Brethren! Nasty, degenerate bell-bottom slacks for men were wrong! Earring studs on men? Ghastly days! Everything is always evil in the Living Church of God's sight. Of course, it is all sexually oriented, too.
Clothing and ModestyDress styles are a perpetual challenge for the people of God. Scripture instructs women to dress modestly, but what is modesty? The Church of God has historically understood that there are cultural differences when it comes to dress, and that styles are in a state of constant change. Those of us who are older remember bell-bottom slacks for men. Some in the Church of God viewed them negatively, while others could not wait to buy a pair. Sadly, there were much more serious stylistic issues at that time. Thankfully, most 1970’s trends in dress were short-lived—for very good reasons.But the real issue is not a change in style, but whether that change reflects modesty, and what is being promoted by the style. One might argue that the Bible doesn’t explicitly condemn earrings on men in a direct command, but who was it in modern times that promoted this change in male behavior, and should a Christian want to take part in it? You may want to read David Kupelian’s book on The Marketing of Evil, if you do not know.
The problem is that we all have different ideas about what is modest. Why? Why, if we all have the Spirit of God, are there so many differences? The Apostle Paul gives us a clue: “Of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:11–14).
As usual, church members are considered too stupid to know who to dress properly. Are church members ever capable of ever doing anything right?
Well, he can explain the proliferation of leisure suits in the WCG thru the 1980s, then...
ReplyDeleteGerald and Carol Weston are a childless couple. While this exempts them from some kinds of scandal that have befallen their Meredith and Armstrong predecessors, it also means that they have no real experience in dealing with the changing circumstances of new generations. Any minister who has reared his own children has gained (or at least should have gained) understanding as to the need to work with people lovingly as they grow in knowledge and understanding.
ReplyDeleteConservatives in LCG, by the way, were startled a few Christmases ago when Sheryl Meredith, Kathryn Ames and Carol Weston got out on the dance floor together and did a brief "freestyle" dance together -- something for which Gerald would have punished three ordinary LCG teen girls if they had been caught doing the very same thing. It's all about who you are and who you know.
Unbelievable! Still outraged by the fashions of 40+ years ago. Where is the fun in life? I enjoyed playing with various clothing styles over the decades. Good, wholesome activities such as that add to the enjoyment of life. But, then, Armstrongism deliberately killed anything that could make church members' lives joyful or pleasurable, and then poorly substituted and inserted itself as the only remedy or solution until those darned delayed prophecies finally kick in some day.
ReplyDeleteBB