Modest Dress for Women.

[Jermayn]

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?

 

[chevyontheriver]

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?

The Vatican has a pretty specific dress code and it is apparently enforced.

 

[PloverWing]

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?

Given the reference to pearls and expensive clothes, the warning seems to be about showing off how rich you are in front of other people who are less rich. Don't wear your mink coat and diamond necklace if you're worshipping at a church whose members work for minimum wage.

An exact dress code will be difficult, because it's relative to the particular congregation and culture. How much jewelry crosses the line into showiness? Wedding ring, probably okay. Sparking tiara, too much. Pearl necklace that your grandma gave you? Hmm, hard to say...

Normally, I don't presume to criticize someone about what clothes they're wearing. And notice that I Timothy doesn't say "I also want you to criticize the women who aren't dressing modestly." The author speaks to the women, not the critics around them. A wise Christian may well discover for herself that she's dressed in a way that makes the lower-income people around her feel uncomfortable.

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?

I think I'd explain that our church members come from a variety of levels of wealth, and dress in a variety of ways. I would also assure the visitor that people are welcome in our church regardless of their income level. Our congregation doesn't actually do much of the gold-and-pearls flashiness, but I might explain that the people who dress up on Sunday do it with the intent of honoring God.

If the visitor is still troubled, I might introduce them to our parish priest, who is much more skilled in dealing with spiritual struggles and interpersonal conflict than I am.

 

[Strong in Him]

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?

They didn't have trousers/t shirts/necklines then. The style of dress we have now is very different.
I think it should be left to the individual. As soon as churches talk about a dress code, you are looking at exclusivity.

 

[chevyontheriver]

They didn't have trousers/t shirts/necklines then. The style of dress we have now is very different.

I assure you the ancient Greeks and Romans knew how to dress immodestly. Even without cut-off jeans and tank tops.

I think it should be left to the individual.

The 'individual' often has very little sense. And poorer taste.

As soon as churches talk about a dress code, you are looking at exclusivity.

No. Actually uniform dress codes can be a great leveler. I went to a school with a lot of very rich kids. The poor and the rich could not be distinguished by their clothing, which helped a lot. It reduced exclusivity. Ostentatious dress was just not allowed. If you didn't up and tell people you were poor your clothes wouldn't give you away.

 

[MForbes]

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?

I would simply say "Well then, don't look at her!" If he's got a problem with that, he should shut himself in and never go out. There's plenty of women out there in the real world (outside of church) that are skimpily dressed that he shouldn't be seeing if he's a weak man.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

I would simply say "Well then, don't look at her!" If he's got a problem with that, he should shut himself in and never go out. There's plenty of women out there in the real world (outside of church) that are skimpily dressed that he shouldn't be seeing if he's a weak man.

Just ignore your biological drive to notice sexual appeal in women bro. Lol.

 

[seeking.IAM]

Shall we only be concerned about how women are dressing in church?

 

[MForbes]

--

 

[seeking.IAM]

See Vatican dress code here.

 

[seeking.IAM]

I would simply say "Well then, don't look at her!" If he's got a problem with that, he should shut himself in and never go out.

I submit that is it not a question of arousing lustful thoughts in the person seated next to you in the pew. Rather, it is a matter of whether one's attire demonstrates respect and honor for God in worship.

Is it the best you can do? If not, do better.

 

[chevyontheriver]

Shall we only be concerned about how women are dressing in church?

I have seen some badly dressed men as well. Some that should have been sent home.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

Shall we only be concerned about how women are dressing in church?

You can have standards for both, but since men and women aren't equal there are different expectations of both sexes.

 

[Jermayn]

Shall we only be concerned about how women are dressing in church?

This thread is about modest dress and women specifically. Nothing about it implies this is the only concern we should have in regard to the Church.

 

[WolfGate]

Pretty clearly to me the principle behind the teaching is to not draw undue attention to yourself, and away from worshipping God. That can be, as the passage explicitly states, showy and ostentatious clothing. It could apply to other things as well that in the context of the situation draw that undue attention. Obviously it can apply to someone wearing clothing that is inappropriately sexually provocative. It can also apply to the mother of the groom wearing white to her son's wedding (at least in American culture). It would apply if a church has a defined dress code and someone intentionally flaunts not complying (I question the wisdom of such a dress code as it can discourage the unbeliever from starting to attend, but that is a different topic). It would apply to the most unrevealing clothing if it drew attention towards a cult or other object of worship, as the context of the passage covers.

Too many people seem to go exclusively to moderating the clothing women wear and deciding if it is too revealing and they ignore the rest. If a woman is wearing clothing that is acceptable in their society, why would the church decide to go further given the intention of the passage?

As for this question, "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?" We had to deal with that many times in our church. Generally, we started by separating their reaction from what she is wearing. It is insulting and damaging to both men and women to pretend that she is responsible for his "falling" or "sinning". Supposedly many believe men are equipped to be the leaders of the church yet are also so weak women have to be the leaders of them away from sinning. So I'd teach the man to remember that he is responsible and accountable for his actions. If he is seeing her as a sex object, he needs to learn to remember that she is also a creation of God's, equally and wonderfully made, and deserving of being seen as a whole person and not just physical parts.

Now, if she is indeed wearing something that is beyond acceptable, we would deal with that as well. My experience though is that is seldom, though not never, the case. If a non-Christian, we would leave it alone unless it was heading towards obscene. If she becomes a follower of Christ, normally she will start to move towards what the other women wear. If she is a follower, we'd ask one of the wisest women in the church to speak with her - one who understands the philosophy and expectations of our church body in general.

 

[MForbes]

I submit that is it not a question of arousing lustful thoughts in the person seated next to you in the pew. Rather, it is a matter of whether one's attire demonstrates respect and honor for God in worship.

Is it the best you can do? If not, do better.

I submit that the last sentence in OP is about lustful thoughts.

 

[Jermayn]

I would simply say "Well then, don't look at her!" If he's got a problem with that, he should shut himself in and never go out. There's plenty of women out there in the real world (outside of church) that are skimpily dressed that he shouldn't be seeing if he's a weak man.

I seem to recall you saying you don't put your faith in Jesus Christ, which would make you not Christian, posting in a "Christians Only" thread....

 

[MForbes]

I seem to recall you saying you don't put your faith in Jesus Christ, which would make you not Christian, posting in a "Christians Only" thread....

If you seem to think I'm an atheist and don't believe in God, you'd be wrong.

 

[Jermayn]

If you seem to think I'm an atheist and don't believe in God, you'd be wrong.

So do Jews (the religion). They're not Christians either.

 

[MForbes]

So do Jews (the religion). They're not Christians either.

If you can show me a post where I stated "I don't believe in Jesus Christ", I'd like to see it. But your observations about me and my beliefs don't belong on this thread.