Has Church Become a Boob Show?
Hidden Enemies
Today’s Verse and Thought
“A woman shall not wear a man's garment, nor shall a man put on a woman's cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God.”(Deuteronomy 22:5)
From yesterday - While I think that the “modern” Church has tried to be more welcoming to people, I’m compelled to ask, “have we gone too far? Is this what God really wants?”
For instance, at one time churches had very heated discussions about the “proper” way for us to dress in church. This went on for years - and when I say “us” I mean women. It wasn’t exactly something that would be labeled “seeker friendly.” But today, it seems the guardrails have been removed and anything goes.
2024 Jaguar commercial
Cultural Norms
Years ago when I was in my twenties, I went to a Baptist church in a rural Texas town. I remember there were two women who always sat on the front row, and the reason they were memorable to me was due to their clothes; they always wore pants to church. This was during an era when most churches taught that it was improper for a woman to wear pants in church. These women were the only two who wore them.
One Sunday, the pastor decided to address this in a very public way. While I don’t recall the message itself, what I do remember was how the pastor shamed women who wore pants in church. Because these two ladies were the only ones who ever wore pants, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know he was pointing to the women on the front row.
Many churches back then taught that women should only wear dresses or skirts during church services - they claimed it was based on their interpretation of biblical principles of modesty. But that didn’t really jive with the Scripture they quoted.
The primary verse used was Deuteronomy 22:5, “A woman shall not wear a man's garment, nor shall a man put on a woman's cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God.”
Pentecostal and Independent Fundamental Baptist churches were particularly known for promoting strict dress codes for women, often discouraging or prohibiting pants. Some in the Holiness and Conservative Evangelical movements, taught that modesty meant women should dress in a way that was “distinctly” feminine.
Pants were seen as masculine, and women who wore them were often viewed as breaking with traditional gender roles. So wearing pants didn’t seem to have anything to do with modesty, but more to do with people deciding what “looked feminine.”
In many ways, I think pants are more modest.
Men’s fashion in the 1600s was very fancy (source)
How Far is Too Far?
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.”(Matthew 18:15)
As I sat in church that day, I surged with anger. I was appalled at the audacity of this man to make a public spectacle of these two women. I thought that it was much more important that they were in church, rather than shaming them by stating what they wore was sinful.
Women wearing pants became a hot button issue in many churches back then. In our Western culture, dresses were for women and pants for men. That was how the fashion industry divided it up at the time.
The adoption of pants as a popular item of dress for women in Western society traces its roots to the mid-19th-century dress-reform movement. Although there were women of this time who were already wearing pantslike clothing if they were engaged in physical exercise or household work, the garments were typically worn out of the public eye. Most women usually wore long skirts that felt heavy, looked bulky, and limited their range of motion. Some women, embracing the concept of “rational dress,” wanted the option to wear pants in public. Some wanted it for purely practical reasons, such as for comfort and ease of movement. For others, the freedom to wear pants was tied to the women’s rights movement, a radical and controversial crusade at the time.
What is a Woman? The “Experts” Weigh In
When Marsha Blackburn asked Ketanji Brown Jackson [Supreme Court Judge] to define "woman," she said "I'm not a biologist.”
Blackburn was displeased, but experts say Jackson's answer was scientifically sound.
There is no sufficient way to clearly define what makes someone a woman.”(source)
Today our culture is working extremely hard to erase being male and female. And if we were to adopt Jackson’s understanding of biological gender, we would probably conclude that we can’t know for sure either(unless you’re an expert of course).
“Why do men have nipples? Even my 8-year-old son has already asked what the point of his nipples are if men can’t breastfeed. Well, the answer to that is, men actually CAN breastfeed!”(source)
Confused and Chaotic
Unless you’ve been living in a deep dark prison in solitary confinement, we’re all aware of the male/female discussions that have taken place over the last few years and it goes way beyond what is proper church attire.
It’s likely all of us have been asked about our “preferred pronouns.”
Actually, I think choosing pronouns is too limiting.
If I’m going to demand someone use a particular word or phrase when addressing me, I’d much rather it be an adjective. Think of the possibilities! Wouldn’t it be better to require others to use your preferred adjectives? I’m leaning towards Awesome/Beautiful. I like that better than She/her. It’s like a positive affirmation every time.
Our own “representative” government has joined the gender erasing bandwagon as they have been quietly removing gender identifying words from our society because, we all know, this is our nation’s most critical and important issue to focus on.
“Seamen” will become “seafarers.”
“Chairman” will become “Chair.”
Familial relationships like father, daughter, and niece will be replaced by gender-neutral equivalents like parent, child, and sibling’s child.
Some phrases that use “he or she” will be reworded, like “submit his or her resignation” in one rule will be changed to “resign.” In other places, it will be replaced with “such Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner .”
The word “themself” will replace “himself or herself.” (source)
What Would Jesus Do?
If the church decides that our “expert source” comes from our cultural norms, we would veer into the Ketanji Brown Jackson lane (as some churches have actually done) and let Jaguar define our fashion.
If we decide to accept what God says, we must look to Scripture for guidance.
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”(Genesis 1:27)
Of course, we all know that scripture can be misused. Just as in the late 1970s pastors used the verse in Deuteronomy to assign feminine modesty to mean skirts and dresses, many today use Galatians 3:28 to support inclusive gender ideology.
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
You can really support just about any idea or belief by a single verse in the Bible. This verse in Ephesians is referring to Salvation of course. It informs us that all people - male, female, Jew, Greek, slave or free - all are equally welcomed to belong to the Kingdom of God.
As our culture takes the path that it will take, as Christians, we belong on a different road. We are to walk the narrow road of righteousness. Adam and Eve were probably similarly clothed in their animal skins provided by God so there’s that.
Just use some common sense in what we teach as “proper” in church.
After all, if you look around the sanctuary and what your eyes notice is the woman wearing the tube top that almost shows all her glory every time she raises her hands, or the man whose jeans are so tight…well you get the point.
When we are in church, the focus is supposed to be on God, not us. That’s what I mean by common sense.
Modesty is never out of style. If we decide to wear something provocative, we are simply asking for attention. You want someone to glorify you, not God.
To that I would have to ask you, “why?”
“Why do you feel a need to have all eyes look at you?”
The days of pants vs skirts seems quaint compared to what pastors must face in 2024. The Church is supposed to be the light in a dark world. Each of us must seek God for His will. If all we do is follow what we see in culture, soon the lights will go out in our Churches and we will all just grope around in an ignorant, confused and chaotic world.
Do we really believe this is what God wants?
“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance…”(1 Peter 1:14)
To be continued…
Today’s Question
Verses to Explore
“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”(1 Samuel 16:7)
“May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.”(Romans 15:5-7)
Today’s Prayer
Father please help us stay on your narrow road. Give us wisdom, insight and truth that comes only from you. Help us to see when we stray into the wilds away from your will. The world is growing so dark that even a tiny candle seems to shine bright. I pray that all of us focus on being the light, not grabbing the spotlight. Please help each of us to glorify you with our whole lives. May we live a life that is truly pleasing to you Father, not one that pleases people. Please help each of us today in whatever we are struggling with. Show us our errors. Keep us from making mistakes and living a life of regret. May all honor and praise be yours. Amen.❤️
