Shorts in church service?

They don't.

My problem is when people start applying the rules of men to God's people. The wearing of "Sunday Bests" is definitely of man. No where in the Bible do I find anyone saying, "And whenever you meet, put on the finest clothes you own" or the KJV "When thy congregate, platheth on thine finest attire".

Out of love we should placate those who are more sensative.

 

Glen, it's been a long time since men and women wore hats to church on a consistent basis here. My grandparents' generation was probably the last that did it consistently. The ladies wore their hats in church and the men took their hats off and hung them up. You will still see it in the black churches, where the ladies quite often wear hats. But it's probably more of a generational thing than anything else.

 

I wouldn't necessarily. W restored the "coat and tie" rule that was there under President Reagan, so I'd wear a coat and tie, but not necessarily my best. I don't wear a tie on Sunday nights when I preach and I don't wear a coat or tie on wed nites during our services. There are many places here in Appalachia where a preacher would be shunned if he had on a suit because there's an adage about "never trust a man in a tie" that goes back to the old mountain thought.

 

I'd say there could be other reasons.

Maybe it reflects a woman who doesn't know there is any other way to dress.

Maybe she has no men in her life who would care about her enough to lovingly help her see that that's not the only way to dress.

My guess is that the woman who anointed Jesus with oil at the fancy Pharisees' dinner probably was not dressed 'appropriately' for the occasion either...

But, for some reason, Jesus didn't say a word about it.

Oh, I expect the woman at the well wasn't dressed right either. Nor that woman caught in adultery. The gospels are probably full of wrongly-dressed women, in fact!

 

I'd be a great disappointment to homos who want to "leer" at my legs and butt.
The behind is flat, I got varicose veins the size of a garter snake on my left leg, and a horrible looking "sputnik" tatooed on my right thigh.
Seriously, I think culloches would be fine.

 

Tuor,
You are right we are always in the presence of God. That is why I wear long dresses and a headcovering all the time.


Rlvaughn,
I believe you are incorrect to say that women who once wore hats to church were doing it because it was only something for their generation. Women wore hats because they were following 1 Corinthians 11. It has only been since feminism has hit most churches that the veils came off and then next came the clothing.

HCL

[ May 27, 2002, 11:20 PM: Message edited by: Headcoveredlady ]

 

There is a problem with attitude that whatever *I* want or what is comfortable for *me* is okay. There is a lack of respect that plays in our life when we try to justify what we see as fine...that can lead to all kinds of things that may not be biblical,but there is such a thing as unappropriate.

I have seen it before...it is a lack of respect,a casualness before God that is obvious to others. I was in a church once where the men who were passing the offering plate were wearing tennies and jeans,not because that is all they had,but to make a point.

I have also read about a pastor that wore sandals to preach in to make people feel more comfortable coming to church...red flag....that is the seeker sensitive mentality that church should become like the world to win the world,a lack of trust in God's word.

I think it all boils down to this...we can dress comfortably,modestly,and appropriately when coming to church,which I think should be your very best...not more expensive,but a certain style that shows respect and honor...I personally do not feel that wearing long shorts is *unbiblical*,but I do think a degree of casualness shows disrespect to a Holy God.

God is more concerned with our heart for from it flows the wellsprings of life...but what we show outwardly reveals a lot about our heart...dressing appropriately should be a part of all christian's walk. We should all examine the why and how of what we wear. are we doing everything for the glory of God? Are we seeking Him above all else? Do we want our lives to reflect Him or us and our wants?

 

I don't wear shorts but I try not to jump to conclusions about the motivations of those who do.

I don't wear them partly because a lot of people don't think it's appropriate, so I don't want to ruffle feathers in that respect. I'd rather do it with thought-provoking questions than dress that is different!

Although, at my church, a lot of people dress quite casually. And a lot don't. There's the whole range there. Ok, very few head coverings but otherwise...

I think that with this as with many other issues, the biggest danger is that we will judge other people in ways Jesus told us not to. The minute we start feeling superior to people who are dressed differently then we have fallen into temptation...imo. And that's true whether we are dressed up and thinking the shorts-wearers are showing less respect for God than us -- or whether we're in shorts thinking that the rest of the people are too interested in outward appearance and their hearts probably aren't as close to God as ours despite how they look outwardly...

 

HCL, I did not intend to address the reason for wearing of the hats, but rather addressed it from a historical standpoint. In that sense it is a generational thing; very few women of this generation wear hats or headcoverings, with probably very little knowledge of why or why not. I would agree that feminism is part of the cause for the change; but I would also add that many of the women of the last generation that wore hats consistently probably did not have a strong teaching as to WHY they wore hats and that contributed to them coming off.

 

You are right and since the issue that the Bible speaks of is modesty for women and I will promote that as a biblical example...no one can judge the heart or motives except God...I just think that we should examine this from all standpoints and first and foremost exhort the heart to be right before God,then everything else will fall into place according to what He wants in our lives.

 

HC,

Do you believe that taking a shower is disrespectful to the LORD? He's there too.

Perhaps my views on this subject have been affected by being born and raised in Southern California. One year in high school I wore shorts to school every single day(even the day it snowed, but the snow was gone by noon).

 

Rlvaughn,
I agree with you that even back them many women probably did not even know why they wore them. But, I am sure some did. In fact when I joined my church I was the only covered woman there. But, the next week one of the elderly ladies came in with hat AND gloves on. That was lovely to see.


Tuor,
I grew up in New York. I lived in California for a time as well. But, where I grew up has nothing to do with how I am trying to please the Lord today. My goodness, when I was in NY the style for women was to have "large" hair and dark black clothes with dark black eyeliner.
As I said in another thread, the public school I attended in NY did not allow children to wear shorts AT ALL to school. And no dresses above the knees. This was in the seventies and early eighties. That was not that long ago, and that was a public school in NY! Was that school legalistic to have some standards? Those schools I attended were very humanistic and liberal now that I look back, but we did have that one standard.

HCL

 

Oh, for sure. We've had some of our best conversations when I'm in the shower...

 

Just a question...what does taking a shower have to do with a corporate worship service???? I'm losing the logic on that one.....

 

Well, if you sing in the shower...

I think the point was that in the shower, one has no clothes on.

And God is there too.

So, is it disrespectful to be unclothed in His presence? And if not then what is wrong with shorts?

That was the logic behind that comment, I believe, but I might be wrong.

 

You really wouldn't care if everyone in your congregation went for a month without one?

 

Talking about covering oneself. In Isaiah chapter six even God's Holy angels the Seraphim covered themselves with their wings in the presence of the Lord. Did not Moses also veil his face when in the presence of the LOrd? They covered their glory when in the presence of the Lord.


HCL

 

House-- a place of abode; residence... A building used for storage or shelter (The American Heritage Dictionary).</font>[/QUOTE]House -- God's people (The Bible, Hebrews 3:6 But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast. )

 

Just a few thoughts,
God looks on the inside, man looks on the outside. It is man who judges absed on what a person wears, not God.
In Genesis 38, Judah thought Tamar was a harlot based on the fact she was completely covered. It just show you can be completely modestly dressed and that still not be where your heart is, becasue the harlot would have been dressed as some here think women should be dresses, which was average for aharlot apparently becasue she was covered up Judah though she was a harlot.
So unless a person is dressed in abrely nothing, dress may not reveal the heart like you may think.

To be completely coverd in long dresses and head always covered sounds more muslim then anything in the bible. Except of course Genesis 38, and that being a harlot.
Judge yourselves the way you dress and not others.

 

You really wouldn't care if everyone in your congregation went for a month without one?</font>[/QUOTE]It might bother humans but Biblically speaking this is the smell God hates...

Isaiah 65:5

[People] Who say, `Keep to yourself,
Do not come near me,
For I am holier than you!'
These [are] smoke in My nostrils ,
A fire that burns all the day.