don’t, but when I do, I feel an extra specialness about the event…
But then, maybe my view’s a little skewed because where I grew up, we even dressed up to go grocery shopping; how people dressed indicated their respect for themselves and for others…and I still wouldn’t be caught dead in my pajamas in Wal-mart…and I think God deserves at least a little better than Wal-mart.
Tim- I couldn't agree with you more. When we talk about worship, the real issue is about the heart of the worshipper. Some may argue that the way you dress and prepare for worship reflects the state of your heart. But that's a very personal thing. You and I will dress differently, even prepare our hearts for a worship service differently, because of our individual, unique relationships with God.
One thing I might add to the discussion: Oftentimes when we talk about worship, we focus on how WE like to worship, how WE feel comfortable before God, how WE choose to approach Him. I would suggest that there is a fatal flaw in the discussion in that the primary focus is on "we." I would suggest that fruitful discussion about worship would be about what God wants, what He expects, what He desires.
Can we discover that stuff? Maybe not in the exact detail that we would desire. Yet I still find it important to frame the discussion in terms of who God is rather than what we desire.
After all, worship is all about Him.
Post a Comment