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

[Halbhh]

If we make the mistake of thinking the 'better' dressed in worldly clothing are honoring God more than those with less money or simply without such clothes, it's time to pray the daring prayer -- "Search my heart, O God", and be ready for some serious change.

 

[Halbhh]

You should wear nice clothes to church, but what exactly is "nice" is going to be open to interpretation.

Most people have a very casual attitude to church now days as compared to the past.

I think the particular outfitting to wear that Paul laid out for us to wear in Ephesians chapter 6 is the 'nice clothes' to wear to church and all the time, though.

 

[Zatek]

Comes across as very judgemental to me. Who are you to judge the hearts of other believers?

I tend to agree with the poster who said older people tend to think you should dress up for church. Where I am it tends to be over 60's think you should dress up for church and under 60s are comfortable in jeans and t shirt, or even shorts in summer. I consider having to dress up for church being a religious thing comparable to the Pharisees. People should be able to come to work how they feel comfortable. I have word a suit and tie for work in the past and do now when I see customers but I dont when I go out and I must have said hundreds of times that I hate wearing a noose (tie) and only do when I absolutely have to. Even at weddings these days I tend to wear a suit with an open shirt. So if I only dress up for times when it si absolutely necessary, why should I feel I have to for church every week? If I did feel I had to dress up i would undoubtably go far less as I dont like dressing up or wearing shoes (I wear trainers)

It sounds judgmental because it supposed to be judgmental lol. Churches are representatives for Christ and in 1 Cor 5:12 Paul states it is our RESPONSIBILITY to judge those inside the church who are sinning. That's why one of the first things I did when I moved here was to find some other strong Christian men who can judge me and point out my sin so I can fix it and grow as a Christian.

Many jeans are made to be almost dressy these days. Sometimes at first glance it can be difficult to tell the difference between dressy jeans and actual dress pants without a closer look. While not the best choice for a formal look, dressy jeans and some nice boots and a nice collared shirt definitely make for a classy and masculine date night outfit. I wouldn't wear jeans on Sunday morning, but if I'll wear jeans to small groups that's fine.

If you never dress up for anything, not even work or dates nights, then I'll give you a pass for not dressing up for church either. Otherwise you are dishonoring God if you dress like a slob.

 

[Baby Cottontail]

I do live in a big city, I live in Dallas. Well between Dallas and Ft. Worth, but there's only like 8 bigger cities in the entire country.

Unless you're walking around comparing how much your clothes cost and trying to brag "oh I paid $$$ for my shoes" or whatever, then how is dressing in clothes that everyone can afford being "above" anyone? Like I said in my original post you can get designer shirts on clearance for $20-30 a piece. If people can afford giant TVs, cell phones, expensive cars and trucks, they can afford a nice shirt. Expecting people to wear normal formal clothing is not snooty or looking down on poor people.

And of course we're not talking about visitors, if that guy you mentioned with the leather jacket was a visitor. If he was a frequent attendee then perhaps it was justified. Depends. Leather jacket can range from anything from a simple solid color jacket made of leather, to a leather jacket cover in tacky skulls and other gang related symbols. Some leather jackets are design for and fit really well with formal attire.

Okay, and the new community you moved into is still considered to be part of the Dallas/Ft. Worth area? Or did you move from another part of the country?

I don't know what the culture is like in Texas. It is probably very different from what it is in Ohio. Or maybe it isn't that different. I don't know. I've never been to Texas.

Try to put yourselves in the shoes and thinking of those who might have less money than you. I will give you an example from my own community:

Where I live, there are only a couple places to get clothing in the community. (Wal-Mart and Peables.) In order to get clothing from anywhere else, you have to either go out of town, or you have to order online. Some of the closest department stores have closed in our part of the state. For example, we don't have a Sears store near us anymore. You have to travel like 2 hours or so to go to a Sears. For Macy's you have to travel about an hour away. For JC Penney's and Elder Beerman, you can find one about 40 minutes or so away.

Some of the people in my community are really poor. They might not have the gas money to go out of town, or they might not have the Internet at home, or have extra money to pay for shipping. Peables may be too expensive for some of them, or maybe they have never wanted to go in because they have convinced themselves that they couldn't afford it, or that they don't belong in a store like that. The same could be said of the department stores I mentioned.

I don't know why, but many poorer people have convinced themselves that Wal-Mart is the only place they can afford to buy things in. While you might be able to find some decent clothing at Wal-Mart, your clothing choices are severely limited.

Yes, there are decent sales at better stores, but if you have convinced yourself that you don't belong in a nicer store, or if you don't realize how good sale prices at other stores can be -- because you just don't think you can afford it, or you would be embarrassed to walk into one of those stores because of how other people might judge you, then you would really look at Wal-Mart as your only option, I guess.

The subculture of the poorer people has its own culture. Within that culture, it might have certain viewpoints about people who wear nicer clothing, or what it would mean to dress up. Other people from their subculture might consider someone from their subculture to be too good for the rest of them if they wear nicer clothing or something.

So...while technically "anyone might be able to afford nice clothing," either they may have convinced themselves that they can't afford it, or their culture frowns upon wearing it, or they've never even thought about it.

There's a woman who works at our church who works with the poor people of the community. She always dresses in a regular t-shirt (the ones you call billboards) and jeans because she's said that that's what the people she works with are comfortable wearing. She said she used to wear better clothing to work, but the people said they couldn't relate to her. She looked like she was above them, and they felt like she was trying to be better than they were.

So...it is all about perspective and situation. What you think someone can reasonably afford may not be what they think they can afford. Or, they might know that they can afford it, but choose not to wear it because they don't think they have any need of it. They just want to be comfortable because that's the culture of the church they are a part of.

The guy I spoke of only came once, so he was a visitor, yes.

It sounds to me like you need to find a church in which people really dress up. It seems like it is very important to you. I'm sure there are churches in your area where the attenders do dress up more to your liking. It just may take you awhile to find one.

 

[Zatek]

My policy is when in Rome due as the Romans do. If I know the congregation expects formal attire I will dress accordingly. If they are casual; likewise there. For me it is a matter of not offending the sensibilities of the group I am with. As for my own belief, I don't think God cares about such matters. His concern is the attitude of our hearts. For many they dress as an attitude of giving their best to God, and I think God appreciates that. For others it is to impress other people by their clothing, and God would appreciate the casually dressed whose heart is turned towards Him more than others, than the well dressed trying to impress people.

So to answer your question, how do the people respond to God that are casually dressed?

Your logic is flawed because the heart is not separate from how one dresses. Like I said in other replies, if someone never dresses up, not even for work or for date nights, then not dressing up for church is a defendable position, but finding a real job where guys don't have to wear a collared shirt is extremely rare and looks aren't everything in dating but dressing like a slob is really going to hurt your chances there too. Most of the people who aren't dressing up for church are dressing up for other things, and it's just disrespectful to have God so far down on your priority list you can't even be bothered to put on a nice shirt.

I do agree there is always some preference involved. What constitutes "best" varies from person to person. I wear suits to an interview, but I kinda feel a suit is too "businessy" for my tastes and does fit for church, but I'm sure many others do feel a suit is appropriate for church. I'm not trying to debate fashion senses, but there's clearly a difference between that and just going off the deep end and wearing flip-flops and a t-shirt.

 

[W2L]

...you are dishonoring God if you dress like a slob.

I never wear dress clothes. I wear jeans, work boots, and tshirts. . Dressing nice for me is to wear new clothes instead of the wore out ones i sometimes wear. Im more concerned with the inside rather than the outside

 

[Zatek]

Okay, and the new community you moved into is still considered to be part of the Dallas/Ft. Worth area? Or did you move from another part of the country?

I don't know what the culture is like in Texas. It is probably very different from what it is in Ohio. Or maybe it isn't that different. I don't know. I've never been to Texas.

Try to put yourselves in the shoes and thinking of those who might have less money than you. I will give you an example from my own community:

Where I live, there are only a couple places to get clothing in the community. (Wal-Mart and Peables.) In order to get clothing from anywhere else, you have to either go out of town, or you have to order online. Some of the closest department stores have closed in our part of the state. For example, we don't have a Sears store near us anymore. You have to travel like 2 hours or so to go to a Sears. For Macy's you have to travel about an hour away. For JC Penney's and Elder Beerman, you can find one about 40 minutes or so away.

Some of the people in my community are really poor. They might not have the gas money to go out of town, or they might not have the Internet at home, or have extra money to pay for shipping. Peables may be too expensive for some of them, or maybe they have never wanted to go in because they have convinced themselves that they couldn't afford it, or that they don't belong in a store like that. The same could be said of the department stores I mentioned.

I don't know why, but many poorer people have convinced themselves that Wal-Mart is the only place they can afford to buy things in. While you might be able to find some decent clothing at Wal-Mart, your clothing choices are severely limited.

Yes, there are decent sales at better stores, but if you have convinced yourself that you don't belong in a nicer store, or if you don't realize how good sale prices at other stores can be -- because you just don't think you can afford it, or you would be embarrassed to walk into one of those stores because of how other people might judge you, then you would really look at Wal-Mart as your only option, I guess.

The subculture of the poorer people has its own culture. Within that culture, it might have certain viewpoints about people who wear nicer clothing, or what it would mean to dress up. Other people from their subculture might consider someone from their subculture to be too good for the rest of them if they wear nicer clothing or something.

So...while technically "anyone might be able to afford nice clothing," either they may have convinced themselves that they can't afford it, or their culture frowns upon wearing it, or they've never even thought about it.

There's a woman who works at our church who works with the poor people of the community. She always dresses in a regular t-shirt (the ones you call billboards) and jeans because she's said that that's what the people she works with are comfortable wearing. She said she used to wear better clothing to work, but the people said they couldn't relate to her. She looked like she was above them, and they felt like she was trying to be better than they were.

So...it is all about perspective and situation. What you think someone can reasonably afford may not be what they think they can afford. Or, they might know that they can afford it, but choose not to wear it because they don't think they have any need of it. They just want to be comfortable because that's the culture of the church they are a part of.

The guy I spoke of only came once, so he was a visitor, yes.

It sounds to me like you need to find a church in which people really dress up. It seems like it is very important to you. I'm sure there are churches in your area where the attenders do dress up more to your liking. It just may take you awhile to find one.

I live in DFW are now. I am originally from Ohio. It's pretty much exactly the same, just warmer, more traffic, and more trucks lol. Same stores in the mall, same restaurants, people don't have different accents. America is America, it's not like going to a different country.

That's what mentors are for. I mentor other guys and I've taken them to stores and shown then how to dress nice and get clothes on sale. No one is expect you to come to church and be perfect, or even to be at a certain "level", but once you've been attending church for a while you should be expecting to make improvements. Church is a place where you grow, not where you just make excuses to be stuck where you are. Helping "poor" people, or anyone for that matter, dress better is a great thing to do to improve their overall quality of life. No one is saying you should tell them to get out and don't come back until they dress properly without offering them any help or mentoring.

 

[DamianWarS]

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?

different places have different cultures. you said you recently moved to this city and noticed they dressed unacceptably... unacceptably to who because it seems they didn't get your memo when you entered the city. Is a 3 piece suit more acceptable? again to who? Some people feel dressing more casual to church creates more intimate environments and wearing too dressy clothes creates too superficial environments. God cares what's in the heart not what's on the outside so I wouldn't get to worked up about what people wear. flip-flops and pajama pants are not moral issues so don't make them into them.

 

[W2L]

The Lord and His apostles were all working class, and i think they dressed like working class people.

 

[Zatek]

I never wear dress clothes. I wear jeans, work boots, and tshirts. . Dressing nice for me is to wear new clothes instead of the wore out ones i sometimes wear. Im more concerned with the inside rather than the outside

Obviously you have some concern for the outside or you wouldn't even bother with new clothes. The outside is a reflection of the inside. Would you go to church all sweaty and smell because "the inside is what matters"? Obviously different people have different definitions of what dressing up means, but I think dressing up as nice or nicer than you do for work or for dates is a good standard to go by, and lots of churches these days are full of people who don't.

 

[W2L]

Obviously you have some concern for the outside or you wouldn't even bother with new clothes. The outside is a reflection of the inside. Would you go to church all sweaty and smell because "the inside is what matters"? Obviously different people have different definitions of what dressing up means, but I think dressing up as nice or nicer than you do for work or for dates is a good standard to go by, and lots of churches these days are full of people who don't.

Thanks for the re.

 

[Zatek]

The Lord and His apostles were all working class, and i think they dressed like working class people.

This isn't ancient times. Nice clothes are available to everyone in the modern world, all you have to do is choose to take advantage of them.

 

[W2L]

This isn't ancient times. Nice clothes are available to everyone in the modern world, all you have to do is choose to take advantage of them.

Yes but dressing nice doesn't mean you must wear a collared shirt and dress pants. Get real man, jeans and t-shirts are fine with the Lord. Maybe flipflops are a little cheap, maybe some sandals like Jesus wore would be ok?

 

[Zatek]

different places have different cultures. you said you recently moved to this city and noticed they dressed unacceptably... unacceptably to who because it seems they didn't get your memo when you entered the city. Is a 3 piece suit more acceptable? again to who? Some people feel dressing more casual to church creates more intimate environments and wearing too dressy clothes creates too superficial environments. God cares what's in the heart not what's on the outside so I wouldn't get to worked up about what people wear. flip-flops and pajama pants are not moral issues so don't make them into them.

And as I've said before, what's on the outside is a reflection of the heart, and vice versa. They are not separate. If someone is so poor they can't afford clothes, then sure, God doesn't care. But the modern world is so rich that everyone can afford nice clothes. Not wearing nice clothes is a matter of the heart because it's a choice, which means it is a moral issue because respect for God and other people is a moral issue. I would buy the excuse about it creating a more intimate environment if that's how the people making that claim dress on date nights. Maybe that's the case, but I highly doubt it.

 

[Zatek]

All other things being equal, my preference would be that people make a little bit of an effort. However, there are theological liberal churches in my area where a jacket and tie is the norm. So dress is secondary to right doctrine.

Sure, but it's not difficult to do both. Especially if you already have correct theology, then all you need to do is put on some nice clothes.

 

[W2L]

And as I've said before, what's on the outside is a reflection of the heart, and vice versa. They are not separate. If someone is so poor they can't afford clothes, then sure, God doesn't care. But the modern world is so rich that everyone can afford nice clothes. Not wearing nice clothes is a matter of the heart because it's a choice, which means it is a moral issue because respect for God and other people is a moral issue. I would buy the excuse about it creating a more intimate environment if that's how the people making that claim dress on date nights. Maybe that's the case, but I highly doubt it.

The apostle Paul, and all the other apostles, went without food and clothing at times.

1 Corinthians 4:11 To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. 12 And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; 13 being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.

 

[Baby Cottontail]

I live in DFW are now. I am originally from Ohio. It's pretty much exactly the same, just warmer, more traffic, and more trucks lol. Same stores in the mall, same restaurants, people don't have different accents. America is America, it's not like going to a different country.

That's what mentors are for. I mentor other guys and I've taken them to stores and shown then how to dress nice and get clothes on sale. No one is expect you to come to church and be perfect, or even to be at a certain "level", but once you've been attending church for a while you should be expecting to make improvements. Church is a place where you grow, not where you just make excuses to be stuck where you are. Helping "poor" people, or anyone for that matter, dress better is a great thing to do to improve their overall quality of life. No one is saying you should tell them to get out and don't come back until they dress properly without offering them any help or mentoring.

Where in Ohio did you originally live? Yes, America is America, but there are different cultures within it.

And what kind of church did you attend before you moved?

Your idea of mentoring is fine, as long as everyone is on the same page. If that is what you do to help people fit in, and they accept it, then that's great. If you really feel you are improving their lives, and helping them grow closer to Christ, then it sounds like you are truly helping them.

However, I can't find anywhere in the Bible where it says that you have to improve your dress as you mature in Christ. If people genuinely want to improve their dress as they mature, then that's great.

Do you perceive not dressing well (or to a certain standard) to church to be a sin?

I had an online friend once who was convinced that certain things were sinful -- such as women not wearing long sleeved shirts or skirts (to church or otherwise), and in his opinion if a woman wore makeup, she was sinning. He had very strong opinions about this. I had to stop talking to him when I realized that he was also very disrespectful towards women, and he really devalued women. He did have high standards of dress for himself as well. He would not wear anything but a long sleeved shirt and long pants, and on Sundays he said people had to wear nice clothing all day in order to honor the Sabbath.

People have different reasons for why they dress the way they do.

Again, it sounds like your mentoring was helpful to the men that you took under your wing. If you think dressing well is one of the most important things to do to show respect for God, then you clearly were walking the walk. You went the extra mile to make sure that those men had what they needed to be presentable to God in your view. I find that very commendable.

 

[W2L]

If the apostles were poorly dressed and worked with there hands 1 Corinthians 4:11 , what would the Lord look like if he showed up at your Church wearing work clothes?

 

[Zatek]

Where in Ohio did you originally live? Yes, America is America, but there are different cultures within it.

And what kind of church did you attend before you moved?

Your idea of mentoring is fine, as long as everyone is on the same page. If that is what you do to help people fit in, and they accept it, then that's great. If you really feel you are improving their lives, and helping them grow closer to Christ, then it sounds like you are truly helping them.

However, I can't find anywhere in the Bible where it says that you have to improve your dress as you mature in Christ. If people genuinely want to improve their dress as they mature, then that's great.

Do you perceive not dressing well (or to a certain standard) to church to be a sin?

I had an online friend once who was convinced that certain things were sinful -- such as women not wearing long sleeved shirts or skirts (to church or otherwise), and in his opinion if a woman wore makeup, she was sinning. He had very strong opinions about this. I had to stop talking to him when I realized that he was also very disrespectful towards women, and he really devalued women. He did have high standards of dress for himself as well. He would not wear anything but a long sleeved shirt and long pants, and on Sundays he said people had to wear nice clothing all day in order to honor the Sabbath.

People have different reasons for why they dress the way they do.

Again, it sounds like your mentoring was helpful to the men that you took under your wing. If you think dressing well is one of the most important things to do to show respect for God, then you clearly were walking the walk. You went the extra mile to make sure that those men had what they needed to be presentable to God in your view. I find that very commendable.

You should always be improving some area of you life. Just because an area of life isn't explicitly mentioned in the Bible doesn't mean God doesn't care about it. The Bible gives us the basic knowledge and principles about what it means to be obedient to him, and it's up to us as people to use Wisdom to apply that knowledge and those principles to modern life. Dressing nice is a part of modern culture that serves many purposes, such as demonstrating respect and professionalism.

Yes, dressing lazily for church is a sin if you have the ability to dress nicer (which in modern countries is virtually everyone). And sure, maybe someone never had a father or whoever to teach them how to dress properly, and that's fine, not saying people need to be perfect right away, but it is something that should be addressed sooner rather than later. A person who dresses nicer will be more successful socially and professionally as well, so there's no reason not to learn it as soon as you can.

And I'm not making a list of particular things that aren't acceptable, I only mention things like t-shirt and flip-flop because everyone has better clothes than that. Even employees at McDonalds wear collared polo shirts and shoes. I think a good standard should be that the clothes you wear to church should be as nice or nicer than what you wear to work and on date nights, which is not flip flips and a t-shirt for pretty much the entire population, lets be real.

 

[S.O.J.I.A.]

the argument being put forth here doesn't work.

the OP wants to say that you would dress up to go on a date or to the courthouse, etc.

as far as date nights, people wear all sorts of clothing styles on dates. it's gonna depend on the two people on the date. the universal standard is proper hygene, grooming, and clean clothes. not everyone puts on dress clothes for a date and will even wear sandals and a tee shirt! are the people at this church smelly and wearing dirty clothes?

as far as the courthouse or a job is concerned, you dress in the manner that the person you're dressing for demands. I was on jury duty and I was instructed on what I was supposed to wear and had to dress accordingly as that was the dress code.

if the OP would seek to bind the believer's conscience on what they should wear they would need to show from scripture where those who wear the clothes mentioned in the OP are violating scripture's dress code.