A Return to Modesty

I always know when summer has arrived. No, not because of the days with highs in the 90's. I know by seeing the return of spaghetti straps, bare midriffs, and unbelievably short shorts. This immodest choice of clothing is to be expected among those of the world, but it is disturbing to see it so prominent among self professed Christian women. God's word has not changed and the command is still written, "I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly...as is proper for women making a claim to godliness" (1 Tim. 2:9-10). These words clearly demand we dress in an appropriate and modest fashion and prohibit the indecent exposure of one’s body.

Clothing reflects the character of a person. (Read 1 Peter 3:1-6) Genesis 38:13-18 gives the account of Tamar putting off her widows garments and putting on the garments of a harlot. When she did this, not only was she treated like a harlot but she acted like one. Proverbs 7:10 speaks of the harlot’s attire as well. Shouldn’t this cause the Christian to admit provocative, sexually explicit clothing invites sexual activity? Besides, what message is being sent to a lost world when Christian women (men as well), who profess themselves to be godly, dress in sexually provocative clothing? As Christians we are the salt and light of the world. (Mt. 5:13-16)

But it is shocking to see the clothes that teens (and even pre-teens) are wearing these days. It is likely that teens are obsessed with "looking sexy" because their mothers have obsessed over this as well. May we return to the Bible, and may we (to borrow from Shalit's book) "return to modesty." Let me recommend the following reading on this topic for your consideration:

Read Margery Eagan's column in the Boston Herald (3/22/07) titled "Oh, Mothers! Just Act Your Age!"
Read Wendy Shalit's book A Return to Modesty (available from Amazon.com)
Read Wendy Shalit's NEW book Girls Gone Mild (available from Amazon.com)
Read Jeff Pollard's little booklet Christian Modesty and the Undressing of America (available from Amazon.com).

God help us to be the salt and light of the world,
Robert