More Thoughts on Modesty
November 20, 2007
Lar,
I appreciated your thoughts on Piper’s words. I also listened to him and was a bit taken back by his forthrightness, but as you might expect, I liked it. Not as an end in and of itself, mind you, but because in my estimation, a certain degree of plain speech is needed on such a topic. As I believed he alluded to, I don’t think most women really understand their responsibility to take careful thought on this matter. And, as is the case with all of us, this is probably something that many women just don’t want to face. After all, it is quite a hassle.
Erin and I often talk about this topic and virtually every time we do, I tell her that I feel for her. I mean, in the end, I don’t have to give too much thought to what I wear. Unless I want to start dressing like a European runway model (a male one of course), I don’t think my jeans or shirts will be too tight. Of course, sometimes the mandatory team dress over there is a little too tight for my liking, but that is another matter. For women though, the fashions of the day get tighter and tighter, riskier and riskier. I mean think about it, the way most high school girls dress today (or middle school ones for that matter) would barely have been acceptable for a prostitute however many years back. I suppose you cannot be any more forthright than that, but I don’t say it to condemn, but instead, to inform. For it is informing. And the sad thing is that Christian women are in the mix. They aren’t even thinking about the matter, oftentimes b/c they are simply comparing themselves to others rather than thinking through it from a God-centered perspective.
So for women, this will take mental effort and adjustment. And a few more dollars might have to be spent in some cases (particularly when certain items of clothing just have to be thrown out…not fun I realize). But in the end, all this is a small price to pay for a modesty that honors the Lord. And in the end, no one needs to be dressing like their great-grandmother (at least in my opinion). The adjustments don’t have to be too radical. But a few inches here and there would certainly help. And of course, let it be stated that all of this is said not to draw up some Pharisaical standard, but to serve the good of everyone…men and women alike. For the desire is for women to dress in a way that brings attention to their outer beauty in a way that is faithful to God’s emphasis on inner beauty. And that is certainly a good thing for them. For in this day and age, it is sad to see them treated as physical objects of beauty only. Freedom, this certainly is not.
And for the dudes, the desire is to help them focus on that which is truly important without neglecting the reality of outer beauty. Tough balance for sure. I mean, women should care about their outward appearance (as well as men…), but they should dress so as to help their brothers in Christ focus on God’s priorities, on that which makes them truly beautiful. And they should realize that they want to do all they can to make sure that they are not stumbling blocks for their brothers in Christ. For Jesus’ words on being a stumbling block were by no means complementary (Luke 17:1-2).
I admit that this issue seems small. So why do I want to put so much time and energy into it? Well, it might seem small, but in God’s eyes, nothing is so small that it is not deserving of thought and energy. No stone should be left unturned. Particularly when it comes to being beautiful in a way that honors the Lord (and to a certain degree of course, yourself), and honors your brothers in Christ….it just can’t not be important. I could go on and maybe I will some other time, but that is enough for now. Also worth checking out Lar are these two links.
The first is a short email from Wayne Grudem to John Piper on the topic of language. The second is a link to a message by C.J. Mahaney called The Soul of Modesty.
Striving to honor the Lord in all things,
Joe
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FYI:
The Mahaney message you linked to is the same one I referred to in my previous post.
Joe and Larry,
Thank you both for posting more on this. We do need to hear it more, even though it isn’t always fun! Sometimes those things that are most uncomfortable at the time bring the most pleasing fruit later on.
Just a thought on the link to Grudem’s comments to Piper: what an encouragement John Piper is! Who else is going to post a disagreement to their reasoning on their website? What a humble man he is to not only listen to others when they are differing in opinion of him, but then also post it for the betterment of his audience so they may also see where he may have failed to fully discern. I truly long to grow in humility like that. Thanks for sharing that, even if it wasn’t the main purpose!