Dressing for church

[Pastor Matt]

Maybe you've seen this meme floating around Facebook.... here it goes

Now before anyone says, "It's not a sin to not wear a suit and tie"  (that's cultural) I agree. What I get out of this meme is I think we are starting to dress too casually to church these days.

[BrotherTony]

38 minutes ago, Pastor Matt said:

Maybe you've seen this meme floating around Facebook.... here it goes

Now before anyone says, "It's not a sin to not wear a suit and tie"  (that's cultural) I agree. What I get out of this meme is I think we are starting to dress too casually to church these days.

I have to agree. I haven't worn a suit and tie in nearly 20 years except when I got to preach. Then I always wore that attire. Most of the time I wear a nice pair of jeans and nice shirt, though sometimes I will wear a nice t shirt. Here in Tennessee that's pretty much standard attire for most men. 

[SureWord]

A tie is the most ridiculous article of clothing. Totally useless. But I like to see a pastor wear one.

[robmac68]

Exodus 19: 9. And the Lord said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the Lord.  10. And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,   14. And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes.

What clothes did they wash?  Were they their "Sunday best"?  Clothes purchased for the sole purpose of going to church?  No, I believe they were just their everyday clothes.   Where did we get the belief that we have to have "Sunday best" clothes for church?  

I remember watching "The Waltons" in my youth.  On an episode, one of the kids wore their church shoes on a day other than Sunday and got them dirty.  Olivia got her apron all up in a bind over it and was going off.  This series portrayed the Waltons as poor people that could barely afford the bill at Godsey's store but they went out and spent money on shoes to wear one day a week?  How on earth could we come up with "doctrine", to spend money we do not have, on something as frivolous as fashion?  Were they really dressing for God, or just trying to look good so they were not judged by the congregation?  "Putting on airs"

My problem is, and the meme nailed it, is when we have nice clothing that we are willing to wear for worldly occasions but then get the attitude, "the Bible doesn't have a dress code, I can wear what I want!"  And then go to church looking like you are going to a picnic or bar.  What does this say about our heart?  Rebellious?

It might not be rebellion against God.   Maybe just rebellion against a religious practice that was beat into our heads as if it were doctrine. 

[Napsterdad]

12 hours ago, Pastor Matt said:

Maybe you've seen this meme floating around Facebook.... here it goes

Now before anyone says, "It's not a sin to not wear a suit and tie"  (that's cultural) I agree. What I get out of this meme is I think we are starting to dress too casually to church these days.

It's not just church, it's everywhere. I remember back in the '60s when you had to wear a tie to get into any decent dinner restaurant. Now even in the classy restaurants you can get in wearing cut-off shorts, sandals and a wife-beater shirt. I was looking at some pictures from my childhood a couple weeks ago and even when we went to visit our relatives and friends we often wore button down shirts and ties. People wore nice clothes because they had self-respect, respect for others, and things were expected (for the most part) to be done neatly and in order.

Society has shifted, and not for the better. Hardly anyone dresses up anymore. Go to Walmart and you'll find those that can't even find the time to change out of their pajamas. It seems a growing number of people dress up and preen themselves (tattoos, body piercings, et. al.) in order to shock others rather than positively impress. This trend in appearance is just a symptom of a much more significant problem. A large segment of the population has lost self-respect. With that loss came the loss of respect for others; and, most sadly, lost respect for God (but if there was a true respect for God, these societal problems would go away).

Look at the pictures in Pastor Matts OP. Those 'preachers' don't respect God. They respect the trends. They are dressed to impress other people, not God. 'Look at me, I'm a preacher and I'm cool, I'm like you, I can dress as lowly as the next guy'. The interesting thing is these 'distressed' clothes they are wearing cost more at the store than the same clothes without the holes. You'll not convince me that this is a move toward sanity and becoming better.

I have seen some of these preachers on the idiot box and look at the venues where they preach. The platform looks more like a stage at a rock concert then a place of reverence. When I go to church the first thing I consider is; 'to whom is the glory being given? Are they trying to please God, or please man'. In the OP pictures I do not see God getting top billing. I would be hard pressed to last a minute in such a "church". Appearances do matter, especially at church, but, IMHO, that should also be true outside of church as well. We are supposed to be God's ambassadors. As such, should our appearance look as though we do our shopping at the nearest landfill?

Edited July 12, 2023 by Napsterdad

[Joe Chandler]

Have you been to Walmart lately? Our society is slovenly. My dad was a teacher. He always dressed well for school. I asked him why he did that. He said, "It isn't for me, it is for the kids. It shows them that I am different from them and that I care enough for them to dress well." Your attire affects your behavior. Don't believe me? Wear a uniform and walk around town. Now wear a t-shirt and shorts and do the same.

I lose respect for church leaders who care more about being cool, than respecting their office and the holiness of God. I do not lose respect for poor people nor do I look down on visitors who don't dress well. Do your best for God.

That is my 2 cents.

[TheGloryLand]

This photo taken from my Amazon website. Looks pretty good to me. The pioneer woman dress code.

Edited July 12, 2023 by TheGloryLand

[BrotherTony]

21 minutes ago, TheGloryLand said:

This photo taken from my Amazon website. Looks pretty good to me. The pioneer woman dress code.

Hey! I had those pants in Bell Bottoms back in the 1970s! LOL 

[Joe Chandler]

41 minutes ago, TheGloryLand said:

This photo taken from my Amazon website. Looks pretty good to me. The pioneer woman dress code.

 

A perfect example to my earlier point. No way you can slouch while dressed like that. Earl Grey English breakfast tea anyone? 

Edited July 12, 2023 by Joe Chandler

[Pastor Matt]

I find it interesting that on social media (with this meme) people are talking about pastors dressing down, I have yet to find one person complained why sports broadcasters are forced to wear suits. Don't they know that it's 2023? 

[TheGloryLand]

1 hour ago, Joe Chandler said:

A perfect example to my earlier point. No way you can slouch while dressed like that. Earl Grey English breakfast tea anyone? 

Outstanding, pass the honey please.

[TheGloryLand]

14 minutes ago, Pastor Matt said:

I find it interesting that on social media (with this meme) people are talking about pastors dressing down, I have yet to find one person complained why sports broadcasters are forced to wear suits. Don't they know that it's 2023? 

I'm glad we are in door for today game...  Amen

 

[BrotherTony]

1 hour ago, Pastor Matt said:

I find it interesting that on social media (with this meme) people are talking about pastors dressing down, I have yet to find one person complained why sports broadcasters are forced to wear suits. Don't they know that it's 2023? 

They are on the tele and the corporation has strict rules about dress that churches don't. Let's be real about this.

[Pastor Matt]

14 hours ago, BrotherTony said:

They are on the tele and the corporation has strict rules about dress that churches don't. Let's be real about this.

That was the point