My wife and I recently visited an Independent Baptist Church. This church has a tremendous testimony in the community. I find myself in agreement with 95% of their teachings.

So, on a week when we changed the day our house church meets due to people being out of town, we decided to visit this church.

The service was great, the preaching was outstanding. Wish the people were a little warmer toward us, but being "house churchers" we more accustomed to hospitality than most traditional churches are.

Anyway... one thing my wife picked up on was every single woman there had on a dress. She did too... but she wondered if the church had a rule about women and pants.

We know a few of the people in that church, and my wife ran into a them this week, and she noticed... they all had dresses on at the store. My wife had on Capri's, I think they are called.

To make a long story short, my wife discovered that they do not think that women should wear pants... no matter what. And if it's an activity that would make wearing a dress inconvenient, then it is not an activity that Christian women should be involved in. Even something like horse back riding.

Being a gracious soul, my wife figured if thats their conviction, so be it. As long as they are doing it unto God... fine. Kinda like the head covering issue.

However, it resulted in my wife not feeling like getting too involved with these ladies because she would feel uncomfortable around them. Nothing against wearing dresses, but we dont share their "conviction" about it. And my wife refuses to dress like them in order to "fit in" because then she would be a fake.

I agree with her.

Had anyone ever run into this? Does anyone have this conviction? I'd love to have a discussion about this because I'm curious about where this comes from.

I think we all agree that modesty if of utmost importance. Is it that they consider pants immodest? Certainly skin tight jeans and stuff are out of the question for a Christian woman, but what about pant suits, loose fitting pants, capris, etc?

Oh... and in this church men do not wear shorts... ever. That rules me out! LOL

Krispy

Hi Krispy,

Deut 22:5 The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God. (KJV)

This would usually be the verse that these churches use to justify this teaching.

Now, there are cultures around the world throughout history where women have worn pants, historically, and they were not considereded men's clothing. It is our own western mentality that women's clothing = dress and men's = pants.

In fact, when the time that this verse was written, both men and women wore virtually the same things. They wore an undergarment, a robe and a tunic. Women would sometimes wear veils or head coverings. But besides accents and colors we're lead to the impression that the form of the clothing that they took was virtually identical, and not in any way related to what we would consider women's clothing today.

In fact, I think the verse isn't meant to discourage the wearing of cloths as much as it is about adopting the nature, attitudes and position of the other sex. I don't think that anyone in this forum would disagree that men of God should act like... men! And that women of God should act like, well, women.

Now acting like a woman doesn't mean that you're always feint or you can't carry your weight... no actually the opposite. Wasn't it Rebekah who watered 10 camels? Have you ever stopped to think how much a camel drinks (she had to lift that much water out of the well).

The verse is intended to discourage unnatural gender roles.

Wearing pants is cultural. When the bible was written, even men wore dresses... well robes. The writer of this verse didn't have pants in mind, he most likely wasn't wearing anything that would be associated with pants in the modern sense of the idea.

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Ian Smith

Does anyone have this conviction? I'd love to have a discussion about this because I'm curious about where this comes from.

I think we all agree that modesty if of utmost importance. Is it that they consider pants immodest? Certainly skin tight jeans and stuff are out of the question for a Christian woman, but what about pant suits, loose fitting pants, capris, etc?

I don't think it bad for a Church to support modesty, and even say that some things are inmodest. I think if they truly out obeying God and because this what has put each of the women then I think it is a wonderful thing. If they Love God then they would understand that your wife dosn't have the same convictions. It might be good, to know why all wear the dress?

Does anyone have this conviction?
yes I do, I think in alot ways plants are inmodest. We just like wearing them. I guess my rule is if make even one guy stumble then I shouldn't wear it. after going to colllege and looking at all the plants the women were weraing God convicted me, that I need to wear dress.
I think we don't how bad they can be sometimes. I know I was blind to fact. 100 years ago there would of been no promble. We got so far away from wearing dress, now its wride to think about wearing them all the time. But I think it is a very good thing.
So yes I could see saying that plants are inmodest.

charlene

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charlene

And they call me a legalist ?

I feel for your wife Krispy. When I very first got saved, just a month or two in Christ - I went to the laundra-mat in slacks.
A lady there asked me, "Don't you think you're going to hell in those pants ?"

Being scared to death of losing my Salvation, I shook all the way home and prayed like crazy.

The Lord, in HIS mercy and grace spoke in His still small voice and though I didn't know the Bible very well (of course) it was clear as a bell that I should open to Deut 22 and felt a strong admonition to read the whole chpt, plus some.
After doing so, I began to cry in relief. You see I'm really very afraid of "displeasing Him" and whenever these things happen, I feel like a child running to Daddy to let me know if I did something wrong or not.

Well, he showed me very plainly that this pertained to things that either were or bordered on transvestite, etc, behavior.

I think woman should wear loose fitting cloths, modest tops etc and not short-shorts, I like capris too and that's as short as I go in public too, but that's about as far as I go with this External Legalism.
Where we live also, the outward dress people look down on all of the other Christian, and you can see "that look" from them and it's sad - Because if they judge another's salvation - they're the ones in trouble of judging and not understanding Salvation.

Not that my opinion matters much. But I know what the Lord spoke to my heart when I heard clearly to open to Deut 22 (which I hadn't even read any O.T. yet, so how would I know where to look --- GOD is GOOD) ... so I don't' feel that part is "my" opinion.


Bless you all up yonder.


Edit: When I started to type my reply, there were no other Replies up yet.

I also pray this isn't a point of contention.
I respect other's views, as long as they don't condemn other's to hell for theirs.
Thanks.

Months ago I heard a wordly commentator making program and investigation why today women are not dressing like women. And he was asking women, why they wear pants. It was quite interesting to hear how one man who is not Christian and not know the bible to make such comments. And where the Church stands in all of this?
Average fellow from the world years ago I believe was dressing more modesty than average Christian today. I remember my grandmother and other older women giving comments of sort, 'Son is it not shame today women to be dressed like men?'
The standard has fallen so low.