This looks to be a great and needed upcoming book. On his blog today, CJ shared a portion of a chapter dealing with Paul’s instructions to Timothy on how women should behave in worship.
(1 Tim 2:9). He is concerned because some of them are imitating the dress and adornment of the ladies of the Roman court and the prostitutes. Those women were known for their expensive clothes and jewelry and elaborate hairstyles; they dressed, not only to attract attention, but to seduce as well.
When the women of the church arrived dressed like this, it’s no surprise that they distracted others from worshiping God. What’s more, through their ostentatious dress they associated themselves with the wealthy (thus separating themselves from the poor) and the ungodly (thus distancing themselves from their fellow church members). Their dress was distracting, and maybe even divisive.
He concludes:
This truth has timeless relevance. Consider, who inspires your attire? Who are you identifying with through your appearance? Who are you trying to imitate or be like in your dress?
Does your hairstyle, clothing, or any aspect of your appearance reveal an excessive fascination with sinful cultural values? Are you preoccupied with looking like the latest American Idol winner, or the actresses on magazine covers, or the immodest woman next door? Are your role models the godly women of Scripture or the worldly women of our culture?
I hope the entire book is this applicable and clear on how to be in the world and yet not of the world and resisting the world’s seduction.
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Good blog. I think those questions are important that he asks. I also think its rooted in how we as women don’t think that we may have a problem with lust and impure thoughts and motives.
In the book, “Sex is not the problem (Lust Is)” by Josh Harris. He has a quote in there (and right now I can’t remember who it is by), and he says that women can often become the pornographers by the way they dress.
That really sunk in. When you put it in such strong language like that, it definitely causes you look at how you are dressing and more importantly why you are dressing like that.
I often think, in all the talk about the weaker brother, we have forgotten about the weaker brother. Let me explain: So many speak of the weaker brother in terms of the one that is a legalist, and have used this to indulge in liberties. Therefore we are no longer living out our Christian lives with others holiness in mind. We eat whatever we want, we drink whatever we want, we dress however we want, we move wherever we want, we watch whatever we want, we say whatever we want, etc.
Here are a few other quotes from the book on what modesty really is:
Modesty means propriety. It means avoiding clothes and adornment that are extravagant or sexually enticing. Modesty is humility expressed in dress. It’s a desire to serve others, particularly men, by not promoting or provoking sensuality.
Immodesty, then, is much more than wearing a short skirt or low-cut top; it’s the act of drawing undue attention to yourself. It’s pride, on display by what you wear.
Great thoughts Andy, but why are these biblical prinicples not followed or abandoned when it comes to wedding day dress? I really dont buy into the argument that when it comes to wedding day dress we want to avoid being called “legalist”. If these priciples and biblical instruction should be followed in everyday dress then they should be followed in all manner of dress. I thought you had a great post and good insight.
Steve