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

[Paidiske]

I disagree with that statement, unless "overt personal statement" can also include "I identify with my group"--such as a soldier makes with a uniform.

A person can choose to wear unnotable clothing in a particular venue--I would not categorize it as an "overt personal statement" if the intent is to be unnoticed.

And I'd argue that to be non-ostentatious--to wear unnotable clothing--was Paul's point.

Even clothing that doesn't stand out from the crowd makes a statement. It could be "I'm just another mum at play group," or it could be "I take my studies more seriously than the latest fashions," or whatever, but people give and receive all kinds of messages by how we present ourselves.

I think Paul's point was about avoiding displays of wealth and luxury ("focus more on doing good than looking good" is how I've summed it up before), rather than not standing out per se.

 

[Danthemailman]

I have visited churches that basically enforce men to wear suits and women to wear long dresses and seem to believe that by doing so, it makes them holier than those who dress casually in church and I have also visited churches where casual dress is encouraged and dressing up represents trying to look "holier than thou" in their eyes. I guess I fall somewhere in the middle on how to dress at church.

 

[fat wee robin]

I am gymnastics coach. I wear T-shirts and shorts for the job. You think my logic is flawed, I would say your knowledge of God today is flawed as well as your logic. You dress up to impress a stranger, as in a first date, or job interview. How do you dress around your wife and kids on a daily basis? God knows us intimately. He made us naked, not clothed. Clothing is a result of sin, not God's righteousness. He did not make Adam wearing a tuxedo or Eve in a gown. The only clothing that God cares about is the clothing He gives us in the righteousness of Christ. And we wear that by faith. It is disrespectful of you to have your works so far ahead of God's grace.

Well I guess my idea of God is totally different from yours . I see the bible and the nakedness of Adam and Eve as not literal ,but figurative .Naked as in innocent ,open ,without guile ,Not Starkers .Designing and making clothes ,is one of the most creative of human activities ,encompassing many different accomplishments ,and skills .It is a part of all happy creative societies ,no matter how poor they are ;think African materials of great beauty and skill .
No we don''t believe in the same God ,who designed and created a beautiful Universe ,beautiful flowers ,,plants ,trees and much more .No slob is my God ,who makes all that He touches, good and wonderfully made .

Some people point their holy fingers at others, if not for their proper attire, for the way they live and things they do that they don't approve of. They seem to think they hold and practice the super spiritual way of the Lord, and are elevated above others, looking down and judging them. Like the man who prayed, thanking God that he was not like other sinners compared to the one who prayed in humility and godly sorrow, that he was a sinner. Which prayer did God approve of, the prideful man or the humble one?
As someone else pointed out, Jesus and his disciples wore and probably owned one garment and slept on the ground - it's no wonder He washed their feet, they were all filthy dirty. And some were smelly fishermen. Do you think they washed with ivory soap, brushed their teeth and hair daily or even at all. I think a bath to them was a dip in the Sea of Galilee a couple times a week at best. So with the stained, dirty, torn garments, bad breath and probably all smelly, the disciples sat down in dirt or on the grass and were taught by God in the flesh, who also did not get up and brush His teeth, get a shampoo and a trim from Supercuts, nor did He have a nice pressed suit, shirt, pants and tie. Jesus was concerned about their hearts. Now the Pharisees wore nice threads and I'm sure were well groomed and clean with trimmed hair and beards. What did Jesus think of them? "White washed tombs ... a brood of vipers ... and even condemned them to the Gehenna!"

Come as you are, would be Jesus sentiments. "Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" Matt. 11:28-30
Did He say, make sure you dress in appropriate attire or else don't come?

Part of my post got lost in yours aot agree with you on very much at all .

Talk about red herrings .None of them would have gone to the temple without cleaning up ,and probably
changing their garments .Apparently that of Jesus found in the cave was of one piece, and very expensive .

 

[RDKirk]

Even clothing that doesn't stand out from the crowd makes a statement. It could be "I'm just another mum at play group," or it could be "I take my studies more seriously than the latest fashions," or whatever, but people give and receive all kinds of messages by how we present ourselves.

I think Paul's point was about avoiding displays of wealth and luxury ("focus more on doing good than looking good" is how I've summed it up before), rather than not standing out per se.

Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long

That wasn't about wealth, but I suspect Paul included it in his concept of modesty. The key point is "...for people to see."

 

[Ronald]

Well I guess my idea of God is totally different from yours . I see the bible and the nakedness of Adam and Eve as not literal ,but figurative .Naked as in innocent ,open ,without guile ,Not Starkers .Designing and making clothes ,is one of the most creative of human activities ,encompassing many different accomplishments ,and skills .It is a part of all happy creative societies ,no matter how poor they are ;think African materials of great beauty and skill .
No we don''t believe in the same God ,who designed and created a beautiful Universe ,beautiful flowers ,,plants ,trees and much more .No slob is my God ,who makes all that He touches, good and wonderfully made .



Part of my post got lost in yours aot agree with you on very much at all .

Talk about red herrings .None of them would have gone to the temple without cleaning up ,and probably
changing their garments .Apparently that of Jesus found in the cave was of one piece, and very expensive .

The disciples smelled like red herrings and Jesus btw only taught once in the Temple, after which they wanted to get rid of Him. They learned Jesus wherever they were at the time and realize that they lived outside for years. They were not clean outside, bit they were given spiritual food on the inside. Why don't you go on a mission to impoverished Africa, but unfortunately the people who show up for church won't be acceptable to you -- you'll just have to insult them, tell them to get jobs and come back when they can afford a suit and a pretty dress.

 

[AlexDTX]

Well I guess my idea of God is totally different from yours . I see the bible and the nakedness of Adam and Eve as not literal ,but figurative .Naked as in innocent ,open ,without guile ,Not Starkers .Designing and making clothes ,is one of the most creative of human activities ,encompassing many different accomplishments ,and skills .It is a part of all happy creative societies ,no matter how poor they are ;think African materials of great beauty and skill .
No we don''t believe in the same God ,who designed and created a beautiful Universe ,beautiful flowers ,,plants ,trees and much more .No slob is my God ,who makes all that He touches, good and wonderfully made .

You are making quite a stretch here. First, if they were not naked, after they sinned and their eyes were opened to realize they were naked, why did God kill an animal to clothe them?

Gen 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.​

Second, why do you assume I worship a different God based upon my point about clothing at church? I am not against clothing. I don't go to church naked. I also own some nice clothes, although I don't usually wear them. There is nothing wrong with making beautiful things, even clothing. The OP is about dressing up for church. I said that if I am in a congregation where a dress code matters, I will dress up. I find your comment thoughtless and ridiculous. I know God is a God of beauty and see the beauty of all that He made. But as far as man is concerned He cares more about our hearts than our clothing.

 

[The Brown Brink]

So anyone is allowed to keep coming to church? Guy who cheats on his wife, it's cool for him to come and sit in the next pew over with his new mistress?

If all that matters is "the heart", then let me ask if you dress up for dates with your wife? I mean if the heart is all that matters then you're cool if she shows up to date night with flip-flips, torn sweat pants, bed hair, and no makeup even though she probably wears makeup everywhere else she goes. You plan a nice date night out and if she showed up looking like a slob you wouldn't mind at all, correct?

Silly.
We dress for other humans because other humans can't see our hearts.

 

[Baby Cottontail]

This is the problem with fashion taliban; the moment one person creates arbitrary rules they create a whole raft of other questions. There is too much diversity of fashion across generations, across cultures and across taste to set any really firm rules.

That was my point for asking the question. I wanted to see how far the OP would go with t-shirts, and I wanted to know what exactly he considered "sloppy," and what he would consider acceptable. I wanted to have a better idea of where he was coming from.

Since he stated that he considered these fine, although he said they looked kind of casual (being paired with jeans in the pictures), he was open to the idea that they might look dressy paired with something else.

So, I don't think that the OP does have necessarily hard and fast rules here -- but he recognizes what he thinks is unacceptable for church. He has also stated that if a visitor or a non-Christian came, he wouldn't judge them for their clothing, but if they attended regularly, he feels that they would need to be shown how to dress better.

He has also stated that he believes that it is a sin for Christians to show up to church not dressed in clothing that would be appropriate for a date or for work, with the idea that the person needs to have an attitude of honoring God with their clothing, reflecting their love and respect for God and those they are worshiping with.

I get all that.

 

[Baby Cottontail]

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 !!

Since this didn't happen in my church, and i don't know the circumstances, I can't really comment on the exact situation.

However, since you included one of my posts in your reply here, I assume that you were also responding to my earlier comment...so....

It's quite a leap to suggest that more casual dress is somehow related to changing the Bible. I haven't heard anyone in this thread advocate for that, and it is certainly not something that I think should happen.

I also wouldn't change my dress to church just for one person, but it would make me think a bit. But, yeah, what is everyone else in that church wearing? There are ways to make someone feel less out of place, if they have voiced that they feel out of place because of dress. Just having a friendly, genuine conversation with them would go a long way. If they can understand that you do value them as a person, and you aren't judging them for what they wear, then maybe they won't feel so out of place.

 

[RogerRoger]

I really dislike the attitude of viewing people who don't dress up as "bums"

I grew up, and have worked at, churches that make a special point to serve, worship alongside, and invite the homeless community. I think there is great precedent to the church having a mission to love those who have less - to eat alongside them, to make friends with them, to pray with them, and to learn from them. The more you do this, the less "them" continues to be an effective description.

To view people as bums for their dress is I think to miss a very large point. Most churches are good at having initiatives for the homeless outside of service or the church, fewer still would be comfortable sitting beside our less fortunate brothers and sisters in the pews. I think the best interactions happen when we get out from behind the counter serving food, and sit alongside everyone at the table and in the pews/seats.

To view others as bums, to me, signals a lot of things that I personally disagree with.

 

[Baby Cottontail]

I have visited churches that basically enforce men to wear suits and women to wear long dresses and seem to believe that by doing so, it makes them holier than those who dress casually in church and I have also visited churches where casual dress is encouraged and dressing up represents trying to look "holier than thou" in their eyes. I guess I fall somewhere in the middle on how to dress at church.

Yes, that depends on the social norms at the church are are at, as well as the church culture in that church.

 

[Halbhh]

You sound awfully 'judgemental' of people who don't think like you .If all the world was like you we would never have left the caves .We would never have achieved anything .Most people who dress permanently like 'slobs ' are just that . What we wear most of the time is our business ,but sometimes it is
not .

It's not safe to be judgemental, because we will pay for it, if we don't repent. If you fear God, like me, you want that to disappear from you. We can always pray for aid on this, and I needed to, and now I'm different than I was once, and I've befriended pretty most of all of the congregation of my church, and all of my neighbors here where I live, about 100 people in all, and no one seems to avoid me but instead I usually see friendly smiles or at least people that are pleased to talk with me when I approach, but this is really from Him, and not what I could have done without Him. He saves.

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

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 !!

IMHO about the pastor changing his dress, he allowed the condemnation he felt from the slob to lowering the standard he had set for himself.

 

[aiki]

There seems to be this pervasive notion among folk posting to this thread that dressing well for Sunday worship is a sure sign of hypocrisy and a cold, loveless heart. The people in my church who are in suits and a tie or a lovely dress on a Sunday morning are some of the most Christlike people I've ever met! This correlation people are pointing to between dressing well and an unwelcoming and disdainful attitude is by no means a universal one.

Also, the idea that what the individual Christian may or may not do is entirely a personal matter, totally without effect within the larger body of believers, is just not biblical. Read 1 Corinthians 5.

 

[Phil 1:21]

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?

Matthew 23:25, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence."

 

[Halbhh]

There seems to be this pervasive notion among folk posting to this thread that dressing well for Sunday worship is a sure sign of hypocrisy and a cold, loveless heart. The people in my church who are in suits and a tie or a lovely dress on a Sunday morning are some of the most Christlike people I've ever met! This correlation people are pointing to between dressing well and an unwelcoming and disdainful attitude is by no means a universal one.

Also, the idea that what the individual Christian may or may not do is entirely a personal matter, totally without effect within the larger body of believers, is just not biblical. Read 1 Corinthians 5.

We all know it's true that some "...in suits and a tie or a lovely dress on a Sunday morning are some of the most Christlike people I've ever met".

Right? Don't we all agree on that?

But, do you think it is ok to call some people not well dressed "slobs"?

 

[Ronald]

There seems to be this pervasive notion among folk posting to this thread that dressing well for Sunday worship is a sure sign of hypocrisy and a cold, loveless heart. The people in my church who are in suits and a tie or a lovely dress on a Sunday morning are some of the most Christlike people I've ever met! This correlation people are pointing to between dressing well and an unwelcoming and disdainful attitude is by no means a universal one.

Also, the idea that what the individual Christian may or may not do is entirely a personal matter, totally without effect within the larger body of believers, is just not biblical. Read 1 Corinthians 5.

If you feel comfortable wearing a suit and being all dapper, by all means flock with those who do. I own one suit, not that I can't afford more, I just don't like to wear suits. My daughter is getting married next month - Ill wear it. I used to have to wear one at work.
For those who feel at home and comfortable with shorts and. T-shirts at church, find a church where its casual and normal to do so, so you won't be judged and given dirty looks. I had a great Pastor for many years, he wore Hawaiian shirts ... Hope Chapel, Hermosa Beach, .CA.
I' be been to John McArthur's church for his excellent teaching, he wears a suit. But I don't think he would pull me aside and say, "Hey, next time have some respect for the Lord and the church."
The Church is the Body of Christ, it IS NOT A BUILDING!
Frankly, I never approved of PJ's worn outside of the home. And I would expect cleanliness outside in public anywhere. Some people are slobs, but its the way they are most of the time and we have to at least forgive them for their deficiencies and lack of social mores ... so they may also feel welcome and be open to receive forgiveness from God as well.

 

[Halbhh]

The Church is the Body of Christ, it IS NOT A BUILDING!

Amen. Praise God.

We are not only Christians on Sunday in a church service.

Not only then.

And we do need to dress right! -- Ephesians 6

 

[AlexDTX]

There seems to be this pervasive notion among folk posting to this thread that dressing well for Sunday worship is a sure sign of hypocrisy and a cold, loveless heart. The people in my church who are in suits and a tie or a lovely dress on a Sunday morning are some of the most Christlike people I've ever met! This correlation people are pointing to between dressing well and an unwelcoming and disdainful attitude is by no means a universal one.

Also, the idea that what the individual Christian may or may not do is entirely a personal matter, totally without effect within the larger body of believers, is just not biblical. Read 1 Corinthians 5.

I don't get that sense. I think the main point people are addressing is that it is the heart that God cares about. There are people who go to church and do not know Christ but dress up, and there are people who love Christ and dress up as a way of honoring him. This is the point of the heart that matters to God. He know who is doing so to honor him and those who do not care about him.

Your Corinthian 5 reference is not the same thing. Fornicating with a step mother is not the same as what you wear.

What I find amusing is the assumption that God cares about church services. He cares about the people, not the format. What we have today, including the ancient organizations such as Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy has nothing to do with how the Early Church gathered. As you referenced Corinthians they gathered in homes and it was genuine body ministry with everyone participating, not the oratory show of today.

 

[disciple1]

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?

James chapter 4 verse 12
There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you--who are you to judge your neighbor?

Maybe they don't want to make other people feel bad who have nothing.