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Inward purity & outward dress -- Does it matter how we dress for worship?
The Prayer Book Society of the USA ^ | September 2, 2003 | The Rev'd Dr. Peter Toon

Posted on 09/03/2003 6:23:54 AM PDT by hiho hiho

Inward purity & outward dress

Does it matter how we dress for worship?

Not too long ago, it was commonly held within all Christian denominations, from Orthodox through Roman Catholic to Baptist, that anyone going to a church service on Sunday should put on his best clothing (or at least his good clothing) for he was meeting not a human king or a human president, but the King of the kings and the Lord of the lords and the President of the presidents, even the Lord God, the Blessed Trinity. And "best" or "good" dress was defined in cultural terms as what was appropriate when meeting someone of great importance.

So one did not go to church on the Lord's Day in one's work clothing or in one's leisure attire. Along with this dress code, the basic affection of the soul that was seen as appropriate in entering the house of the Lord was "the fear of the Lord" (a sense of reverence and awe and sinfulness before the Infinite and Eternal, Holy God), for the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom.

Today, semi-casual or even casual clothing are the norm in many denominations from Orthodox through Roman Catholic to Baptist, and "the fear of the Lord" has generally been replaced by "wanting a relationship with the Lord and [perhaps] with all [or some of those] who gather" (thus the spread of "the passing of the peace" or "the greeting" in the services of virtually all American denominations since the 1970s).

One can challenge this description claiming that the difference between 1950 and 2000 is not so marked. Yet any churchgoer who is 60 or more will be able to verify it, at least in general terms from personal observation.

But why this change in dress code and general attitude? One can offer all kinds of answers related to changing social and cultural mores, changing liturgical fashions, changing doctrinal teaching and a felt, greater sense of personal freedom and autonomy. But what seems to make sense, because we are beings with soul and body, is that there is a vital connection with what is believed, taught and confessed and how one dresses for worship and how one perceives and describes worship.

The move from dressing in one's best clothing to dressing in one's leisure or semi-formal clothing seems to be an outward and visible change of an inward disposition or attitude. Apparently the general perception of God, his nature, character & attributes, has changed and so has the sense of the place of a human being before him. Today we seem to think that we can easily enter the presence of God for he is the Friendly One who welcomes us just as we are. He is always ready to have "a relationship" with us. Yesterday, we apparently thought that to seek to enter the presence of God was an awesome calling, requiring reverence and penitence and that if He did establish a relation with us it was one of sovereign mercy.

The Lord's Day is not merely special, it is unique, for it is the weekly festival of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Perhaps we should dress in an appropriate manner to celebrate the uniqueness of the Saviour and the Day!

The Rev'd Dr. Peter Toon M.A., D.Phil. (Oxon.)


TOPICS: Catholic; Eastern Religions; General Discusssion; Mainline Protestant; Orthodox Christian; Prayer; Religion & Culture; Theology; Worship
KEYWORDS: catholiclist
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1 posted on 09/03/2003 6:23:55 AM PDT by hiho hiho
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To: hiho hiho
Inward purity & outward dress -- Does it matter how we dress for worship?

At the extremes, of course it matters.

For example, "naked" just doesn't work for me.

If we define worship as occurring in "public," then any attire must be appropriate in public according to the laws of the land and the laws of God.

Additionally, there is a level of decorum that is not required, but is recommended. God will accept any tube-topped hooker who turns to Him.

It makes sense for her to turn in her tube when she turns in her hooking.

2 posted on 09/03/2003 6:54:15 AM PDT by xzins (In the Beginning Was the Word!)
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To: hiho hiho
To insist that people dress a certain way reeks of "works based theology." I think God is more interested in how your heart is dressed than your outer being.

My 9 year daughter wore nice jeans and a cowboy hat last Sunday, I wore a suit. We have people who wear shorts and sandals.

That being said, I think one should be modest. The Brittany Spears look is a bit much.
3 posted on 09/03/2003 7:08:44 AM PDT by Gamecock (Why TULIP? Because the Bible teaches it as the inspired word of The One Holy Sovereign God!)
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To: xzins
***For example, "naked" just doesn't work for me.***

The Bible says the Father seeks those who worship in spirit and truth. Biblical Worship is both private and corporate.

In private worship, I often will relax in a hot bath and pray and praise Him -- that's worship and I am naked and unashamed. The argument that 'God deserves your best attire' takes on a different meaning there.

Some might say, "Yeah, in private worship it doesn't matter... We're talking about PUBLIC worship."

To which I reply, "Oh, so God doesn't care what we wear (after all, He accepts my bathtub worship), it's what others might think!"

I think this whole issue is a what do others think and not an issue of what God thinks. We already know that, He seeks those who worship Him in Spirit and truth. With Him coat and tie is optional at best and hypocritical at worst. Hypocritical if we think He approves our worship if we wear the right outer clothing and try to shroud a proud heart with a suit.

4 posted on 09/03/2003 7:25:42 AM PDT by drstevej
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To: drstevej
Amen to all you've said.

We're talking about public worship.

There's a range of acceptable attire, but there are extremes that are not acceptable. It is hard to justify thongs as being in "spirit." It's also hard to justify "hypocritical" as spiritual.

You are right on the money.

5 posted on 09/03/2003 7:31:58 AM PDT by xzins (In the Beginning Was the Word!)
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To: xzins
Thanks xzinster!
6 posted on 09/03/2003 7:35:40 AM PDT by drstevej
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To: xzins
For example, "naked" just doesn't work for me.

I was naked when I was saved. God chose the time and place of my conversion I did not So I believe He does not look on the outward ,but on the heart. I came "just as i was"

BTW xzins Didn't God say "it is good" when he formed that naked man? :>)

7 posted on 09/03/2003 7:36:08 AM PDT by RnMomof7 (Saved by Grace in my bathtub)
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To: RnMomof7
I speak specifically of public worship.

Perhaps you were naked at a public worship service, but somehow I doubt it.

If I did, it would scare the bejeebers out of a building's worth of people!!

"Stop him...someone...PUHLEEEESE!!...STOP him!!!"

8 posted on 09/03/2003 7:42:15 AM PDT by xzins (In the Beginning Was the Word!)
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To: Gamecock
My 9 year daughter wore nice jeans and a cowboy hat last Sunday, I wore a suit. We have people who wear shorts and sandals.
That being said, I think one should be modest. The Brittany Spears look is a bit much.

Us too. We have everything from what we would consider old line Presbyterian men in suits and women in dresses and hats to jeans and T shirts ( I do not remember seeing shorts )

Most fall in-between..dress slacks and a nice shirt, or casual pant suits for women ...Do you remember that David danced before the lord?

2Sa 6:20   Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!

     2Sa 6:21   And David said unto Michal, [It was] before the LORD, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel: therefore will I play before the LORD.

9 posted on 09/03/2003 7:44:57 AM PDT by RnMomof7 (Saved by grace , Calvinist by choice)
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To: drstevej
In private worship, I often will relax in a hot bath

That is just not an image I needed this morning. </feeble humor>

10 posted on 09/03/2003 7:51:40 AM PDT by Gamecock (Why TULIP? Because the Bible teaches it as the inspired word of The One Holy Sovereign God!)
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To: xzins; drstevej
Interesting topic. One we have been dealing with recently.

Our former church was a rural church in a farming/ranching community. More then half the congregation would wear nice jeans and shirts, a few of the men would wear overalls. It did not seem inappropriate to at all. It still doesn't. That is the type of people we are. A nice neat pair of jeans and clean shirt and shoes with no mud on them is dressed up to us:).

But we changed churches a year ago and are now going to a church in town. It is mostly an older in years congregation. People who probably from the looks of it wear slacks, ties, dresses, etc. as normal everyday wear anyway. We seem to be the only ones who wear jeans etc. I wear a dress on Sunday morning in the summer, I won't in winter because I don't like being cold. But when I come home I have to change because I have horses to feed and chores to do that you don't do in a dress. I also have to feed when I get home after Sunday night service. So I go to Sun night in the jeans I changed to. I am not going to change clothes 4 times in one day. I don't believe God has a problem with that.

I also wear jeans Wed night for the same reason. I feed after we get home.

We live so far from the church, and my children live even farther that lots of times they can't make it to church if they go home from work first to change. So they come in their work clothes, which for the boys can be kind of grungy. What's more important being their after work in not to clean clothes or not being there at all?

No one has said anything to us, but we get the feeling they are not real happy with our appearance. There have been some Sunday School get togethers where dress codes were stated. "Women should wear dresses, men slacks." We haven't gone. Seems odd that they have dress codes for a not on Sunday get together. The way these dress codes were mentioned was, "what you wear for Sunday".

Do you think that peoples life styles, (i.e., rural, farming ranching) should be taken into consideration before preachers should make these kind of codes?

Becky
11 posted on 09/03/2003 7:54:23 AM PDT by PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain (Prov. 9:7-8)
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To: PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain
Yes, I do. I pastor a rural church and get exactly what you describe. I am, myself, the type of person you describe.

I'm not a robed methodist. I'll wear one for a wedding, but normally on Sunday morning I'm in a black suit and tie with my chaplain crosses on the lapel.

On Sunday evening I'll be in shortsleeves and a tie. On Wednesday evening I'll be in jeans and a pullover.

Most of my folks don't get dressy. Sometimes they do; sometimes they don't.

There are extremes, I think, that all of us would sense to be wrong.

12 posted on 09/03/2003 8:01:08 AM PDT by xzins (In the Beginning Was the Word!)
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To: PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain
Tough call. I don't think it is the place of the church organization to mandate a dress code. It's generally something that is more or less unspoken amongst the congregation. I think that individuals should make reasonable effort to dress along the same lines, and that the rest of the congregation should certainly withold judgement upon someone in the congregation who 'doesn't dress the same' unless it is revealed that that individual is doing so just to excersize Christian liberty for the sake of excersizing it.
13 posted on 09/03/2003 8:10:38 AM PDT by Frumanchu (mene mene tekel upharsin)
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To: xzins
LOL HOW TRUE..I knew what you meant I was playing with you:>))

They would roll on the floor in laughter if i did ..
14 posted on 09/03/2003 8:11:37 AM PDT by RnMomof7 (Saved by grace , Calvinist by choice)
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To: xzins
Thanks:)

In this church we are going to, there are a few men who wear jeans, but I have yet to see any woman even wear a pair of slacks, it is always dresses.

As I said it seems that hints are being thrown out about dress. I wish they would either come out and confront the issue openly or stop with the hints. I feel they had every opprotunity to tell us how they felt before we joined. We visited for over 4 months, nothing was said. Now all of a sudden these dress codes that were not given last year for the christmas parties, and we went to those, are being announced. I realize these announcements could just be coincidence, so we are praying now about what to do. Churches that teach the truth are scarce:), this church teaches good fundamental bible. I can't/won't change my dress habits. There is nothing wrong with them. I like the preaching and teaching at this church, I don't like that this has come up now after we joined.

Becky
15 posted on 09/03/2003 8:13:12 AM PDT by PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain (Prov. 9:7-8)
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To: PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain
If you're in southern Ohio come to our church.

You'll be very welcome.

As long as Mack doesn't lead a revolution in "creative leadership and creative language"!!

:>)

16 posted on 09/03/2003 8:17:46 AM PDT by xzins (In the Beginning Was the Word!)
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To: Frumanchu
atter how we dress for worship?, Frumanchu wrote: Tough call. I don't think it is the place of the church organization to mandate a dress code. It's generally something that is more or less unspoken amongst the congregation. I think that individuals should make reasonable effort to dress along the same lines, and that the rest of the congregation should certainly withold judgement upon someone in the congregation who 'doesn't dress the same' unless it is revealed that that individual is doing so just to excersize Christian liberty for the sake of excersizing it.

8 years ago I was attending a church and was considering making it "my church". It was the summer so there was alot of casual dress, but what made me leave and never come back was a lady that was sitting ahead of me in church one Sunday . She had on short shorts that left very little to the imagination. Normally I would have noticed and ignored it more or less , except she had her teachers guide for teaching children's Sunday school. That was it I was out of there . If the church was unable to maintain some form of discipline over the teachers and allowed them to be immodest at church and act as a model for the children , that was not a place I wanted to worship

17 posted on 09/03/2003 8:19:07 AM PDT by RnMomof7 (Saved by grace , Calvinist by choice)
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To: PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain
Becky, why not make an appointment with the pastor and express how much the teaching has meant to you? Explain to him what you have said here and ask his advice.

At least in listening to him you will discover whether the hints are hints or not. As a pastor, I would appreciate this approach.
18 posted on 09/03/2003 8:20:13 AM PDT by drstevej
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To: hiho hiho
SPOTREP
19 posted on 09/03/2003 8:20:23 AM PDT by LiteKeeper
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To: hiho hiho
I used to wear a tie to church. These days I wear a vestment, so it's hard for me to see why it matters what I have on underneath (presumably I will have something on underneath). I understand the concept of dressing up before the Lord, and I also understand the concept of dressing up before the "scribes and pharisees", if you will.
I think that today's attitude can be summed up with: "Let us not love in word or speech, but in deed and in truth".
20 posted on 09/03/2003 8:22:29 AM PDT by johnb838 (Deconstruct the Left)
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