Hi Leonard:

If a choice of clothing draws attention away from worship, is it possible that it is a poor choice of clothing for the occasion? 

I’m not suggesting a dress code, but simply appealing to moderation when making clothing choices out of respect for the purpose of our gathering....to focus on worshipping....preferably without distractions that can easily be avoided with a little consideration for each other. 

Moderation is a biblical standard for the believer.  It’s not one to be imposed on anyone.  But it is one that is to characterize our behaviour by our personal choice. 

Blessings,

Steve

There is a difference between casual and sloppy.  Respect and reverence should grow as you grow in Christ.

When I was a little boy I would come running and jump into my father’s arms.  As I grew up I still loved my father just as much but showed affection in others ways.  As a teenager I interacted with him differently that I did as a child or as I do now.  Now I have a much deeper appreciation for him.

This weekend, when I attend the sixtieth anniversary celebration for my parents I will dress business casual, not beach casual.  Now my parents wouldn’t mind if I came in cutoffs and flipflops but I have more respect for them than that.  If I have that type of respect for my earthly parents shouldn’t I have that much respect for my heavenly father?  It’s not all about me it is about Him and reverence and respect for him and his house.

Great idea, Peter, if your church is actually modeling moderate clothing.  And thank you, John, I agree that business casual is moderate, and different from just plain sloppy.  And I agree that beach casual, and, I would suggest, also sports casual do seem a bit out of place, and therefore somewhat less moderate. 

Leonard, I think also that it’s a bit of a stretch to say that any clothing will be distractive if people allow it.  Some clothing by its nature is definitely more distracting.  For example, a baseball cap on a guy may distract some for either symbolic (I Cor. 11) or cultural (men removing hat when indoors) reasons.  A beer logo, or one with a rock group mascot (e.g. “Eddy” the ugly Iron Maiden death skull, or the Rolling Stones tongue), or a sports logo of your favourite team, or a top with a cute, flippant, humorous, poetic, or any other kind of inscription for that matter, will certainly shift our thoughts away from the reason we have gathered.  They’re designed to do so. 

Remember that the disciples struggled to pray with the Lord at Gethsemane, just because they were tired.  That’s the way we are.  Our ability to love the Lord our God with all our heart and soul and strength and mind is an awesome challenge that we all fail at miserably.  And if we truly love our neighbour as our self then our worship service is the first place we should start by doing everything possible to help each other not to lose our focus at least for this short time when worshipping together. 

Blessings,

Steve

John Roe,
Truth is when you were little jumping on your dad’s lap was respectful, at least that was true for my kids and myself when they were younger.  As my kids grew, it was not respect that made them quit it was the size they were becoming.  I do not say to my kid’s, hey, get some slacks on if your are going to jump on my lap. 

When my kids were little and one of them got hurt, it did not matter to me if they were dirty, dressed in clean clothes or covered in mud, I hugged and kissed them, holding them until they felt better.  Over the years I have observed that I am not as good as God is, I think he can handle our mess.  On the other hand, there have been times I went to hug one of my kids and found it difficult because they were stubbornly stiff.  Hard to hug a kid whose is resistant.  It is too often the “Mature” Christian who is hardest to hug because they see themselves as arrived instead of on the journey. 

The topic of the post was about the pastor who began to enforce a dress code.  The church has been doing this for years, in overt ways, (see the article) and in subtle ways, (see some of these posts).  Again, it is not the younger Christian that stumbles, nor is it the person who has yet to come to faith in Christ, it is the “Mature” Christian. 

SO if we are going to apply Paul’s words about not causing someone to stumble, it is the new or non Christian that is the stronger brother here. Unless they are stumbling over something else.  An observation from the bible might lead me to believe that the more rules we create that are not necessarily biblical, but sound biblical, the more like a group of people we become, namely Pharisees.  These people thought they were mature but in reality they had the creator of the universe right in front of them and missed it. 

I have people in my church who wear dirty or worn and ratty clothes simply because that is all they have.  They are welcome here.  If your clothes are dirty, come to my church and we will not stumble nor will we assume you have no respect.  We will simply love you as you are and if your clothing choice reflects a deeper need in your life, we will meet that too.  Wear your worn or ratty clothes and we will love you as you are.  We won’t judge the condition of your heart by your clothing.  And as we get to know you, if we find the condition of your clothing is reflective of a deeper need in your life, we will meet you there with Grace and Truth. 

Steven,
I simply disagree with you.  Where do we draw the line?  Babies that cry in church distract.  People that sing badly without regard to their neighbor distract.  People who eat hard candy with this noisy wrappers distract.  People who are tall and sit in the front distract.  Some people who wave their hands distract.  Some folks who laugh really loud distract.  People who clap off rhythm distract.  If you wore a suit to my church that would distract.  Should we say, excuse me sir, your suit is distracting can you please put on some shorts and a t-shirt?  A part of the role of singing, prayer, preaching and other service elements is to give focus.  When someone, again I say almost always the “Mature”, gets distracted because of clothing, maybe the church just needs better music and preaching. 

Sorry for the length

We can either be a thermometer or a thermostat.  We will never change our communities if we change to be like them.  Who says that we must be like the culture to reach the culture.  If that was the case then Jesus would not have taught many of the things that He taught.  It used to be cool to be counter-cultural and dress down at dress up events.  Maybe the new counter culture should be to dress up at dress down events and begin a change.  Much of this has nothing to do with scripture and a lot to do with personal choice.

OK folks....I need some help.  I’ve been visiting this site for a couple of years.  I’ve posted a few times.  This is a great blog for debating topics.  I’ve posted about my struggles with my journey.  But now....I guess you could say I’m at a critical juncture.  I’m tired on this journey and really need a revival.  I’m ready to walk away because of the way I see Christians behaving.  Things that I see occur everyday in the church.  I admit that I’ve not nurtured my relationship with God as I should.  I own that responsibility.  But I’m weary and burdened and even a little fed up.  I need your prayers and I need them badly.  Help me out here folks.  Any spiritual advice you can offer would be a blessing.....

Another Jeff,

Sometimes what we need Jeff is a nap.  A really long nap and some good food.  I would reccomend you take a few days away if possible and sleep until you do not need to sleep anymore.  If that is an hour or 2 days, Do what it takes to catch up.  Onc you have doen that I reccomend some healthy and tasty food.  Eat well and get your refreshed feet under you.

Once you have done this, journal some thoughts to God.  Talk to him and ask hime to reveal places where you have grown and places where you have matured this past year or two.  Write these down and thank God.

Next spend dome tima asking God which of your gifts need a bit of fanning to flame.  Ask God if you are working out of your strengths or weaknesses.  You need to work from strengths or you will exhaust your soul. 

I encourage you to ask God to reveal any hidden sins, any unforgivness, any root of bitterness, any broken relationships, and see what his word says to do about this stuff. 

Finally, get some one on one accountability.  Get yourself to a trusted advisor.  I am glad you asked for help and prayer here, but you actually need someonen you can confide in and ask for counsel who is closer to you.  I will be praying for you brother.

‘Modesty’ is a separate issue on which I am sure we all agree, but ....church is not a job interview - at a job interview I am trying to impress somebody - somebody who will only get to know me superficially.  At church I am not trying to impress anybody and the One that I really want to please already knows me far more intimately than my clothing will ever indicate. And how does wearing ‘smart’ attire (e.g.  jacket, collar, tie) show respect to God in any way - God has shown us explicitly what he desires from us and it doesn’t include any mention of a dress code (even in the ‘reverence’ of the OT worship that someone mentioned).  Doing things that fit your culture and claiming that this shows a reverence for God is bizarre.

My grandfather was a pastor and a denominational leader.  Back in the late sixties and early seventies he was asked about his feelings on long hair on men and short skirts on women.  His comment was, God did not call me to a ‘rag and bone’ ministry, He called me to reach the lost.

This is the first time that I have participated in the blogging process and I must admit that I may become a blog junkie (in moderation of course). 

What has been interesting to me is my reaction to the comments that were made about the comments that I made.  The more I read the comments here the more I realize that it is a matter of the heart.  Some of us are very adamant about our positions, on both sides, some are here for fun, and some to get a handle on how we feel about the issue.  There are some things that we will have to agree to disagree on.  I for one wouldn’t feel comfortable in church in sloppy attire if there was an opportunity for me to wear better.  Some of you said that you wouldn’t feel right in your church in a suit and tie.  What ever the dress, just be there when ever possible.  There are guys like Another Jeff that need you to show up and be there as an encourager and brother or sister in Christ.  The christian life is so much more that food and drink and clothing.  It is about life and death, blessing and cursing, love and hope.  We all have much to learn from each other.  I will hold out one hand to the casual crowd and one to the formal crowd and we can all walk together to seek and save the lost as we fulfill the great commission.

Labeling folks as “legalistic” who are concerned about the present and growing sensuality, disrespect, and narcissisism of our society is naieve at best and reflects a disconnect from Biblical truth to ones lifestyle.  Teaching young people manners, how to dress appropriately, the discipline of personal grooming, and the Biblical principles of modesty, appropriateness, and gender differentiation is, indeed, challenging amid such attitudes as reflected by some.  But maturity is always a challenge on every level. A quick look at most advanced jobs will reveal a very specific dress code.  That’s real life.  A quick look at Biblical truth about lifestyle issues reveals specifics about believers as distinct from the world.  Whatever happened to “worldliness” in attitudes and appearance?

I hear several saying, “moderation.” I suspect that modesty would be a better word, however, at the congregation I am privileged to pastor, the rule is, “when you come to a service with us—clothing is required.” Going to church actually means meeting with the congregation wherever that may be.  The church is not a building but rather a people.  How absurd to deny people the opportunity to meet because of the clothing they wear.  Jesus said, You will know them by their fruit,” not their clothing.
Peace and blessings.