Conclusion of "Wearing Your Best to Church" (All of It)

Somehow, when I posted the conclusion of "Wearing Your Best to Church" last week, it was cut off in the middle of the blog post. Therefore, here is the conclusion of "Wearing Your Best to Church" in its entirety.

With all of the previous said, I must address something else about clothing and for good reason. The item is when women choose to wear clothing that is revealing. This is a tough subject for me as a man to discuss, but while I was a youth minister, this came up several times, especially with bathing suits around camp time. I normally would explain my concerns with the women councilors and let them take care of it, and I never had a problem. However, today, what is considered dress clothes for women is very revealing. I had a youth pastor friend that was doing a great job at getting youth from the neighborhood, but what some of the young women were wearing to youth group was just to revealing. His solution, which I love, was that he had a couple who owned a tee shirt shop in the congregation and he had them make nice tee shirts with the youth group logo on them and when a young lady came who needed extra coverage, he would give her a youth group tee shirt. Most of the other kids would have them on and he never had to ask a girl to put one on, they always immediately put them on. 

The last few years I have noticed these revealing clothes are showing up in the church service itself. Some of you are asking, what is the big deal, I just made a point of saying clothes do not matter. I will put it in simple terms; it is very hard to concentrate on God and preach when the women in the front row has almost her whole chest exposed to you. 

However, you say, I just made a great point about how God does not care what I wear to church. However, there is another Biblical principle at work here. You should not in your freedom in the Bible cause someone else to sin. 1 Cor. 8

⁴ As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.

⁵ For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,)

⁶ But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

⁷ Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.

⁸ But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse.

⁹ But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.

¹⁰ For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols;

¹¹ And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?

¹² But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.

¹³ Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.

Again, I have not been talking about food or meat, but the Biblical principle that if in your freedom of the Bible you cause someone else to stumble; then you are the one who has sinned.  Thus, if by your clothing, you cause a man, who by the Bible’s own words is weak, stumble by looking at you rather than towards God, you have caused him to sin, and you have sinned.

Let me try to explain something about men and women. In seminary, I had to read a book in counseling class called, “Sex starts in the Kitchen”. This book was mainly written to men to help them understand and better appreciate there wives. You see, men are aroused by what they see and the effect is almost immediate. Women are aroused by romance. This difference is why the pornographic industry mainly uses pictures of women and not men. In addition, this is why romance novels are almost all sold to women. Therefore, men, if you want to have relations with your wife that night, you need to begin hours before, in the kitchen, and start romancing her there. That, in a few sentences, is the idea of the whole book. Now let us take this to our subject at hand. Clothes manufactures know that men are aroused by sight and therefore make clothes that attract attention. Women may not know this fact, but they enjoy the attention. Thus, I am hoping that by you knowing the Biblical principal and how men and women are aroused, that women would use more thought when choosing their clothing for church.