John MacArthur on Respect in the Pulpit
- Posted by: Todd
- Posted on: Tue, April 01, 2008
- Viewed 633
- (51) comments so far
This is the most serious occasion anyone will attend in their life: the preaching of the Word of God. I don’t want to join with our culture in sinking into the casual. We have a generation that’s never been to anything formal. And if my dress goes down, the people at the bottom go down, and then we gym shorts!…
Because all I’m trying to do is explain the meaning of the Word of God. And you want to use any avenue to do so short of affirming the culture. I don’t need to borrow or certainly not to accredit the culture by being overly familiar with it. Becoming all things to all men means looking into the situation and seeing where they are in their religious thinking, to find a starting point to move them into Scripture.”
Amen, Dr. MacArthur. I couldn’t have said it better. When will some of you show your respect for your responsibility? I’d love to hear from any of your who will commit this week to wear a tie as you preach. Let’s show some respect, people.
Dr. MacArthur writes: "Some people ask, why do I wear a tie? Because I have respect for this responsibility. I wear a suit because this is a more elevated experience for people. I’m trying to convey what people convey at a wedding: this is more serious than any normal activity.
Comments
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Tye Male on Wed, April 02, 2008
I thought Russel’s post was quite insightful. I think I can boil it down to one point (something I can’t do with my own posts!):
1. Be relevant. This means that you must be relevant where you are. This is the reason many churches have lost their impact and are declining.
This has been some good discussion on what I initially thought was a ridiculous discussion.
Russell on Wed, April 02, 2008
Agreed, Tye Male. Well summarized!
Peter Hamm on Wed, April 02, 2008
The tie was originally something to wipe your mouth and catch food drippings so you didn’t ruin your shirt, and now it’s become something you try NOT to spill food on.
So, if I go to church the way I am the rest of the week am I worshipping culture more or less than someone who insists I dress in a way that was only invented in the past century or so in my western culture.
I do respect the office of preaching and teaching, so much so that I think regular guys should be doing it authentically and with passion and excellence…
deaubry on Wed, April 02, 2008
thank you tye male,and russell i did not mean that in a bad way. i am just not as ed-u kated as you guys, you all use words i have to look up. but you are a great group of people. you are very kind to me even if i dont know much.
Dan Moore on Wed, April 02, 2008
Interesting. John MacArthur is not telling others what to wear. He is expressing his personal practice of wearing a tie. This is his choice and practice. He does point out the change in cultural dress. But with that change has also come other issues as well. Putting a tie on does not change a sinner into a saint. Only putting on Christ can do that. Further, Jesus did wear a rabbi’s robe which was distinctive, costly, and had the tassles (remember the woman who wanted to touch the hem, she was reaching for the tassles in the belief God would bless her). The robe was worth enough that the soldiers gambled for it. [I’m not pushing robes in the pulpit, just clarifying some of the content.] The audience and climate often dictates what I wear.
Min. K.A.C on Wed, April 02, 2008
Dress..
we are to give God our best in everything…
For those of us who work in corporate offices, there’s a dress code…you have to wear a shirt and tie for the men…
For certain dining facilities men have to wear a shirt and ties as well as a jacket and women have to wear a dress or skirt…
If you were invited to eat dinner with the president or the queen of England…men would have to dress in a suit and tie…and the women would wear dresses and skirts…
when we were in the world…if we wanted to party at certain clubs…men had to wear dress clothes and the women also had to dress up…
there are many worldly events we attend that we have to dress up in order to attend…if you’re not dressed properly you won’t be allowed in…
I recently saw a flyer for a worldly event that read at the bottom…No jeans, shorts, sneakers, etc. Dress properly…Dress to impress…No exceptions…
When it comes down to wanting to go to these places…we have no problem dressing for the occasion…
what a tragedy…there’s better standards that’s applied to the world then the church…
some tend to be relaxed on this issue…but it’s a tragedy…it’s a tragedy when the church cares more about dressing decent when going to work or a secular event, then show up looking anykind a way when attending church…
Paul encouraged us to be seperate from the world…
it would be a shame for a king to have his children walking around looking anykind of way…the king’s children represents the king…and we represent God…
The church trying to be relevant to the world is the cause for the decline in spirituality…
The church is to have a standard and the world is to come up to the church standard…not go down to the world’s standard…
The Holy Spirit and the Power of the preached Word of God is the relevant factor…
I’m not saying salvation is in the way you dress…because salvation is in our belief in Jesus Christ…
I do believe if we have the clothes in our closet…why not wear them to church?
Brian L. on Wed, April 02, 2008
Dan,
Can you give any evidence for your assertion that Jesus wore a special robe or that the woman was reaching for the tassels?
Jesus was addressed as “rabbi” by some, but was certainly not recognized as such by the religious leaders (even if they used the term).
Not saying you are wrong, I just don’t see anything in Scripture to support your proposition.
Brian L.
Lee Hoy on Thu, April 03, 2008
To suggest that because I don’t preach in a tie is because I don’t take what I do seriously is a huge assumption born of arrogance, self-righteous, and a complete lack of understanding of Scripture. Surely Dr. MacArthur and some of you who have responded at some point in your life actually read 1 Samuel 16. I won’t repeat it here because with your pompous assertions and certainty that God desires us to wear “fine clothes” to minister you clearly know the Scriptures that support that.
To suggest relevancy is the cause for the decline of spirituality is to merely state that you haven’t reflected on the fact that it is just the opposite. It is that people are sick of legalism, the arrogance of many who claim to follow Christ, and the fact that many searches seem more like things of the past. Please do some actually dialog with unchurched people before espousing such outdated considerations.
Lee
Russell on Thu, April 03, 2008
Lee, I don’t think you and I disagree at all. Do you accept my assertion that “the purpose of ones attire is to avoid or minimize distraction?”
If you do, then would we further would agree that you can dress to not distract (depending on setting) in either a suit, a tux, a polo and cargo pants, or shorts and a t-shirt (I have let worship in all of the above).
That’s the main point that I was seeking to make. The issue is not “give your best to Jesus,” in my view. But I also take issue with “you must be casually attired in order for Jesus to be relevant.”
What you have to be is non-distracting, UNLESS your attire is meant to illustrate some point which you will otherwise be explaining from the word. (I once did a “thing” in the garb of the Levitical High Priest . . .)
Does that make sense?
Lee on Thu, April 03, 2008
I am not sure I accept that as the main assertion in terms of the purpose of one’s attire. I think to consider that as the main assertion comes at speaking from a different point of view. I think that the church (universal) should care little enough that if you had a church primarily full of people wearing casual clothes, but someone really enjoyed wearing a suit, then they should wear it with no judgment at all. Same for someone wearing shorts into a setting with predominantly formal clothes. That is Christ’s character fully revealed.
I agree 100% that you DON"T have to wear casual clothes for Jesus to be relevant” [although in Austin, TX area that is a little less true because of our culture here].
I do think to say, as MacArthur did and not you, that if you are “formally attired” you are taking what you do more seriously is an absolute joke and a statement of pure arrogance as noted before. Mind you, he use to be someone I read frequently until I found freedom in Christ. ; )
I say all the time we needs all kinds of churches (that passionately love the Lord) to reach all kinds of people and no doubt clothes are a part of that. But please don’t assert (he did, not you) that one type is more biblical than another.
Lee
Russell on Thu, April 03, 2008
We agree completely!
And I get casual in Austin TX. I’m in Fort Myers, FL, and we’re pretty laid back as well . . .
Russell
deaubry on Thu, April 03, 2008
i was told a few times if i wore pants i would go to hell, did you know there are still people around like that, one woman had on a long dress, no makeup, she said to me dont i look holy, i have heard all kind of dress codes, but people will damn you to hell if you are different than them, i dont mean everyone will, but there are a few that just looks for things to damn you with, but i do not let it bother me, because jesus saved me when i had a pair of pants on , i think he knew what he was doing,
Kurt on Sat, April 05, 2008
who let the dogs out…
Tom on Mon, April 07, 2008
Who set the standard for what is and is not formal? How more worldly can you get than adopting the worlds form for formality? I think Jesus spoke to this issue when He condemned the religious bigots of the day of focusing on the outside rather that what is on the inside. Dr. McArthur is just perpetuating this age old religious arrogance.
Pastor Byars on Mon, April 07, 2008
I like MacArthur but I do not see anywhere in the bible where Jesus, Paul or any of the others wore ties nor have I found in my exegetical study…LOL that a tie is in any needed. Let’s let go of the legalism MacArthur and just preach the Word of God..why do we need more rules in the church when we do not follow the one’s that already exist?..Jesus said, “It is finished!” But I guess some people think that He forgot something even though He said it is finished!..If we preach the Gospel and get that right, repent of our sins, walk in truth and not hypocrisy, focus on the issues that Jesus focused on, I believe God will be wholly happy! Leave the nonesense to the pagans…..
Pastor Byars
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