Do you dress up for church?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Castor Muscular
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aleshanee said:
well... sorry.... but i totally disagree with you....  for me there is something very special about being in church .. in the building my church built and designated as a meeting place... on sunday morning...... and there is something special about wearing the nice dresses that i bought specifically for special occasions when i;m there..... .... and it;s not expensive or extravagant clothing like paul speaks out against in 1st timothy ...and it;s not about showing off or trying to impress people either......... it;s just wearing something appropriate for the occasion......  and that changes according to whatever it is i am doing.... i wear ripped blood stained camos to hunt wild pigs in.... and i wear a high endurance swimsuit with a wet suit top for surfing....most of the rest of the time i am wearing udt style shorts and a tank top or t shirt.... at home i usually wear one of my dads old XXL t shirts and a mismatched pair of over the knee mulitcolored toe socks....  every one of those clothing choices represents the real me.... but i would not show up for church wearing any one of those combinations....  just like i wouldn;t try to surf or go bow hunting in the rainforest wearing one of my sunday dresses..... :-\.... it just wouldn;t make sense.....

i guess i just really don;t get the point here.... ???... i know i have access to God 24/7... but i don;t have access to the other brothers and sisters in Christ that belong to my church 24/7.. and they don;t have that kind of access to me...... and they are not going to get it either... there is a reason we live in our own private houses.. ..... the assembly of ourselves together in the place we designated to meet... that we call church... is where we have that access to them.... i see no reason to try to impress them with extravagant clothing.... but i also don;t see a reason to dress down on purpose just to show them some "real me" ... they might not see at some other time....... in my opinion it;s not going to hurt them to wonder what the real me might look like at certain times when i;m not in church.... especially the real me that is reserved for loved ones and family only.....

it seems there is a big move today in some circles to get out of church buildings and start meeting in private homes.....  and to show up with what ever they happen to be wearing at the time.... even to criticize people who want to wear something a little nicer than their average daily wear to church...... that;s fine with me if that;s what they want to do.... people can wear whatever they want.... i won;t care...... but i can tell you right now if my church goes this other direction and starts meeting in private homes i won;t be attending anymore.... i;ll find another church......
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Well, there's always room for disagreement.  The fact that you disagree and say so is what's missing from today's church buildings.  "Church" has changed from meaning the body of Christ to a building where, once or twice a week, we focus on singing songs and then sit quietly while the pastor gives a sermon.  It stifles crucial interaction like you just provided.  And it elevates the pastor way beyond his place in the body, such that the laity becomes lazy and the pastor is tempted to become an egotist and blowhard (or worse). 

 
Castor Muscular said:
ALAYMAN said:
What we wear says something about what we believe.  I'm not saying that a person has to wear a suit and tie to church, but to pretend that clothes speak absolutely nothing about what we believe is a bit naïve.
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For one thing, it says there's something special about being in a church building on Sunday morning.  And that's not true.  Dressing up for church does not honor God, because God doesn't sit at the church and wait to see what you look like.  As I pointed out, God does not live in buildings.  We have 24/7 access to God.  There's nothing special about Sunday morning. except maybe the unique ability of the modern church to suffocate the members of the body.   

It might say that the dressed up person is of a higher class or makes more money than those who dress down.  That's another worldly view and antithetical to the church body.  This is why the early Methodist church rejected anyone who showed up dressed up.  They were not allowed in, because their priorities were all wrong.

It may also cover up the real you, which is, again, antithetical to the real church where the best thing you can do is show up as the real you without anything masking your flaws or emotions.  It's the same thing as getting into an argument with your family on the way, and then whipping out fake smiles when you get out of the car. 

The healthiest thing we could do as the body of Christ is to go back to meeting in homes in normal daily clothes, and engage in plenty of interaction and praise.  As an aside, it would save billions of dollars per year in the construction and maintenance of church buildings.
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Lots of people have the wrong motive for doing the right thing(s).  That doesn't mean we throw the baby out with the bath.  Because the Catholics have the Life issue right doesn't mean I become a Pro-choice supporter.
 
I try to dress up for Sunday Morning church with a nice outfit. Sunday night and Wed. Night I usually wear a jean skirt with a nice top. My oldest boy always wears a shirt, tie and khakis. But then he loves dressing up in colorful shirts and ties! Sunday night and Wed night he will wear jeans and a polo. My youngest son wears Khakis and a polo shirt or a dress shirt without a tie! and at night jeans and a polo!

Now my girls on the otherhand, always dress up! They have an endless supply of dresses.

We dont have a "dress code" at our church, but 99.9% of the people dress up. But a nice pair of (longer) shorts and a nice top might be dressing up for some, and it is accepted!!
 
kaba said:
I try to dress up for Sunday Morning church with a nice outfit. Sunday night and Wed. Night I usually wear a jean skirt with a nice top. My oldest boy always wears a shirt, tie and khakis. But then he loves dressing up in colorful shirts and ties! Sunday night and Wed night he will wear jeans and a polo. My youngest son wears Khakis and a polo shirt or a dress shirt without a tie! and at night jeans and a polo!

Now my girls on the otherhand, always dress up! They have an endless supply of dresses.

We dont have a "dress code" at our church, but 99.9% of the people dress up. But a nice pair of (longer) shorts and a nice top might be dressing up for some, and it is accepted!!
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Why do you dress up? 
 
This answer might not be accepted by all, but oh well, it is what I believe and I am happy with it. I do it to show respect  to the Lord. I want to give my best and be my best. I can not "do" anything for the Lord to make myself loved more. And I am not trusting in works to please him.  It is like my earthly father, he taught me to work hard and to be kind and love the Lord. So other than to tell my earthly father that I love him, I show him my respect for how he brought me up by working hard, and being thoughtful to others.

I dont judge anyone else if they dont wear what I would wear.  I dont go to church to be seen or to see other people. I go to worship the Lord and to learn more about him. It is MY personal time with him.

I was raised to dress nice for Sunday church, and I have carried that on down to my children as well. My children have never questioned it or thought it judgmental or unreasonable. So life goes on! :)
 
Kaba ,I have been blessed to know you and your family. thank you for your friendship.... and love to the Lord
 
Castor Muscular said:
kaba said:
I try to dress up for Sunday Morning church with a nice outfit. Sunday night and Wed. Night I usually wear a jean skirt with a nice top. My oldest boy always wears a shirt, tie and khakis. But then he loves dressing up in colorful shirts and ties! Sunday night and Wed night he will wear jeans and a polo. My youngest son wears Khakis and a polo shirt or a dress shirt without a tie! and at night jeans and a polo!

Now my girls on the otherhand, always dress up! They have an endless supply of dresses.

We dont have a "dress code" at our church, but 99.9% of the people dress up. But a nice pair of (longer) shorts and a nice top might be dressing up for some, and it is accepted!!
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Why do you dress up?
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Why don't you dress up for church services?
 
[quote author=Tarheel Baptist]Why don't you dress up for church services?[/quote]

For myself, because no one else in my church does.

...should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire...
 
ALAYMAN said:
What we wear says something about what we believe.  I'm not saying that a person has to wear a suit and tie to church, but to pretend that clothes speak absolutely nothing about what we believe is a bit naïve.
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To infer that anyone said such a thing is to miss the point entirely or is in itself a bit naive.

James wrote on this subject. God makes it clear that He is less concerned about what is worn to church than our reaction/attitude toward what is worn to church by others.
 
Tarheel Baptist said:
Castor Muscular said:
kaba said:
I try to dress up for Sunday Morning church with a nice outfit. Sunday night and Wed. Night I usually wear a jean skirt with a nice top. My oldest boy always wears a shirt, tie and khakis. But then he loves dressing up in colorful shirts and ties! Sunday night and Wed night he will wear jeans and a polo. My youngest son wears Khakis and a polo shirt or a dress shirt without a tie! and at night jeans and a polo!

Now my girls on the otherhand, always dress up! They have an endless supply of dresses.

We dont have a "dress code" at our church, but 99.9% of the people dress up. But a nice pair of (longer) shorts and a nice top might be dressing up for some, and it is accepted!!
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Why do you dress up?
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Why don't you dress up for church services?
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Tarheel, are you referring to me or Castor? If you are referring to me, I feel I am dressing up.
 
kaba said:
Tarheel Baptist said:
Castor Muscular said:
kaba said:
I try to dress up for Sunday Morning church with a nice outfit. Sunday night and Wed. Night I usually wear a jean skirt with a nice top. My oldest boy always wears a shirt, tie and khakis. But then he loves dressing up in colorful shirts and ties! Sunday night and Wed night he will wear jeans and a polo. My youngest son wears Khakis and a polo shirt or a dress shirt without a tie! and at night jeans and a polo!

Now my girls on the otherhand, always dress up! They have an endless supply of dresses.

We dont have a "dress code" at our church, but 99.9% of the people dress up. But a nice pair of (longer) shorts and a nice top might be dressing up for some, and it is accepted!!
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Why do you dress up?
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Why don't you dress up for church services?
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Tarheel, are you referring to me or Castor? If you are referring to me, I feel I am dressing up.
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I was asking Castor.
 
Castor Muscular said:
Izdaari said:
No dress up. My church is pretty casual. In the summer, I normally wear shorts, a tank top and sandals to church.

No, I don't know the history.
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The clergy started wearing special clothes in the 4th century when Constantine wanted to elevate them above the laity.  There's a long history of changes that led to today's clerical vestments, which now vary from church to church and denomination to denomination.  But none of it is Biblical.  Very late in the process, some people justified the practice by pointing back to the Jewish priest's vestments. 

The laity wore everyday clothes until about the 19th century when a large middle-class emerged, and they wanted to differentiate themselves from the lower class by wearing better clothes.  Many Methodist churches actually rejected the idea and refused to allow a "dressed-up" person into the service. 

But as time passed, the practice of dressing up for the occasion became acceptable, and eventually became expected in some churches, even though the origin was to show off your economic status.  These days, many, if not most churches allow people to attend without dressing up.  But the clergy still has its pagan outfits and vestments.
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Or it could be it was 'usual and customary' dress for the culture....not a fundy plot!

 
Castor Muscular said:
Well, there's always room for disagreement.  The fact that you disagree and say so is what's missing from today's church buildings.  "Church" has changed from meaning the body of Christ to a building where, once or twice a week, we focus on singing songs and then sit quietly while the pastor gives a sermon.  It stifles crucial interaction like you just provided.  And it elevates the pastor way beyond his place in the body, such that the laity becomes lazy and the pastor is tempted to become an egotist and blowhard (or worse).
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That is a broad brush with which you paint.

I see you advocate for home church. That is fine and God bless those that go that route. Big churches are using the small group model to accomplish the same things.

The outliers are the smaller one-man works that are often a group of enablers. The pastor needs to be needed and the people need someone to make their decisions for them. While a real phenomena, that is a very small slice of the church going pie in America.

FWIW my church is about 250 with three full time pastors and 4 lay elders (no I don't want to start that fight). We exercise that crucial interaction up to and including disagreeing (sometimes enthusiastically ;D ).
 
kaba said:
This answer might not be accepted by all, but oh well, it is what I believe and I am happy with it. I do it to show respect  to the Lord.
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You are in the presence of the Lord 24/7, and have access to God all that time.  There's nothing special about the church building.  God doesn't live there and wait for you to show up and see what you wear for 3 hours.  Aren't you inclined to show respect to the Lord the other 165 hours of the week? 

I'm not trying to be a smart-butt or mean -- just trying to get the point across that we have a mistaken idea of what "church" is. 

 
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