Should I Dress Up For Church?
"I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some." - 1 Corinthians 9:22
"Each generation of the church in each setting has the responsibility of communicating the gospel in understandable terms, considering the language and thought forms of that setting." - Francis Schaeffer
If the people I'm trying to reach don't dress up, should I dress up? What if dressing up makes people uncomfortable with coming to church? Should we then not dress up? Perhaps to not dress up would be following the Apostle Paul's example of becoming all things to all men in the culture? Perhaps to dress down would be following Francis Schaeffer's wise words about making the gospel more reachable to the culture? Is dressing up honouring to God, or is it just part of our Christian culture?
Driscoll gives the example that when Hudson Taylor went to China he dressed like he was Chinese and cut his hair like he was Chinese - because he wanted to reach the Chinese! Should we not act like missionaries in this pagan culture we live in, and dress like the culture we are trying to reach?
Maybe we should dress like the people we are trying to reach. Maybe not maybe. Maybe definitely.... I'm just asking....or am I telling....
"Each generation of the church in each setting has the responsibility of communicating the gospel in understandable terms, considering the language and thought forms of that setting." - Francis Schaeffer
If the people I'm trying to reach don't dress up, should I dress up? What if dressing up makes people uncomfortable with coming to church? Should we then not dress up? Perhaps to not dress up would be following the Apostle Paul's example of becoming all things to all men in the culture? Perhaps to dress down would be following Francis Schaeffer's wise words about making the gospel more reachable to the culture? Is dressing up honouring to God, or is it just part of our Christian culture?
Driscoll gives the example that when Hudson Taylor went to China he dressed like he was Chinese and cut his hair like he was Chinese - because he wanted to reach the Chinese! Should we not act like missionaries in this pagan culture we live in, and dress like the culture we are trying to reach?
Maybe we should dress like the people we are trying to reach. Maybe not maybe. Maybe definitely.... I'm just asking....or am I telling....
posted by Mark D. Smith | 8:43 PM
2 Comments:
So do you dress like the people you want to come to your church (ie. the 'pagan culture' around us) or like the people that do come to your church?
Do you offend those that do come in ties for the sake of those that may come in jeans?
Alas, I wish these issues were a tad more straightforward...
Very interesting questions! Let me know if you come to a conclusion!
Oh, and I left a comment for you on my blog, Mark! Maybe email is more effective?? :)
Post a Comment
<< Home