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Where did society get the idea that one should and must dress well when attending faith gatherings? Where did we get this idea that the Divine needs mankind to dress well when worshipping? Where is this found in the Bible? Is this more Biblical or historical? Join me today in this series “Church Undone” as we re-frame this old tradition and find out where this idea truly originated.
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Love it!
Thanks so much — this has been a fun series! Thank you for joining us!!
This is brilliant!I think the subject matter that was covered is something that needed to be addressed.What was said is interesting and insightful.I grew up in an atmosphere where dressing a certain way was emphasized if not prioritized by certain people.It is both surprising and saddening how much importance is put on “proper dress” in some churches
Thank you so much for listening! People often make interesting assumptions about “pleasing God” or “honoring God” by their outfits. The truth of it is that most of these people are simply unaware of the tradition they have adopted and have begun seeing it as a religious act rather than the social action it was. The early church sought the breaking down of class distinction and who’s in and who’s out mentalities while the dress tradition was centered on building up a new class that was distinct from the lower. It’s almost the very opposite of the early Christ followers.
Tony, are there really Christians out there that truly believe that what we wear or don’t wear gives us an advantage in obtaining God’s grace or gives us a shortcut on the salvation journey. I have never heard a sermon nor given a sermon on Christian dress. The only time I have heard someone criticized for their dress was when the Pastor told me “Gary, don’t wear those pants again, the seam in the rear has a large split!”
Gary, thanks for listening to the podcast. To answer your question I will share four responses from people and will leave their names annymous. This was one of the most responded to podcast I’ve done to date.
1. “I grew up in a church that what you wore was more important than who you were or who you were becoming.”
2. “I STILL attend an SDA church where if I wear a dress that doesn’t cover my knees I’m given a look and have even been asked to go and change before entering the sanctuary.”
3. “I was told by the pastor that my heels up front would be a distraction for the men of the congregation and that I couldn’t participate in praise and worship that week.”
4. “My pastor weekly spoke of the dangers of rock music, casual dress, and postmodernism. I no longer attend church because it’s a … joke.”
Gary, while this may not have been your story I think it’s important to recognize you are a middle class male that wears suites to church and often looks the part of the tradition. And you look great by the way =) But it’s important to remember that while you may not have experienced this there is a huge amount of people who’ve been marginalized over the issue of dress. You probably haven’t gotten much judgment yourself but I guarantee you’ve heard others tell people that one must wear nice clothes out of a sign of respect for God. And while this response may work for some, the point of the podcast was to show that this was not a Biblical tradition but one found as late as the 18th century.
Much love!
Tony