Why Is It Acceptable for Christians to Dress Like Slobs to Church?

[aiki]

I remember going to a church for the first time on a long while in my twenties, and having the people look at me disdainfully. Perhaps because I had a beard. Perhaps because I wore shorts on a day that would be in the mid 90s likely, being summer in Texas.

They did not know me or anything of me. They did not want to know me.

Many have experienced what I did.

Lucky for me I found God anyway.

And many may have not experienced what you did in other places. What's more, we have only your perspective on your visit to the Texan church. I wonder what those you condemn were actually thinking. You can only guess, really, make assumptions, which is never a good way to get at the truth.

 

[aiki]

It's my choice and also my belief that God doesn't judge us for our attire.

Oh? I don't agree that God doesn't judge our attire. Do you think the prostitute who lures men into sin with seductive, immodest clothing is approved in her manner of dress by God? Do you believe the atheist strutting around with a t-shirt mocking God or Christ is applauded by God in his clothing choice? What about the teenager whose hoodie displays a demonic image or a rotting skull with worms and spiders all over it? Is God delighted by such a thing? How about the young woman at the beach wearing a thong bikini? Does God think to Himself, "Good for her!" I think not. No, these clothing choices speak to the inner person and to the corruption that is there. And God judges both the corrupted heart and the expression of the corruption of that heart.

I already love and respect God.

But not enough to dress well when you're worshiping Him.

His spiritual and our spiritual realm is invisible -- why can't you realize that we are to focus on things above, not temporal things that will burn up.

It doesn't follow from the things I've said in this thread that I am unaware of the spiritual realm and its eternal nature and/or unconcerned about it.

Our spirit is what He sees and takes no offense to our attire.

Not so. See above.

A revelation? Is it for you, I've known this for 26 years, the Church is the Body of Christ, it's believers.

And I have known this since I was a child some forty years ago.

 

[aiki]

Listen, wearing jeans and tshirt is NOT a sin. Not even pajamas are a sin. You are judging by outside appearances. Some people who are depressed dont care anymore what they look like. Should we call them slobs?

I don't think I ever said wearing jeans and t-shirt was sinful. I know I've made no direct comment whatever about pajamas. And, yes, I do evaluate a person - to some degree - by the nature of their clothing. This isn't the only way I assess someone, of course.

If a person is depressed and dressing like a slob, are we obliged by their depression to ignore their appearance? It might not be best to lead off a conversation with such a person by calling them a slob, but at some point it should be remarked on. Being depressed doesn't make you immune from criticism.

 

[Halbhh]

And many may have not experienced what you did in other places. What's more, we have only your perspective on your visit to the Texan church. I wonder what those you condemn were actually thinking. You can only guess, really, make assumptions, which is never a good way to get at the truth.

Wow. This isn't a war.

 

[gym_class_hero]

S
So the slob gets to dictate what the pastor should wear . What next ,change the bible ?
It makes sense not to dress up too much if it is not the norm for most parishioners to do so ,but, that one individual gets to change the habits of the others !!

I missed the verse where it defines the dress code for church.

 

[Anguspure]

Good grief.

Judging people as too well dressed is just the same as judging them as too casually dressed.

What part of 'as you judge, so you will be judged' is difficult to understand?

Matthew 7:2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Experience my sister. I only know that my phone never gets a return call, my home is never visited, even though I try and visit them and I am seldom (although by a few) greeted with a smile even when I recognize a brother or especially a sister on the street, and that all of these people have a fixation with one day a week and the 2 or 3 hours of meeting.

I have also turned up at the meetings and time and time again the leadership and the favored are in the prime positions at the front of the meeting with their backs to everyone else, whereas the down and out, the scruffy slobbish ones disappear in the darkness at the back.

I am well aware of Jesus warning but I am also aware of Pauls admonishment to the Corinthians: What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”

I suspect I have been expelled in some way but for what offence, I know not. Is it because my dress is to slobbish?

 

[W2L]

I don't think I ever said wearing jeans and t-shirt was sinful. I know I've made no direct comment whatever about pajamas. And, yes, I do evaluate a person - to some degree - by the nature of their clothing. This isn't the only way I assess someone, of course.

If a person is depressed and dressing like a slob, are we obliged by their depression to ignore their appearance? It might not be best to lead off a conversation with such a person by calling them a slob, but at some point it should be remarked on. Being depressed doesn't make you immune from criticism.

Thanks for the Re.

 

[Halbhh]

I missed the verse where it defines the dress code for church.

Though modest dressing for women is spoken of in 1 Tim 2 v 9, the crucial dressing we all must have is in the parable in Matthew 22.

Wondering what "dress" this is, we notice the parable has some similarities to the one just before it in Matthew 21, with the key verse, 43. What fruits? The same as in John 15, v 1-17. Because of faith, we are to then proceed to bear fruit, or be burned.

 

[Halbhh]

When someone comes to church dressed poorly, we should make a special effort to welcome them, just as with someone well dressed, because we follow Christ.

For that reason :

"I was a stranger and you welcomed me...."

 

[W2L]

i was a stranger and you welcomed me...."

Amen.

Matthew 25:40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’


The apostles were poorly dressed

1 Corinthians 4:11 To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless.

 

[Halbhh]

Amen.

Matthew 25:40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’


The apostles were poorly dressed

1 Corinthians 4:11 To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless.

Wow. Great points in those scriptures. This is a big deal, all of this, and we are finding valuable things we need here.

Thank you!

 

[samir]

I recommend finding a church with a strict dress code such as this one:

"Clothing is perhaps the most important thing about being a Christian. If one is not properly clothed and fully representative of what God would want them to appear like... well then, that person is probably not saved. Our motto is "get saved, get to a Christian Clothing store, and get fitted for the kingdom." A man should dress and act like a man, and a woman should dress and act like a submissive female helpmate. That about sums it up. Anyone who does not conform to the dress code at Landover Baptist will be fined no less than $300.00 a violation. It is a privilege to be a Christian and we believe that it is about time folks started acting like it!" - What We (God) Believes

 

[Paidiske]

Thank goodness that's satire...

 

[ViaCrucis]

What are the supposed "important" things that clothing has nothing to do with?

Literally anything and everything else?

Like, I don't know, how about that the church in question preaches the Gospel? That the Sacraments are being faithfully administered? That the church is teaching orthodox Christian teaching and not promoting heresy. How about whether or not the church is caring for the poor and the hungry? Welcoming the stranger? I mean the list can go on and on.

That a parishioner is wearing sweat pants and flip flops is, if it's on my list of things to care about at all, probably at the very, very, very bottom. If there is a church that turns away people from God's Word and Sacraments because of how they are dressed, then that's not a church at all.

I seem to recall Screwtape instructing Wormwood to incite judgment in Christians by having them focus on other people in the pews around us, and care about what they're doing, how they're dressed, etc. It's a very excellent way to follow the devil's vices, to ignore God's Word and care about the clothing of our fellow-worshipers.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Dave-W]

White robes, apparently. Rev. 6:11; 7:9.

Sounds like a kittel.

 

[Aseyesee]

I recently moved to a new city and I've been checking out a lot churches in the area and I'm curious why it is acceptable to dress like a slob at so many of them. People wear flip-flops, pajama pants, sweat pants, graphic tees that make them look like a billboard, athletic shorts, or shirts that actually might be parachutes I'm not sure. Stuff that doesn't even fall into the casual dress category, just straight up lazy slob.

Clearly it is not a money problem. Everyone has a $2-600 cell phone in their pocket they pay ~$60 or more a month for data, they can afford to go buy a collared shirt and some nice pants. Even designer stores have really nice clothes for ~$20-30 during their seasonal clearance sales which seemingly go on all year round these days.

I can only guess it's a respect problem? I mean I can't imagine these people dress like that all the time, do they? I know anyplace I've ever worked will tell you to go home if you dress like that, and I know if I was on a date with a woman and she showed up in sweats or flip-flops and we weren't going to the beach I'd just shake my head and leave. I can understand visitors, but why is it acceptable for Christians to dress like slobs to church?

At one time in human history naked was acceptable, and God didn't seem to have a problem with it.

 

[LinkH]

Yes.

James 2
1 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
2 For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;
3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:
4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?

 

[rturner76]

I remember when I was a kid we were to wear a suit and tie to church and girls wore dresses period. This was in the 80's. It wasn't that if you didn't you felt embarrassed, it just didn't happen at all. When I got older, after I had left the church and came back, it seemed that the dress code had changed and the much older generation was still wearing suits. the older generation wore a shirt and tie or a button down and the teenagers seemed to wear anything clean and neat. Young kids wore polos and khakis etc. I think parents were just trying to get the younger men and women (teens) to go to church and were willing to give in about how they dressed as long as they would go. The older generation understood they had no choice but to go to church when they were young (us) and we had no choice how we would dress. That was at the AME church. At the ELCA church I worked at it was pretty much anything goes except no hats. For example the Pastors wore Birkenstocks so that was the example.

 

[Paidiske]

Sounds like a kittel.

Or an alb.

 

[Dave-W]

At one time in human history naked was acceptable, and God didn't seem to have a problem with it.

Yeah. And then someone went and ate some fruit they were not supposed to and messed it all up.