Asking a question in regard to 1 Timothy 2:9-10, which states:
"I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God" (NIV).
How would you define the "dress code", if you will, described in this excerpt?
Do you think churches should have a defined dress code, such as guidance on neckline, skirt/pant length, sleeve length, etc., or do you think the interpretation should be left up to the individual?
Would you confront a woman who you thought may be pushing the boundaries with the way they were dressing in church? What about in public in general? If so, how? (I'm speaking of a fellow believer here, not just any random woman you think is dressed inappropriate.)
If a fellow believer approached you and said a woman in your church was dressing in a manner that caused them to either fall under temptation or to sin, how would you address this situation?
This is a different type of discussion, than "You shall not murder a human being."
The entire paragraph holds together, and it is in the context of worship.
It is also in the context of the roles of men and women (including authority,
and bearing children).
The interesting thing is that Paul does not separate these contexts. And, he
explains some of what he means by modest and decent dress for women, in
CONTRAST to the upper Roman class that flashed about its wealth (and at
this time, was also known for its promiscuity).
The paragraph is not about modest dress for women -- it is about appropriate
behavior for men and women in the congregation (in worship). This is a discussion
of what behavior is appropriate, BEFORE GOD, and is not particularly a discussion
of what we would call "modesty".
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I don't think that Paul's guidelines are minimal, or fixed. I think that Paul would add
many more instructions, for congregations that were in populations of pagans who
regularly engaged in all sorts of lavish and wild gatherings. (He does not mention women
covering their head, here.) It is curious that Paul would mention men praying, without
quarreling or anger, lifting holy hands in prayer. I would say that this is a basic instruction
that the worship of the Christian God is not done in wild parties and shouting, but in
order and peace.
This passage is not what modern American Christians want it to be.
It is not a simple formula for how modest and decent women are to dress.
Whatever behavior is not seemly, in the worshipping of God, should be understood
to be forbidden, in the congregation. Paul's teaching is certainly NOT the modern
American feminist assertion ("It's my body -- keep your laws off my body!"). For
Christians, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and they DO NOT BELONG
TO US.
This also means that I cannot assert that part of my "identity" is to dress like....
Our identity is the children of God, and we must conform to God's standard of
modesty and decency, in all sorts of ways. There is no room in the People of God,
for those who identify as something other than a child of God. And this means that
our dress, and behavior, and hair styles, all need to conform to God's standards
of decency.
It's not a simplistic standard.
But, at certain points in the Bible, the biblical authors clearly state what
is NOT appropriate for godly worship, or godly behavior in the congregation.
