“All this time and money wasted on fashion–do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the
fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop …” (Mat. 6:28, MSG)
We are currently discussing the myth: The clothing believers wear to church reflects their respect for God – only the best is good enough. In the previous teaching we focussed on the conditioned functioning of believers when it comes to what to wear to church.
Although the Biblical guideline concerning clothing (both inside and outside the church) is always linked to modesty (1 Tim. 2:9), the unwritten cultural prescriptions about what is and what is not acceptable in church should in no way be part of the community of believers. Matt. 6:25 (MSG): “If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body.”
Our traditional thinking concerning this matter has a long history. Already in the third century after Christ Clement of Alexandria wrote about one’s church attire, in The Instructor: “Woman and men need to go to church decently attired … Let her be entirely covered …” In his article in the journal Church History titled “A Church Going People is a Dress-loving People” (a term coined by William Henry Foote in 1846) Leigh Eric Schmidt gives a historical overview of how church consciousness has been moulded by specific prescriptions regarding clothing. Despite sporadic opposition by influential leaders such as John Wesley against expensive or flashy clothing, economic class differences lead to the establishing of a group that set the standard for what to wear to church gatherings.
In his fascinating study of acculturation, Robert Bushman however locates the tendency to wear special clothes to church in an influential text by Horace Bushnell, published in 1843 (note how recent this is!), titled: “Taste and Fashion”, in which he argues that good taste in clothing honours God because sophistication is a characteristic of God. From this the idea developed that you should wear your best clothing to church, as He is honoured by it. In just three years this became a strong American, and later, international, trend.
Perhaps the reader might ask – why is this in any way important? In the greater scheme of things this is perhaps a valid argument, but like many of our traditions that are accepted without criticism in the church, it carries important implications.
The most important implication is that the focus shifts from the internal to the external. Look at the way this plays out in the following Scriptures:
- 1 Sam. 16:7 – “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’”
- Luke 11:39: “Then the Lord said to him, ‘Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.’”
- 1 Pet. 3:3-4: “Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.”
Within the community of believers we find that the misplaced attention that people attract based on their external qualities brings about a taxonomy based on how one looks. In James 2:1-4 this matter is explicitly explained: “My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, ‘You sit here in a good place,’ and say to the poor man, ‘You stand there,’ or, ‘Sit here at my footstool,’ have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?”
Verse 4 in the New Living Translation spells out the problematic nature of this: “this discrimination show that you are guided by wrong motives”, and the New Jerusalem Bible uses even stronger terms: “In making this distinction among yourselves have you not used a corrupt standard?” To judge people based on their clothes, or their level of education, or their wealth, or social status, or whatever, reflects that we are measuring with a different measure than that of Christ (Matt. 7:2).
And this brings us to the second implication – it also seduces you into thinking differently about yourself. Dressing up for church signifies the false idea that church is a holy space that requires a sacral dress code, which differs from what one wears out in the secular world. In extreme cases it can even point to covering something up.
Thirdly – because the church has become a public arena, a dress code became necessary. If it returned to believers gathering in homes, like the first believers did, more people would wear everyday, comfortable clothing. Getting dressed up to go out has become an important underlying motive.
Fourthly – I would not go as far as certain critics who link dressing up for church to the idea of a theatre performance, but when one considers the regalia of the reverend or pastor, his strange togas, specified clothing, props, special guest appearances, the continual dramatic appeal of the service, they might have a point.
It is not necessary to rehash the long history of the development of the reverend or pastor’s clothing, except perhaps to say that on the local front some churches have been torn asunder because the reverend refused to wear a white tie. (Without knowing that it is originally based on secular Plato’s declaration that white is the colour of the gods, and Clement and Tertullianus’ bizarre idea that coloured materials do not honour God (Janet Mayo: A History of Ecclesiastical Dress.) Lord help us.
The complete triviality and carnality of this speaks for itself, and one does not even need to look at the history of these crazy ideas over the ages to realise that it clashes with the simple principles of the Word of God and the Christian ethic. The clothing believers wear to church reflects their respect for God – only the best is good enough is a myth, and clearly not a Biblical truth.
- Selah: Do you judge people based on their clothing?
- Read: 2 Sam. 19-21; Ps. 5, 38, & 41-42.
- Memorise: 42:1.
- For a more in-depth understanding: Read any of the books mentioned in the text.
