"These days, anything goes. Shorts and flip-flops are fine for any occasion. And so are pajamas."

And yet the men of Galilee probably only wore a basic tunic, and it was the same whether they were in the field or in the synagogue. And even today, men are not allowed to enter a mosque without washing (something we don’t even prescribe to), yet they attend in their basic daily clothes. A ritual still held for thousands of years. This idea of dressing up to go to church is a concept of the Western world, but propagated much more in the US. My main focus would be on being dressed modestly and neatly. We still hang onto our suites and ties here, even though the vast majority of the world has since left that behind. I was in a board meeting the other day between executive teams between two companies as we were working through a $100+ million deal. There wasn’t a single person, in the 20 person room that had a tie or a suit coat.

[dgszweda] And yet the men of Galilee probably only wore a basic tunic, and it was the same whether they were in the field or in the synagogue.

I think this is basically a contextualization issue. When we can observe cultural norms without compromising the Gospel or clear Biblical principle, we can and should do so. If in our culture, ‘nicer’ or more formal clothing communicates respect, then we should do what we can to communicate our respect for the church. If in another culture, washing one’s hands or taking one’s shoes off before entering a building communicated respect, then we should do that. Why offend over our ‘right’ to wear flip-flops, or, angels forfend, socks and Birkenstocks?

We live in a time where there has been a resurgence of interest among Christians in things like the value of art and the meaning of secular work. It is ironic, then, to hear some of these same Christians argue that other cultural forms, like dress or music, have absolutely no meaning or significance.

There’s certainly an important element of geographic and cultural subjectivity here, but it’s not ridiculous to consider the larger cultural context and how it affects our own practice. I’ve found that some of the people who say dress at church doesn’t matter actually seem to give a lot of time and thought to crafting their own image.

I think about culture on two levels. There are some aspects of culture that are morally neutral, but that we must grasp as a part of a comprehensive Christian worldview. (Culture in this sense is a blank canvas onto which we can paint our own message.) There is another sense in which cultures can embody anti-Christian values that we should rebuke.

I can certainly imagine a culture where dress was absolutely meaningless, but I don’t think that’s the case in the contexts where most of us live and minister. People dress up for dates, work parties, and nights out on the town. Surely what we wear has some significance.

Now that I’ve written four paragraphs about this, I should disclaim that what people wear to church is not a hot-button issue for me. I do bristle, though, when people argue that cultural forms are completely meaningless and that we should never think about these things. It’s a conversation we should have, but without losing a proper sense of proportion.

[Shaynus]

Yes I wore jeans to work today, and that’s normal for my type of job in DC. But I rode the metro with 30 high school students about to do a tour of the US capitol in gym shorts and t-shirts. How embarrassing.

The US Capitol may be an important building where important things happen. At the same time, the 30 high school students will likely be traipsing around all day, not just through the Capitol, but outdoors on the Mall to the various monuments, in and out of the various Smithsonians… They’re not showing up as legislators, staff, or even pages- much less honored guests. They’re showing up as tourists. If they were pages coming in gym shorts and t-shirts, or even young people coming at the special invitation of the congressman of their district, maybe you have a point. But we’re talking about an environment where you have guided tours on Segways and t-shirt/souvenir vendors on every corner. The Capitol, from that perspective, is just another attraction in a more educational Disney World environment, and the Park Service has done as much as anything to cater to and encourage that kind of attitude and approach. you saw from the students.

In a way, this would be like lamenting that kids don’t wear ties and dresses to VBS or church camp, when not many churches I’ve been in that have those kind of programs encourage that kind of dress for those activities, though they might have a different expectation on a Sunday morning.

I really respect men in suits and ties. They look so godly and pure and holy.

(or maybe not)

Image below is Barney Frank

[Greg Linscott]

[Shaynus]

Yes I wore jeans to work today, and that’s normal for my type of job in DC. But I rode the metro with 30 high school students about to do a tour of the US capitol in gym shorts and t-shirts. How embarrassing.

The US Capitol may be an important building where important things happen. At the same time, the 30 high school students will likely be traipsing around all day, not just through the Capitol, but outdoors on the Mall to the various monuments, in and out of the various Smithsonians… They’re not showing up as legislators, staff, or even pages- much less honored guests. They’re showing up as tourists. If they were pages coming in gym shorts and t-shirts, or even young people coming at the special invitation of the congressman of their district, maybe you have a point. But we’re talking about an environment where you have guided tours on Segways and t-shirt/souvenir vendors on every corner. The Capitol, from that perspective, is just another attraction in a more educational Disney World environment, and the Park Service has done as much as anything to cater to and encourage that kind of attitude and approach. you saw from the students.

In a way, this would be like lamenting that kids don’t wear ties and dresses to VBS or church camp, when not many churches I’ve been in that have those kind of programs encourage that kind of dress for those activities, though they might have a different expectation on a Sunday morning.

The Capitol really isn’t a Disney world environment. You need to arrange a tour with your Congressman’s office and their staff shows you around. It just isn’t like many of the other touristy DC things to see. I don’t expect people to wear ties. Jeans and a collared shirt is fine, really. I just wouldn’t want to meet my Congressman in gym shorts and flip flops as if you just got out o bed.

When I took the family to DC a few years ago, we wore t-shirts and shorts everywhere including the Capitol. I never thought twice about it.

Seriously, DC is miserably hot. And most politicians make a mockery of that building every day in ways infinitely worse than any shorts in existence. Give those tourists a break!

Besides, politicians want people dressed comfortably so they won’t sweat so much. Who was the politician a few years ago complaining because the tourists stunk so bad?

As I look at scripture, it minimizes the importance of fancy clothes- even condemning those who give preference to those who wear the best clothes, yet look at what so many of us are doing. I thought we as fundamentalists were supposed to be against conforming to this world- especially in areas that are condemned in scripture. I am not encouraging sloppiness, but I really believe that it is time that we look to scripture first rather than culture.

Are we talking ‘fancy’ or ‘appropriate’? Is being appropriate conforming to this world? Didn’t Paul observe some cultural norms in order to reach folks with the Gospel?

Good question Susan, and a valid point. The big question though is what is the cultural norm. For some teens, evidently it is wearing shorts to the capital. They think that that is totally appropriate. In some settings we can reach more people by dressing up, but if I show up to watch a little league game in a coat and tie, I will probably turn more people off than if I do not wear a tie to church. The point I am trying to make is that “appropriate” is based on a particular culture, not on what we want that culture to be.

I would just say that if the standard for dress is “it’s too hot” and “I’m a tourist” then the complete emphasis is on the individual, not the setting. If the individual is the standard, then there is no way of discussing appropriateness. That said, I’m going to wear jeans to church this Sunday, as always.

[Susan R]

Are we talking ‘fancy’ or ‘appropriate’? Is being appropriate conforming to this world? Didn’t Paul observe some cultural norms in order to reach folks with the Gospel?

As I have often complained as a resident of the DC area, the power-suit is the ultimate sign of worldliness here, so why is it the go to outfit for church? It’s the equivalent of the rich man’s atire in James. So yes there’s a sense in which fancy is conforming to the world. But note James doesn’t say “don’t wear rich clothing.” He’s more concerned about how one reacts to it in light of the gospel’s leveling of social distinction. This is why I think it’s a good practice for church members to wear normal clothes to church. That is: what do you wear every day? Then wear that to church. This way we’re bound to have a diversity of dress that doesn’t make any one group (formal or informal) out of place.