Fashion styles tend to be cyclical, so even though this article was originally published nearly forty years ago, its message is as timely as ever. Of course, who could have imagined the state of dress (or undress) of the 2000’s?
Editorial
August, 1971
Volume 6, Number 4
At another place in this issue of the BRF Witness, readers can find a brief summary of the 1971 Annual Conference–but one of the growing concerns that comes to serious Conference-goers, is the increasing evidence of immodesty in dress. This year, girls in shorts, sometimes helped to lift the offering at evening services.
Modesty implies that clothing must provide enough covering for the body so that others are not embarrassed or tempted. Jesus clearly condemned the lustful glance, and while men are admonished to “flee youthful lusts,” there is no question but that the revealing clothing worn by women today, contributes to the depravity of our time.
Modesty also implies dressing with restraint, avoiding dress that is designed to call attention to oneself, whether it be attention-getting because of its color, its styling, or its nudity. Superfluous clothing indicates an inner carnality that is not pleasing to God.
Modesty implies too, economy in the type of clothing one wears. The amount of money wasted annually because of changing styles, is staggering. Many are blindly following the dictates of fashion designers, and ignoring the Bible’s caution against gold and pearls and costly array.
The Scriptures always condemn nakedness and commend modesty. When Moses had been away in the mountain for many days, and he came back to the camp, and found the people dancing; around a golden calf – God severely punished Israel because of her idolatry and nakedness. In the New Testament, it was the demon-possessed man who wore no clothes (Luke 8:21). The Christian woman is to wear “modest apparel with shamefacedness and sobriety” (1 Tim. 2:9). Nakedness is a calamity to be avoided. Immodesty is a sin which God hates.
It is no doubt true that a few vicious letters from readers, will lash out at the editor because of this issue of the Witness, but then, they lashed out at John the Baptist too. We are stewards not only of time, talents, and money, but also of the faith – and a steward must be “faithful”(see 1 Cor. 4:1, 2).
Hazards of the Miniskirt
by Harold S. Martin
The days of the miniskirt are not over. Thousands of women are defying the fashion experts, and are determined to continue exposing their bodies and showing their legs.
That God expects people to wear sufficient clothes is clear from Genesis 3:21. When Adam and Eve became conscious of their nakedness, “They sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.” But God took coats of skins and made them clothes to cover their bodies. It is instructive to note that the Hebrew word for “coats” (in Genesis 3) means literally “a covering robe.” The clothes that God made for Adam and Eve were not primarily for adornment, nor even for keeping warm – their chief object was to cover the nakedness of the body. God clothed the first pair in the Garden, and it seems like the devil has been trying ever since, to get men and women to unclothe.
Modern fashions are designed to catch the attention of the male, and to concentrate that attention on the female body. In fact, one of the major intents of the miniskirt is to accentuate sexuality. The miniskirt suggests nakedness – it conveys the impression of full exposure of the body, without actually doing so – and thus is even more provocative then total nakedness. There are hazards that accompany the wearing of a miniskirt:
1. THE WOMAN WHO WEARS IT IS UNCOMFORTABLE
Nothing seems too ridiculous for many to put on the body. The kinds of clothing that women are wearing today, are outrageous beyond words. Their clothes are usually tight and uncomfortable and immodest and inadequate. They seem to be constantly tugging and stretching and pulling and changing positions – uncertain of what’s visible. The person wearing a miniskirt often cannot relax. Some finally give up their efforts to cover their knees, and simply expose their legs as freely as their face.
Girls that wear immodest clothes (shorts, short dresses, see-through blouses, low-cut dresses) are somewhat embarrassed at first. But as they grow older, their blush is gone, their modesty is gone, and in some cases their virtue is gone too. Many young girls who wear short skirts and other types of scanty clothing, don’t completely realize the affect that abbreviated clothing has on the opposite sex. The young girl may not be aware of the temptation she presents to a man, by revealing her body with scanty or too-tight-fitting clothes – but her father surely knows, and he should have enough moral character to insist that his daughters cover themselves. This is one of his responsibilities as a husband and father in the home.
In light of the teaching in 1 Timothy 2:9, those who truly love God surely will not wear short skirts, or shorts, or clothes that fit so closely that they become revealing. Christian women will avoid transparent fabrics that do not give satisfactory coverage, plunging necklines, sweaters and blouses that emphasize the bustline, and skirts that are not long enough to drape modestly over the knees even when sitting.
2. THE MAN WHO OBSERVES IT IS TEMPTED
Granted that a man should not look with lust upon a woman (Matthew 5:28), but still it is wrong for girls and women to dress in such a way as to cause that temptation in a man.
The sex-drive in men is very strong. It can be ignited into flame by the mere sense of sight. God created the man in such a way that when he sees the exposed body of an attractive girl or woman (or when he sees a woman dressed so that every line of her figure is seen in bold relief) – there’s an immediate automatic charge set off in his body that stimulates sinful thought and action. Men are built that way. Any man who denies it is either dishonest or abnormal.
A woman does not have the same strong sexual urge that a man has. The woman’s drive toward marriage is just as strong as the man’s, but the urge that a woman craves, is the love and attention of a man, A woman is different from a man in that she can look on the body of a man without lusting. Whereas when a man looks at the partially exposed body of a woman, he becomes sexually stirred. This is what happened to King David the night he stood on a rooftop, and gazed upon a woman taking her bath. The woman’s form, left uncovered for the gaze of men, leads to inflamed sex desire, and eventually to adultery. And the woman who dresses in scanty clothing, and thus causing a man to lust after her, is a party to the adulterous act.
Why do we speak about modesty, and about the matter of women conducting themselves in a decent manner? The answer is because of the heart of man. When women and girls expose themselves, and accentuate certain elements of their bodies ( and men see them), the evil nature within immediately seeks to express itself. Time and time again, God fearing men and boys have told me that one of their greatest trials (one of the sorest temptations they face), is the sight of improperly dressed women.
A survey conducted among policemen and other law enforcement officers (from thirty-seven states) included these questions: (1) Is a girl more likely to be a victim of crime if she dresses immodestly, including short skirts? (2) Do boys and men generally consider short skirts an invitation to sex-oriented attention? Nearly all the officers answered these questions with an unqualified “yes. ” No woman can parade about, exposing her body to the opposite sex, without inviting abuse.
3. THE LORD WHO JUDGES IT IS DISPLEASED
Modesty, decency, and purity may be old fashioned – but so is the Bible. Keeping the body modestly covered may not win a first prize in a style show, but it will surely honor God. Clothing is related to morality, and one who is serious about his relationship with God, will want to be sure to take a good look at his clothes. When we stand before God, we are going to be judged by His word (John 12:48), and there are going to be some pretty serious dress-accounts to settle in that day.
The last step in the degradation of a nation is immodesty. The wearing of suggestive dress leads to the ruin of a people. Those who expose much of their bodies (both men and women) are debauching the nation, damning manhood, polluting society, and breaking up the foundations of the home. Many African countries today forbid the short skirts. The International Travel Guide (a publication about passports, visas, and other travel documents required by various countries), says, “Miniskirts are strictly forbidden in the territory of Madagascar …a half knee-length is the extreme limit admitted. This decision applies to every female passenger over ten years, and concerns passengers of all nationalities. Trespassers of this stipulation can be sentenced up to ten days in jail.” Sports Illustrated recently reported that Malawi outlawed the miniskirt, saying, “Proper dress is necessary for the moral health of the nation.” It’s good to see that some nations are stressing standards on a level above those of pagan America.
Some say, “It’s your evil mind that sees harm. To the pure-minded there is no harm in scanty attire.” But in its setting, Titus 1:15 (“to the pure, all things are pure”), is speaking about Jewish legalists who teach the commandments of men, and say that certain foods are unclean. Paul says in 1 Timothy 5:5 that “every creature of God” (everything created by God for consumption as food) is to be received, if one partakes of it with thanksgiving. Those whose hearts and minds have been purified by the blood of Christ, find that Romans 14:20 is true: “For meat (for the sake of food) destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure.” The fact is that one who doesn’t respect what God’s Word says about modest apparel, doesn’t have any right to glibly quote (out of its setting) a Scripture passage relating to purity. Those who knowingly ignore the teaching on modesty, have a wicked heart of rebellion and defiance against what God commands.
We want to salute those women who have not bowed their knees to Baal, nor bared their knees to Jezebel. A properly attired woman is a witness to God and an aid to man in conquering temptation. It is understandable that the unsaved will follow the immodest fashions. But Christians follow the guidelines given in the New Testament, and every day seek God’s face, saying, “Lord what will you have me to do?” In Exodus 32 we read, “And when Moses saw that the people were naked…(he) stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord’s side?” One who tramps around in semi-nude clothing can hardly say he is on the Lord’s side. We urge that each of us turn his back on the immodest styles of this age, lift up the flag of purity, and dedicate his life to Jesus Christ anew, and step out on the Lord’s side.