Follow up to “Wearing Your Best for Church”

I have had incredible feedback on my blog series of “Wearing your best for Church.” I have gotten so many “Amens” that I cannot shake a stick at them all and almost all the comments have been positive. I have been stopped by people who said that they were very happy that I have said something on the subject. Someone also forwarded it to a magazine, that read it, and then the magazine read several of my other blogs. They liked them, and they asked me to send them one of my favorite blogs (that matched their criteria) and they would consider publishing it. I got word on the weekend that they would publish it in “Church & Family” magazine May- June 2013 issue. First of all I want to thank the person who forwarded my blog to the magazine and encourage everyone to feel free to forward the blog to your friends or even sign them up to receive my blog or forward me their e-mail address and I will do it.     

It is one of those conversations when people stopped me that I would like to share what one of the women explained to me what they do at their church. I first need to explain that we are in the Deep South and we are Baptist, therefore we have an alter and during the service if someone is convicted of something in their life, they go and pray it out right then. Well her church has to have several of the older women of the church sit on the front row with, the best way to describe it is “prayer blankets” (about the half the size of a normal blanket). When a women (because as she said, it is all ages) comes to the alter and kneels down, because of the short dresses or low pants and crop tops and thong underwear or lack there of, the women would be mooning the congregation. Therefore, two older women lay one of these prayer blankets over their backside. Moreover, when their pray is over they will take them to the back and talk with them about their conviction, but also about what they are wearing to church. This is a true mentoring time when the older women teach the young. Just like Titus 2 says 

Titus 2

King James Version (KJV)

2 But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:

² That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.
³ The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
⁴ That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
⁵ To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
⁶ Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.
⁷ In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,
⁸ Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.

My friend told me that I was right talking to the women youth counselors and then having them speak to the girls. She even felt that because I had to write something about the women’s choice of clothing, that the older women of the church were not doing their job. I would agree that the older women are not doing there job, but I to be honest, I do not think they know it is their job, so hopefully by me writing this blog they will learn.

Now this does not leave the out older men, they are responsible for the young men, that is what the last part of this verse is about, starting in verse 6. The Deacons or the men at my friend’s church have also taken these verses to heart and they try to train the young men, but they have taken a little different approach. The younger men have a style of wearing the pants below their butt and showing their underwear. The deacons of her church have gone out and bought a lot of belts. The Deacons stand in the foyer to greet people, but if they see a young man dressed like this, they pull him aside, explain that this style is not acceptable in God’s house, give him a belt, and have him go to the rest room and put the belt on. 

I tell you all this because I think this church is doing the right thing. They are not condemning the people and kicking them out of the church, but they are trying to teach them what is good and right with Christian love. They are also doing it Biblically by having the older women teach the younger women and the older men teaching the younger men. These younger people need God’s love and need they God’s people to show it to them. I think this is something that all churches should consider.