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| Volume 28 Number 1 January 2026 |
Page 11 |
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| Volume 28 Number 1 January 2026 |
Page 11 |
Jay Launius
It seems that dress codes have always been a source of controversy within societies and, of course, within the church. In most cases, popular culture drives the clothes that people wear, while dress codes attempt to monitor apparel by opinions of what is considered decent and moral. The following dress code was recently posted by one of our local night clubs, which boasts of being the hottest honkey-tonk in town.
This dress code concluded with the following statement, “We are not the gym, Netflix, Chill or your bedroom. Dress and act accordingly.”
Dear Christians: If an establishment that offers drinking, dancing and revelry, all of which God disapproves (1 Peter 4:3), can expect its patrons to dress and act in a decent manner, then surely, we can do better as the Lord’s people. We are to be modest and chaste in our appearance and behavior, especially when we come together to worship our Heavenly Father. What better lesson can we teach our children than that of dressing properly and respectfully when attending church services?
“In like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works” (1 Timothy 2:9-10 NKJV). Our clothing doesn’t have to be fancy, formal or expensive. As the old timers used to say, “Wear your best.”
[Editor’s Note: There is a congregation of the churches of Christ in Georgetown, Guyana, South America that in the past, at least, prominently posted its dress code outside the entrance to their building. It read, “READ THIS BEFORE YOU ENTER! We expect everyone who enters this building to be MODESTLY DRESSED. NO strapless, spaghetti straps, short tops, peddle pushers, shorts, revealing tops/bottoms, off the shoulders, tube tops, tights, vests.” Boarding houses for school children, also in Guyana, had a sign at the entrance of the fenced compound, which read, “DRESS CODE—FEMALE: No strap/vest top, short pants, short skirt. MALE: No vest, short pants.” Maybe we need to borrow such a sign or make a similar one for our meetinghouses. ~ Louis Rushmore, Editor]
