The Courthouse
This morning I went to the county courthouse. No, I was not in any kind of trouble; I was turning in some paperwork needed for me to be a chaplain with our Sheriff’s department.
Unfortunately for me, I am having difficulty locating physical proof of my high school education! I have no idea where my diploma went, and I don’t have any transcripts. I mean, once I got accepted into college back in the mid 1980’s no one suggested that I keep all the high school stuff. Go figure.
Anyway, inside the courthouse there are several elevators (we have those in Tennessee). Inside the elevators is posted a sign which informs those going to court what NOT to wear.
The Church House
There are many churches that have similar signs – maybe not posted where everyone can see, but implied and enforced. For example, when I was younger the following NO’s were common…
- NO Long hair (as in touching the ears and especially the collar) on men and boys.
- NO Pants on women or girls.
- NO Wire-rimmed glasses.
- NO Neon-colored clothing of any kind.
- NO T-shirts with the names of secular OR contemporary Christian music groups.
- NO Casual clothing of any kind on Sunday morning…or evening…or at Wednesday night prayer meeting…or on visitation…or to a singing…or to a revival…etc.
Yes, there were some strict dress codes in my earlier years, even up until my 20’s. But were dress codes really that big of a problem? Or was it just the fact that so many judged each other’s spiritual fitness by what they chose to wear?
As I see it, we have now gotten to a point when dress codes mean nothing, from the pew to the pulpit. Frankly, what seems to be the norm these days is that whatever would least pass the muster in a courtroom winds up being the most desirable fashion statement in a worship setting!
The Heavenly Judge
I’ve written about this stuff before in “What to Wear to Church”; what you wear to church or other religious gatherings is totally between you and God and your conscience. Your style of clothing shouldn’t be used as a gauge of your spirituality – that’s legalism.
However, should it not concern us when the world outside the church has more respect for secular courtrooms than where we meet to hear the Holy Word of the Heavenly Judge of all mankind proclaimed?
Just a thought. We have those in Tennessee, too.
The Recovering Legalist 