Shorts in church service?

Amen Brother Tom!!!!

 

Hello,
How can any shorts be considered modest? When one sits down you can see someones thighs and more. Does the pastor need to view everyones thighs while he is preaching. Why would someone do that to him?
Read Isaiah 47:3, you may not think you are naked but if your thighs show God's Word says you are naked.

HCL

 

Also, if you were invited to a dinner where you knew the President and Vice President would be there to meet you would you come in shorts?

HCL

 

I think there may be something else to be considered here. Jesus said the second commandment was to love your neighbor as yourself. Most churches have a good number of elderly people in them. I would assume most of them would be bothered a great deal by shorts. Why offend them? Respect for God also is shown in respect for others.

It is, as well, probably somewhat of a testimony to others that you think highly enough of church to look better there than at-home comfy wear.

 

Didn't know you've been to the Philippines, Bernie. But, you're right, though.
Still, I guess it is because our culture over there was patterned after 300 years of Spain's rule, and Spaniards have more sense of modesty and clothed decency than Americans.
Shorts in church ?
I guess those who say that's okay won't mind if some poor guy can't help himself and touches one of those legs, you know what I mean ?
Like back in the 60's when mini-skirts were the thing my friends and I would go riding on those curious vehicles called jeepneys and sit right in front of those girls wearing miniskirts and just leer at those legs and make her feel so miserable and keep pulling that hem so it covers at least half of her thighs and add more misery by telling her in front of all those other passengers if she doesn't want to be leered at, then why does she wear those things.
There was no religion, there, either, just plain meanness on our part.
Shorts in church ?
Yeah, right.
Next thing you know, your attendance increases not because people want to hear the Word, but because outsiders want to leer at those legs, and, oh, yeah, don't forget the homos who want a look at those bumpy knees and hairy macho legs.

 

Well, I reckon I'll throw my 2 cents into this discussion...

I am of the old school of thought in my own personal attire at church. All through the week, I look pretty much the ruffian: unshaved, work clothes (because I work!), fairly unkempt I suppose. But on Sunday I always wear a two peice suit and tie and I am freshly shaven. The only time I take off my jacket at church is if my wfe is cold from the A/C being too high or the furnace failing to work. In those cases I offer her my jacket. Otherwise, I wouldn't take off my jacket or loosen my tie unless I was about to burst into flames. It's just the way I am.

On the other side of the coin, I recognize that there are folks who can barely keep their children in properly ftting shoes, much less own formal or semi-formal clothing for Sunday. Far be it from me to look down my pious nose at these folks for coming to church in what they have to cover themselves. I don't pay a lot of attention to other people's clothing.

As many of you know, I went to a Military school for my education. There are a few things that I remember really making an impression on me. One of these was in my junior year we were studying the Transcendental philosophers and we were reading all these quotes like "To thine ownself be true" and "where there is crowd, there is untruth" and "he who would be a man must be a non-conformist." I asked my teacher, "Don't you think it's iroic that you are teaching this to a bunch of boys who are all dressed alike, with the same bad haircut, and same shoes?" He looked at me and replied, "Son, if you think that it's your clothing that makes you different, then you are missing the whole point."

He was right and as I matured I came to realize the wisdom of what he said. I think that God views us the same way. Our character is not defined by what we wear. It is defined by what we are.

 

What a person wears to church reveals a lot about their character, or lack thereof,and attitude.

A scantily dressed woman does not reflect a heart surrendered to God, rather it reflects a woman who cares not about men leering at them!!!!! .....and husbands and fathers who allow their wives and daughters to dress this way lack true love for same!!!! A loving father is jealous of his family and protects them and shelters them, not display them to the world to lust and desire! Not my opinion just plain common sense. A commodity lacking in todays society. Too many people selfishly doing their own thing.

Ernie

 

ROFLOL! A scantily clad SaggyWoman! ROFLOL. That would be the day. I would durst think anyone would consider me scantily clad.

Indeed, also, that my thighs be considered a sex object. It just ain't happening, folks.

If I were in Ukraine, I would be very respectful of their cultural norms. But if I am in America, I would find a church that didn't have a problem with shorts, and wear shorts. The churches that are hung up on shorts and what we wear are hung up on a lot of other things, and are missing the point, IMHO.

 

I always believed that one's body is God's temple. The worship service on Sundays or Wednesdays aren't any more holy than anything else we do. Our lives are supposed to be sacrfices to the Lord. The idea that people need to put on their 'Sunday bests' is a relatively new one started by a King of England.

As far as I'm concerned, the whole getting dressed up for church thing is a sign of the flesh: materialism. If each of us would put the money we put into new things to wear for church into feeding the hungry, perhaps there would be a few less people going to bed hungry at night.

 

Tuor, I can agree with you to some extent, especially that some of the ideas about getting "dressed up" originate in materialism. Some want to outdo others, and some want to see what so & so is wearing. BUT we obviously wouldn't wear what we wear to bed to the church house. Yet using your logic one could argue that going to church meeting isn't more holy that sleeping, swimming or taking a bath. What would be the end result of the strict application of such logic? Where do you draw the line?

 

You wear what you normally wear. Our attire is to be modest, but it doesn't have to be expensive. I wear my work clothes. I'm a teacher, so it's not blue jeans, but not anything extra special either.

 

I do. But I also wear more than that.

 

I got a laugh out of that one!

I just wanted to add that there is nothing wrong with wearing jeans to church, there are many members of my church that do. Perhaps I will this Sunday. I'm now on my summer vacation. When it warms up, I'll probably wear shorts!!!

Who knows, perhaps I'll wear my leather sandles!!!!

I wonder if Jesus had a best set of clothes that he wore to the temple.

 

Show me one person on here that wouldn't wear the best they had if they went to meet the President Of The United States in the White House for a private meeting?... Now whose going to wear shorts?... What about meeting royalty? Yet we can go to the worship God dressed like we were going to the beach, or a ballgame, or the park or whatever? I wear the best I have an what you other brethren wear is between you and God. If a minister of the Primitive Baptist came to church wearing shorts on Sunday his service would be cut short!

Genesis 41:14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.

Why didn't Joseph come into Pharoah like he was because he was going to meet a the king of Egypt and had to make himself presentable. Yet we come to church dressed like we are going any place else besides church. To those who wear their best God requires nothing less in his service... Brother Glen

[ May 27, 2002, 08:58 PM: Message edited by: tyndale1946 ]

 

Show me one person who is not constantly in the presence of the LORD.

[ May 27, 2002, 08:40 PM: Message edited by: Tuor ]

 

Well, we're all certainly thankful for that!!

[ May 27, 2002, 08:54 PM: Message edited by: rlvaughn ]

 

Keeping with dress standards I remember when men and women wore hats to church. Do they still practice that in church? What about in your part of the country Texas... Brother Robert?... Brother Glen

 

Times, styles, and dress standards change but shorts in Sunday service?... Next they will want to wear bikinis and thongs?... Brother Glen

 

We must always be modest. The only way a generation of Christians would think that thongs or bikinis are modest is if the generation before neglects its duty to in raising its children.

The last time I checked, the shorts I wear are modest.

[ May 27, 2002, 09:50 PM: Message edited by: Tuor ]

 

I think there is probably a general consensus here that our attire should be modest. One difference of opinion here is probably over whether shorts are or can be modest attire.

or

A second consideration raised is whether shorts (or other apparel) may be offensive to others.

or

Another thought closely ties the first two considerations together: if our attire is immodest or bordering on it, we can become a stumblingblock to our brothers and sisters. In this we would probably do well to follow Paul's advice to the Corinthians on eating meat offered to idols. He took something he felt at perfect liberty to do and restricted it on the basis of it harming his brethren. Maybe we should not just decide whether we think it's immodest, but defer to our brothers and sisters opinions as to whether it is immodest.

As I see it, the arguments over whether we should dress better on Sunday than any other day, and about how we are always in the presence of God do not really shed any light on those two main considerations. The first because it is too subjective for us to come to any conclusion and the second because while we are always in the presence of God, modesty is towards our fellow man. What is appropriate to wear (or not wear) in certain places (such as the bathroom or bedroom, Christain Ceydtick notwithstanding ) is not always appropriate to wear (or not wear) in others.

[ May 27, 2002, 09:45 PM: Message edited by: rlvaughn ]