The southern Italian town of Castellammare has created its own version of the “fashion police.” The police force there is authorized to fine women who wear risqué clothing such as mini skirts, skimpy jeans, and low-cut tops. One town official claimed that the ban made Castellammare a “civilized city.”
While I’m not sure these laws elevate the city to higher moral ground, I do like the goal of the standards, which was to improve public order. Paul had a similar aim in mind when he penned some guidelines on modesty within the church walls.
In every place of worship, Paul called women to be modest in their appearance. Specifically, he said, “[Women] should wear decent and appropriate clothing” (1 Timothy 2:9). Ladies, I don’t believe this means we should limit our wardrobes to the fashion equivalent of rubbish bags. However, we also can’t rely on worldly standards to determine what’s decent and appropriate. Thumb through a current fashion magazine, and you’ll see what I mean!
As Christians, we’re to “carefully protect those parts [of the body] that should not be seen” (1 Corinthians 12:23). We can’t afford to believe the lie that being attractive means attracting attention to our bodies. Rather, “Women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good deeds they do” (1 Timothy 2:10).
Spiritually speaking, the issue of modesty calls us to answer this question: Are we more concerned with drawing attention to ourselves or to God? The answer seems obvious, especially if we’re talking about a church setting. Bringing glory to God should always be a priority in the life of a believer. It’s possible to honor Him even with the clothes we wear, as well as by leaving some outfits hanging in the shop.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Acts 16:1-15
More:
Read Proverbs 31:25 to see how being clothed with “strength and dignity” fits with the character of a noble woman.
Next:
Why is it so important for both men and women to dress modestly? How might you promote modesty within your sphere of influence?
alli on November 1, 2011 at 2:00 am
agreed. i think some outfits call for arrest, at least a fine.and im a woman. im glad for temperance.
jstabel on November 1, 2011 at 5:29 am
This issue has become an undiscussed one in our churches as we have “succesfully” used the world’s mode of dressing as a criteria for modelling instead of the world using the church mode of dressing as the criterion.
jennifer benson schuldt on November 1, 2011 at 3:30 pm
jstabel,
Good point. In past decades, (I’m thinking 20th century America) the difference between the world’s way of dressing, and what is acceptable at church has been less pronounced. Today, there is a huge difference. The world’s influence has seeped into our churches.
As you said, the topic is not often discussed. And, I kind of see why. I mean, practically speaking, how would you (or anyone) approach a woman who needs help in this area in a spirit of kindness? It’s a difficult thing to do…
lindagma on November 1, 2011 at 7:51 am
Beth had some wise words on this…the more skin a woman shows, the lower her self-esteem.
cjc2 on November 1, 2011 at 8:33 am
Women have an awesome responsibility. It has been said that the morality of any nation will not rise any higher than the morality of its women. I believe Paul realized this.
amyj on November 1, 2011 at 9:01 am
This is a common concern and topic of conversation for me. I have a saying that I prefer to be seen and not ‘looked at’. I’m not sure what bothers me more – seeing teens showing more skin than clothing or the grown women (mothers) who are. Nonetheless, I understand the less confidence and self-esteem a woman has the more likely she is to dress inappropriately – getting all the wrong types of attention. I hope we can share this message with Fathers of daughters so they can tell their daughters just how beautiful they are so this type of behavior just doesn’t ever come into play. And, as a mother of sons, I have tried to instill in them to not take advantage of girls (as hard as that may be) that put themselves in that ‘place.’ But to instead help them gain confidence by showing respect to them.
jennifer benson schuldt on November 1, 2011 at 3:41 pm
amyj,
Thank you for your post. Moms need to be examples of modesty for their daughters, and for the other younger women in the church. I don’t think we have to sacrifice a sense of style for the goal of modesty. It is possible to be stylish and modest at the same time. Incidentally, Christian “rock star” Rebecca St. James is a good modesty role model for young women. (She claims, “Modest is hottest!”) Positive role models do exist! 🙂
bearpair on November 1, 2011 at 1:41 pm
Thanks, Jennifer, for these excellent reminders… 2 thoughts: 1. Men should not be excluded in such admonitions (yes, I am a man ;-)… man’s dress should equally glorify God; 2. Why is it that we tend to think that such modesty dress exhortations pertain just to “church”, thus allowing for any other worldly standards at other times? I suspect we Christ-followers suffer from the age-old curse of double standards. Consistency with Christ’s standards should be our daily goal. Keep ’em coming, Jennifer.
jennifer benson schuldt on November 1, 2011 at 4:24 pm
bearpair,
Good point about embracing modesty not only on Sunday, but all week! If we as Christians took our Sunday morning behavior to the weekdays, I think we could have a great influence on the world without saying a word.
Modesty is an issue for men also–thank you for pointing that out! As you said, a man’s clothing should also glorify God. On a related topic, I think men also must choose to react in a God-honoring way to a woman’s modesty or lack thereof.
bearpair on November 2, 2011 at 2:40 pm
Agreed… on all points! Thanks again, Jennifer, for raising the issue. Terry & Pat/Everett, WA