Facial hair on males?

[righteousdude2]

I have to ask this question because recently, I visited a church that was not receptive of my beard! I was told by an associate pastor that men growing face hair was not permissible in the church. It was not for any Biblical reasons, just a church preference. They wanted their men to be clean shaven!

I crossed that church off my list of churches to visit again!

So, what is your personal feeling about male facial hair in beards or mustaches, and should a church be permitted to be that strict?

 

[Deacon]

I attended a great church in years past, listening to countless sermons by a beloved pastor.
Why is it that the most memorable sermons, the ones I remember the best, were the outlandish ones...

...like the one he preached about facial hair
​

It probably was an aside comment related to men loving their wives as Christ loved the church.

Jesus wouldn’t make the church cuddle up to a scratchy chin and you shouldn’t make your wife do it either!
​

And it was about a decade later when this elder pastor grew a beard that he has sported ever since.

Perhaps old couples don’t cuddle so much anymore or our beards are softer.

This church you mention probably has a strong opinionated leader that dominates opinions. They need to grow up.

Rob

P.s every picture of Jesus I’ve seen has him bearded... you’re merely trying to imitate your Savior

 

[Salty]

... It was not for any Biblical reasons, just a church preference. They wanted their men to be clean shaven!

would be interesting to know why that is their preference

 

[Rolfe]

 

[Rolfe]

They must not have been Calvinists, eh?

 

[Reynolds]

I have to ask this question because recently, I visited a church that was not receptive of my beard! I was told by an associate pastor that men growing face hair was not permissible in the church. It was not for any Biblical reasons, just a church preference. They wanted their men to be clean shaven!

I crossed that church off my list of churches to visit again!

So, what is your personal feeling about male facial hair in beards or mustaches, and should a church be permitted to be that strict?

God made my face to be hairy.

 

[robycop3]

Isaiah said Jesus' beard would be yanked out as part of His "passion". And virtually every Jewish men of that time sported a beard, as did many other men who worked outdoors a lot.

There's absolutely NOTHING sinful about a man's facial hair! That's a goofy, man-made notion. (For the record, I shave my face & whole head, except for eyebrows.)

 

[OnlyaSinner]

A pastor friend ran into this during his 11 years of missionary service in Newfoundland, where about 99% of males wear facial hair as soon as they are able to produce a good crop. Because a beard is useful in that climate, but probably more to 'be all things to all men, that he might win some', this fellow let his beard grow. Then came the family's 1st furlough, which included a visit to the supporting church this fellow had attended while at BJU. To their surprise, the pastor (now in Glory) stated that he had a conviction against facial hair, and had the church end their support. Their disappointment at being rejected by this dear brother who had been their pastor for 4 years was 100 times greater than any due to change of support

 

[Jerome]

Hipster preachers, please consider the counsel of the SBC's ethnic and language group specialists' report:

http://www.sbc.net/advisoryCouncilReports/pdf/Multi-EthnicCouncil2016.pdf

"ethnic and language people groups need help from the local SBC church....As a convention we should work together for the Kingdom of Christ, supporting each other in every way that we can."

"Recommendation....Promote a spirit of inclusion. Create an environment in which diverse people not only feel welcome but also feel they are a significant part of the whole of the SBC. “Put our Diversity on Display” and be ready to surrender personal preferences to serve others."

"be aware that....if you have facial hair that might obstruct a deaf person’s ability to read your lips"

 

[Baptist Believer]

would be interesting to know why that is their preference

The Mormons assert that their men today be clean shaven because they claim that facial hair is a sign of vanity.

When talking to Mormons about this topic years ago, I pointed out that Brigham Young and all of their prophets until around 1950 had facial hair. They claimed that since the 1950s, beards represent rebellion.

In my Baptist upbringing, longer hair on men was highly criticized in the late 1960s and 1970s since it was allegedly a sign of the counter-culture movement. There was a notable dust-up regarding that teaching when a hippie son of a prominent member of the church came to faith in California during the Jesus movement of the early 1970s. He stopped using drugs, straightened up his life, and came back to Texas to get a job and help out his parents. He also helped teach children's Sunday School. People were extremely suspicious of him because of his longish hair, but they gradually eased off of that teaching after a few years of seeing that young man be responsible, respectful, and godly in every way.

 

[Ziggy]

While in seminary, before the field education director would allow me to do a one-time preaching supply engagement, he insisted I get rid of my then-popular Elvis-style pork chop sideburns, ostensibly "because they don't like hippies out there" in the rural country.

I figured this was unnecessary for a one-time event, so I didn't trim them up. The church didn't care one way or the other, but liked my sermon and invited me back for four more Sundays until their new pastor had moved there.

Needless to say, the field education director was not pleased, and that office never again arranged another supply engagement for me (not that it mattered).

 

[Marooncat79]

Its really stupid to draw lines on this issue

The seminary I went to in Memphis was against beards, calvinism and on it went

The sermon by J Hyles on Long Hair is awful and sadly a great example of sermons that should never be preached

 

[robycop3]

IMHO, Jack Hyles was a quack. And not just because of his KJVO goofiness. 'Tis no surprise he preached against facial hair on men, as he didn't preach about things that REALLY matter.

 

[Salty]

.

In my Baptist upbringing, longer hair on men was highly criticized in the late 1960s and 1970s since it was allegedly a sign of the counter-culture movement. ...

yep - remember the booklet - "Hippy Hair and Skimpy Skirts" by the Pyle Brothers

 

[righteousdude2]

I attended a great church in years past, listening to countless sermons by a beloved pastor.
Why is it that the most memorable sermons, the ones I remember the best, were the outlandish ones...

...like the one he preached about facial hair
​

It probably was an aside comment related to men loving their wives as Christ loved the church.

Jesus wouldn’t make the church cuddle up to a scratchy chin and you shouldn’t make your wife do it either!
​

And it was about a decade later when this elder pastor grew a beard that he has sported ever since.

Perhaps old couples don’t cuddle so much anymore or our beards are softer.

This church you mention probably has a strong opinionated leader that dominates opinions. They need to grow up.

Rob

P.s every picture of Jesus I’ve seen has him bearded... you’re merely trying to imitate your Savior

I made that argument, but their response was that there is no way to REALLY know what Jesus looked like!

 

[righteousdude2]

yep - remember the booklet - "Hippy Hair and Skimpy Skirts" by the Pyle Brothers

Never read it, but am DEFINITELY gong to see about finding it and reading it!

 

[Baptist Believer]

I made that argument, but their response was that there is no way to REALLY know what Jesus looked like!

I forgot about that one. They had a copy in the church library. In brief, short skirts are an open invitation to rape and "hippie hair" is worn by "effeminate, pansy-type men, sodomites and homosexuals". It was a commie plot to “break down the manliness of American men” and develop a uni-sex population of weaklings.

I wonder if they consider facial hair on ladies to be acceptable.

 

[Baptist Believer]

Never read it, but am DEFINITELY gong to see about finding it and reading it!

There are a couple of copies on eBay, but they are expensive!

 

[Jerome]

A Sword of the Lord classic!
A 40 page glimpse into the mind of Evangelist Hugh Pyle:

Pyle, Hugh. Skimpy Skirts and Hippie Hair. (Murfreesboro, Tenn: Sword of the Lord Publishers 1972)

excerpts here:

goodreads.com/book/show/30322587-skimpy-skirts-and-hippie-hair

"the pastor preached against immodest short skirts one Sunday. The following Wednesday one of his teenagers was on the way to prayer meeting still in her short skirt. The Negro man who grabbed her almost tore the clothes from her before she escaped, screaming into the night!"

"Some of you need to cover up....the sights we see parading through the supermarkets and on the streets should be shielded from view simply as a service to humanity....Nothing is more disguising than to see a scant covering (if any at all) over varicose, bologna-looking legs, topped by dog-faced flabby knees."

 

[Jerome]

"LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) Dr. Jerry Falwell drew a thunderous 'Amen' from 3,000 listeners at the 1975 Southwide Baptist Fellowship Conference with a resounding sermon on what he said were the excesses and decadence of modern society. Among the targets of the 42 year-old television preacher's wrath: 'Tobacco, music, hair, theater, Hollywood, dancing, television, sex, the whole new morality. All of these are examples of carnality,' said Falwell pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church, Lynchburg, Va. 'We’ve got to be preaching against these sins We’re the only ones out there who can do it” Even evangelist Billy Graham, Falwell said, could use a haircut. 'I watched Billy Graham's televised West Texas Crusade last week,' he said. 'Billy was preaching a good sermon, but I didn't hear a word he said. His hair, down his back—turned up in a curl. Ugh.' Among the other speakers Tuesday were Dr Jack Hyles, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Hammond, Ind., Dr Lee Roberson, pastor of Highland Park Baptist Church, Chattanooga, Tenn., and Dr Al Janney, pastor of the New Testament Baptist Church in Miami, Fla. The three day meeting of Independent Baptist pastors and laymen from across the United States ends today."

Evangelists Luis Palau and Billy Graham with Ruth Bell Graham