My wife and I are both wondering that these days... are we simply becoming old farts?
Something that has been on both of our minds over the past week is the mode of dress of women in our community. I am particularly perplexed about the low standards that we see among Christians, but in general, among women we see out and about, and at college functions.
Who taught these women to dress? I am completely flummoxed about the attitude that is heard from women when slinky clothing is commented upon negatively. "It's the guy's problem if he ogles me - he's the one acting improperly." or "her shirt didn't CAUSE him to harrass her." Indeed, the men in question are responsible for their reactions... but if you DRESS like a sex object, flaunting every curve and drawing the eye to particular parts of your body, is it reasonable to expect that you won't get attention that you don't want? The extent to which particularly feminist women complain about this, yet dress like prostitutes is galling to me. The mode of dress that is so common is horribly destructive to the interests of the women going about in it, yet they are often blind to that very simple fact.
When it comes to Christian women, I sense the same sort of objection to questions about their dress. "We're free to dress as we want to", one might say. "I'm not responsible for HIS sin" says another.
Well, on the second point, you aren't responsible for HIS sin, indeed. However, you are responsible not to PROVOKE sin by your actions or clothing. How can anyone defend DARING a man (or a woman for that matter) to sin by what he or she wears? As for the first point, the freedom of the Christian is not, is NEVER, may it never be, license. We are to walk with integrity and dignity, which is not represented by plunging necklines, push-up bras, and skirts no larger than a bandana. Yet even at church we see such open displays of disregard for decency. "All to fit in, just to be fashionable," some say. To walk quietly among our fellow men is one thing - to act the part of the uninhibited, self-centered and unbelieving world is another.
Should we in the church wonder that our children are abandoning the church, or having children out of wedlock, and in other ways simply living as the world lives, when we fail to provide guidance for them in terms of dress and other key elements of social/cultural lifestyle? Are we so afraid of putting them off now by holding the line on such things and behaviors? I pray that men particularly will begin to take notice of the trends in the church, and gently but firmly lead their homes in the ways of righteousness. Otherwise, I have great fears for the church as time goes by.
Good points, Todd.
The woman is responsible not for the man's sin, but for her own. The man's sin is to lust, and the woman's sin is to lust to be lusted after. Sexy dress and the attention that goes along with it is the woman's pornography. If they didn't care about how men looked at them, why dress like that?
Posted by: Matt Powell at April 10, 2004 07:00 PM