“Their lives are perpetual fashion shows …” (Mat. 23:5, MSG)
In the previous teachings we’ve extensively discussed the tenth myth of the contemporary church: Money (especially tithes) are a very important aspect of the existence and success of churches. We also learnt what the true Biblical alternative to this lust for money is, a lust which according to 1 Tim. 6:10 is “a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness”.
The eleventh myth might at first seem unimportant, but it has a deeply rooted religious tradition at its core. In this matter most believers are lead “according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ” (Col. 2:8). The myth is: The clothes believers wear to church reflects their respect for God – and only the best is good enough.
Most of us who grew up in the church were bullied into wearing our Sunday best. For men this meant that on Sundays (for church) and on Wednesday (for the weekly prayer meeting) they would have to wear a dark suit and tie. In my time this also meant wearing a waist coat to further shroud the sinful flesh before God, dying in the blaring western Transvaal sun.
For men this was part of the holy punishment of going to church. But for many women going to church was an opportunity for an exhibition of vanity, parading their new fashions for God. Isa 3:16-24 explains this focus on the body of the daughters of Zion in particularly visual terms: “Moreover the Lord says: ‘Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with outstretched necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, making a jingling with their feet, therefore the Lord will strike with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will uncover their secret parts.’ In that day the Lord will take away the finery: the jingling anklets, the scarves, and the crescents; the pendants, the bracelets, and the veils; the headdresses, the leg ornaments, and the headbands; the perfume boxes, the charms, and the rings; the nose jewels, the festal apparel, and the mantles; the outer garments, the purses, and the mirrors; the fine linen, the turbans, and the robes. And so it shall be: Instead of a sweet smell there will be a stench; instead of a sash, a rope; instead of well-set hair, baldness; instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth; and branding instead of beauty.’”
Clearly Rom. 12:2 (EMTV) does not apply to fashion as we know it, but is a play on the guidelines from the Word: “And do not fashion yourselves after this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind …”
- Selah: Are you regulated by church fashions and requirements?
- Read: 26, 40, 58, 61-62 & 64.
- Memorise: 62:7.
- For a more in-depth understanding: Read Frank C. Senn’s book Christian Worship and Its Cultural Setting
