This all started with my husband linking to the article "Come As You Aren't" by R. C. Sproul.
I want to start off by saying I have a GREAT DEAL of RESPECT for Mr. Sproul. I like a lot of what he has to say and I want to make sure anyone reading this doesn't judge all his teaching by this one article. He's got a lot of great stuff, so don't be "scared off" by this one thing he's mistaken about. (I mean, he's only human! ;) )
I admit when I first read this I had NO IDEA what he was trying to say. I still think it's a messy article, like Sproul was just ranting or something and wasn't even sure what his actual point was. However, Mike translated it for me into a nice one paragraph easy-to-understand way. The meaning is something like this:
The gist of this article is that how we dress is an outward reflection of an inward attitude. That is, how we dress at church reflects our attitude towards God. Many people refuse to "dress up" because their attitude toward God is not of reverence or (holy) fear or respect, but because of selfish reasons ("It's more comfortable to dress this way"). Therefore, to show respect for God at church we should dress up, not down.
I have a couple of problems with this.
First, it's not Biblical. The inward-to-outward part has some credence, but the dressing up part does not. You can tell even Sproul knows this on some level, as he doesn't quote any scripture at all but uses vague theology principles to back up his belief (and even then he miss applies these principles). For a man who puts so much stock in scripture and church history, he sure does ignore a lot of it when it comes to this one issue.
Second, scripture teaches the exact opposite of what he's saying. Any time dressing up is mentioned in the New Testament, it's always in a negative light. This article has a ton of verses dealing with the subject. Please read the article I linked to, as they give a very balanced answer about dressing up.
It should be pointed out that women are told specifically not to "dress up" for church in scripture. In fact, it is implied that dressing in a plain and simple manner at church shows humility and reverence to God, where as dressing up shows pride and a lack of respect for God.
Third, history is on my side. It wasn't until the 1800s that people in the congregation started "dressing up" for church. (In the historical context, "dressing up" meant you had extra-fancy clothes for church.) Where as, prior to the 1800s, the congregation wore "street clothes" (anything clean and neat that was acceptable to wear in town). The shift of how people dressed at church was tied into the Industrial Revolution and the sudden upsurge in wealth and easy access to nicer materials. It was a culture based trend motivated almost entirely by pride and vanity; it had nothing to do with Scripture or common historical church practice.
Lastly, I'll give Mr. Sproul some credit for being half right. What we are is sometimes a reflection of who we are on the inside. His conclusion is wrong about how that translates into real-world Christian living though.The Apostle Paul had it right for women. Dress simply and plainly, focus on what matters to God; a gentle and quiet spirit. By being plain on the outside it allows us to focus on what's on the inside.
If we are meeting our King at church, why are we dressing up? We are suppose to bring ourselves low before God, humble and contrite, showing him we understand our true station in life. We are sinners bought with a price, the price of his Son's life. We are to emulate Christ the servant, and be servants ourselves. Therefore, shouldn't what we dress to reflect a humble attitude, one of a servant and saved sinner, rather than one of a royalty? God blesses a humble heart, and dressing up (as proven with women) is not conducive to a humble heart.
When I was discussing this article with someone, I was accused of being relativistic and post-modern ("faith is private, all religions are equal" etc) in my outlook on how people should dress at church. I've been pointing back to scripture, with specific examples, while Mr. Sproul has only been able to come up with "it feels holy" and vague theological principles to back up his belief. How am *I* the one being relativistic?
I can't help it if Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 10 already sets a precedent about how to deal with differing convictions in the church. If Mr. Sproul has to dress up to feel like he's respecting God, than he should do it. It's just that, as a leader, he ought to go out of his way to say that people who are not dressing up at church are no less respectful to God than him. By not making this distinction, he is basically saying the only way to dress at church and show God respect is to dress up, therefore we can judge a person's respect for God based on what they wear. (Which I don't think he believes at all, so he might as well just nip that kind of thinking in the bud!)
Anyway, this was a great romp through scripture and I learned something I had not really thought much about before. I, as a woman, must be careful how I dress in church, but not in the typical "must be modest" way. Rather, I must not dress flashy or in a way to gain attention. My focus at church should never be what I'm wearing (and other people shouldn't be focusing on what I wear either) but on the inward beauty that really matters to God.
I have never been a flashy dresser, but that doesn't mean I don't dress for selfish reasons rather than Godly ones. When it comes to church attire, I typically try to blend in with everyone else. The idea being if I look like them, they won't judge me so harshly or have as many preconceived notions as to the type of person I am before they get to know me. I often find myself in the uncomfortable position of compromising my beliefs on what's acceptable to wear so that other people won't give me the stink eye. And looking back, I feel sad for myself. What a terrible mindset to go to church with!
Well, I can only change the future, not the past! Next time I go to church, I will dress exactly how my conscience dictates. I will not let myself be intimidated by people who only look at the externals. I will stop focusing on the externals myself! I will put my focus where it needs to be, on the inner qualities God truly cares about. :)
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