Featured Proper Sunday Dress

Again, this is pretty much a local church issue since we are autonomous. Our church is mostly made of up elderly folks. The terms "hip" and "cool" would never go through the minds of even the younger people, sixty and below. On Sunday morning, most men wear slacks and a nice shirt. Some of the older men wear suits. Women for the most part wear dresses. On Sunday night, there are more slacks and nice shirts. You might see some women with pants. Wednesday night is the most informal. There may be some clean blue jeans with decent shirts.

Over the years, I have only noticed two differrences, and this has been at a very slow rate. One is fewer suits and ties. The second is more women in pants. For myself, I wear a shirt and tie when serving the Lord's Supper.

 

agreed. local issue. autonomy feature. AND motive for the dress down or dress up. PLUS a little expectation of propriety.

 

now, of course, this being the Baptists' Board, somebody is bound to come up with the challenge: and how do you define "expectation of propriety" ?

Answer: I don't know. how would a father expect somebody to appear who might want to ask for his daughter's hand in marriage ? or somebody to appear before a job interviewer for that job he/she hadn't had in months ? or a son-in-law or daughter-in-law to look when visiting with the in-laws ?

 

I fall into the "I wear my best for God category."

But, that said, it means I'm typically wearing my best dress T-Shirt and nicest wrangler pants. My closet has a large variety;

- Work T-Shirts
- Dirty-Work T-Shirts
- Really Dirty-Work T-Shirts
- Lounge around the house T-Shirts
- Sleep T-Shirts
- Dress-up-n-go-ta-meeting T-Shirts (Church)
- A couple printed T-Shirts
- 1 Tab collar for Weddings and Funerals

- Wrangler work pants (the really-really nice $15 ones too!)
- Blue Jeans
- Lounge around the house/workout pants
- Dirty-work pants

So yeah, I give Him the best I've got. I've no practical real-world use for "better" clothing. What I have lasts. Also, I can change a tire for the over dressed church'n folk, without worry about messing up my expensive/overpriced Sunday best.

The old arguments (I don't respond anymore to clothing arguments in person) like;
"But don't you want to give God your very best?"
I always answered with "Oh, but I have!".
Then it would be;
"But how does THAT translate to your best?"
And I'd respond with, "Just tell me exactly what God's opinion is about what's the very-very best, what brand, what cut, what color. Then buy me that and I'll wear it"
Silence.

This always makes me wonder about what vehicle I should drive to church in. Is my beat-up old truck best, or is my aging little Nissan best? Should we buy something better so God is happy about what we come to church in? And then I start to worry about the place we live, the furniture we own, and OH NO, do our dogs, they're hounds, do they represent the best? HELP ME!

Sorry, just having fun there.

We attended a Baptist church in which the Elders & Pastor destroyed the Singles group (a newly growing sector), literally destroyed it, because some of the boys (several unsaved and never churched before) wore ball caps into the vestibule on Wednesday nights. One made the hellacious mistake of wearing a Budweiser Frog T-shirt...after the thrashing he took, we never saw him again.

 

That is a good post. With any common sense, the boy with the frog T-shirt could have been talked to in a manner that would have made him feel welcome to return. Something that sticks out at me in your post is the word elder. Elder rule tends not to produce positive results, and from the outcome of this young man, whoever was in the office of elder had no business ever being elected in the first place.

 

Thank you.

We did try and patch things up, sadly the damage was done. We're no longer attending that building, the clothing issue was a symptom of a much larger, institutional sickness.

I'm with you there on the whole elder rule issue. I've lived through far too many church dissolutions, the common causation, the abuse of "power" by elders (deacon boards and once, a session) and even the wives thereof. And usually it's over something as paltry as clothing/carpet color/etc...

Our pastor always wears a suit and tie. We love and respect him. He loves the Lord and upholds scripture like none I've known personally before. He has no issue with my dress style. I'm 47+ and he is the first Pastor in my entire churched life that hasn't dressed me down (couldn't resist the pun) for it. He does however push the concept of modesty consistently, but he does not define it. As liberal seeming as I am on the whole clothing issue, I sometimes wonder if wouldn't hurt if there was a clear definition of modesty. Welcome to the slippery slope, eh? I work in a very public place year round, I manage a semi-public pool for ten weeks of the summer and yet I see more cleavage on Sundays than at any other time.

And my curiosity gets the best of me here; what would be considered as immodest dress for a dude?

 

Do you seriously want someone to answer that question? :smilewinkgrin:

 

A person serving the Lord's Supper in leopard skin speedos and a tank top with high heels.

 

oh...I asked you guys not to go there! But I was thinking fish net shirt, leather biker hat & chaps...spurs are optional! There isn't a gag smiley face...but there should be.

 

Yikes!

Can I stick with my sleeveless camo-T and tattered hiking shorts instead? My days of spandex and lycra are over. And before you ask, yes, I do have both...I was a rock-rat for a decade or so.

 

I have never been accused of being hip or cool. :smilewinkgrin: I go more for function and comfort.

 

Liquid Church? I suppose they have "holy water?"

 

How about pants, long or short, worn way down the belly button with the polka dot underwear pulled some ways up the belly button to show, topped with an A-shirt or something like it, and a bull cap wrong side front on a head with a face with some or full facial hair partly covering a mouth with a pair of gold or silver teeth ?

 

So you're saying we've met before? Sorry that I don't recall. :smilewinkgrin:

 

:smilewinkgrin::laugh:

 

Yo Yo Yo!

 

Yes....In da toilets & urinals!!!

 

Churches should enforce a dress code. A very strict one meaning all men, women, & children are to be dressed formally. The women & girls especially need to dress accordingly in long dresses or long skirts that are below the knee, no sleeveless anything, no tank tops, etc. Make up & jewelry should be a big no no. Hair should be long & covered. Women & girls: church is NOT a fashion show. Women & girls should continue this practice of dressing properly for church as well as at home everyday. Everyday. Women & girls dress standards are to be different then men & boys. If the women & girls are not doing these things then its up to the man to enforce this at church & home. If the women & girls don't listen then the man should leave them at home until they wise up. There are ways to do this. If they refuse then the man is not truly the head of the home as he is commanded to be. Something is horribly wrong in the home. Sin runs amuck with rebellion. Men: get control of your women folk! I appreciate my parents teaching me how to behave accordingly. I appreciate my husband doing the same.

Men & boys should be dressed in suit & tie. They should have short hair. If one does not comply they should be asked to leave. Plain & simple. Many churches don't enforce these rules. I think it's horrible what people wear at church. It's distracting & unbiblical.

 

And any unsaved, improperly dressed visitors? Do you run them out the door?

Or what about those without the resources to dress as you propose?

Are you a Separatist? KJVO?

Can you show me in scripture how you support your arguments? Ties, are ties really biblical?

 

uh-oh, this ain' look'n good (calling out to wifey: honey, git in th' basement! :tongue3