CARNALITY IN FUNDAMENTAL CHURCHES!

By ROLLAND C. STARR, Pastor

CORNERSTONE BAPTIST CHURCH -- P.O. BOX 438 -- BELMONT, MA 02478

Christian dress and modesty is not a popular subject among God’s people. Most preachers just ignore it! I would like to begin by quoting a few others (there are only a few) so you can see it is not merely a hobby with me.

It is a serious sin of many children of God. Rick Flanders (Sword of the Lord, 9/23/03), speaking of Exodus 32, where Aaron had made the people naked, showed that nakedness is not necessarily nudeness.

He said, "There is a problem with immodesty in the more strictly fundamentalist churches too. Christian women and girls are letting the trendy stores in the mall decide how they will dress. Too much skin is allowed to show on the top by low necklines and wide armholes, in the middle by short tops and sagging bottoms, and at the bottom by short skirts, short culottes, and just plain shorts. Clothes worn by too many believers are too tight and otherwise revealing even when not too much skin is showing. There is too much nakedness among believers, and the main problem is it offends God. We cannot blend the worship of Jehovah with nakedness."

Clarence Sexton, in The Baptist Vision, said he was seated on an airplane next to a man, a foreigner, whom he asked, "What are your observations of our country?" The man replied, ". . . I want to tell you, I have never seen as much nakedness as I have seen in this country."

The man was from Europe, not exactly the home of modesty. Now, we don’t expect much from the world, but our concern is that many professing Christians are dressing sensually, like the world. Jim Harmon says that ". . . popular fashion is, to speak bluntly, toward nakedness . . . physically revealing and sensual, pervasive. What is troublesome is that many in the Church have bowed the knee to the pied pipers of provocative fashions . . . yet the church remains strangely silent."

The Bible says, "In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness (bashful, timid as opposed to bold) and sobriety; (self control) . . ." Modest means decorous, that which is appropriate.

Is it appropriate for a Christian woman to wear the kind of clothing described above? Is it appropriate for a woman to dress so as to attract the inordinate attention of men? Would God approve of this? The answer is obvious! Let us be done with all the excuses and dress as becometh children of God.

I am convinced the greatest problem with improper dress in our Fundamental churches it the pastors. Preachers simply are not willing to take a stand; they know that it will make some people unhappy and some will leave. I can vouch for both of these situations for I have had it happen too often.

It is amazing how many professed Fundamental Baptist women (their husbands going along with them) think more of being able to dress sensually than they do of pleasing and obeying God and His Word. We have had any number leave our church because we have a dress code and endeavor go live by it.

Some have gone to New Evangelical churches rather than remain and dress modestly; others go to so-called Fundamental Baptist churches that have no standards. Some have come and were happy until they were informed of the dress code. We do not like to lose people, but I’d rather lose some carnal Christians than try to worship and serve God with such a display of the flesh.