Various thoughts on being a Christian woman…
Once a year in youth group, we were given the “swimsuit talk.” Men who grew up in an Evangelical church, don’t pretend you have no idea what I’m referring to. The “swimsuit talk” is the talk where the youth pastor exhorts the young women in the youth group not to wear certain swimsuits and other clothing lest we lead our brothers in Christ to sin.
It is a good thing for women to dress modestly, don’t get me wrong. I was a big proponent of wearing baggy tops and what have you. Men still noticed my figure.
I am free in Christ to wear whatever top I would like. And I like wearing tops of a certain nature for the visual pleasure of my husband. (He likes that.) However, I walk a fine line every morning as I stand in front of my closet. The battle is thus: to what extent am I responsible for thoughts of lust men have?
The swimsuit talk mentality operates under the general assumption that I, a woman, am wholly and completely responsible for the lustful thoughts of men. And if a man who is not Josh is making passes at me, it is my fault. (One hopes Josh makes passes at her when he returns…)
The opposite extreme is where women have the mentality that they can wear whatever they please and still be treated as pure and innocent, and these women claim to bear no responsibility for lust.
My problem… I have certain features that draw more attention then other features. So, I attempt to treat said features with a degree of modesty and professionalism when I leave for work. Beyond treating my body with a degree of modesty, am I responsible for the lusts of men? I say, “No.”
Women need to walk this fine line of dressing to please our husbands, find pleasure in the clothing we wear, dress our figure in a modest manner, yet feel stylish. In adult Bible hour on Sunday, our pastor talked about 1 Corinthians 10. The obvious application was stuff like alcohol. A minor application I briefly discussed with HG was apparel. I have an obligation to dress in a modest manner. And I have an obligation to dress in a manner pleasing to my husband. But I am not responsible, beyond modest dress, for “entrapping males into lustful thoughts.” Anything beyond modest dress is legalism and a step closer to a burka. Anything less and one could question my commitment to leading a pure life.
It is a good thing for women to dress modestly, don’t get me wrong. I was a big proponent of wearing baggy tops and what have you. Men still noticed my figure.
I am free in Christ to wear whatever top I would like. And I like wearing tops of a certain nature for the visual pleasure of my husband. (He likes that.) However, I walk a fine line every morning as I stand in front of my closet. The battle is thus: to what extent am I responsible for thoughts of lust men have?
The swimsuit talk mentality operates under the general assumption that I, a woman, am wholly and completely responsible for the lustful thoughts of men. And if a man who is not Josh is making passes at me, it is my fault. (One hopes Josh makes passes at her when he returns…)
The opposite extreme is where women have the mentality that they can wear whatever they please and still be treated as pure and innocent, and these women claim to bear no responsibility for lust.
My problem… I have certain features that draw more attention then other features. So, I attempt to treat said features with a degree of modesty and professionalism when I leave for work. Beyond treating my body with a degree of modesty, am I responsible for the lusts of men? I say, “No.”
Women need to walk this fine line of dressing to please our husbands, find pleasure in the clothing we wear, dress our figure in a modest manner, yet feel stylish. In adult Bible hour on Sunday, our pastor talked about 1 Corinthians 10. The obvious application was stuff like alcohol. A minor application I briefly discussed with HG was apparel. I have an obligation to dress in a modest manner. And I have an obligation to dress in a manner pleasing to my husband. But I am not responsible, beyond modest dress, for “entrapping males into lustful thoughts.” Anything beyond modest dress is legalism and a step closer to a burka. Anything less and one could question my commitment to leading a pure life.
posted by Consecutive Odds @ 9:00 PM
1 Comments:
At 5:55 AM ,
Anonymous said...
Men should have their own "swimsuit talk." This would provide an excellent opportunity to talk about how God uses temptation to draw us closer to him and how to avoid falling prey to the sin of lust. Also, they should have to sit and listen to a talk reminding them that they too can lead their sisters in Christ to face the temptation of lust when they display muscles on topless torsos.
This is another example of how the Free Church views women as second-class Christians, whose fathers and husbands should lock them up in a closet for their own good. However, the men, the "REAL" Christians are free to act in whatever manner they choose, because it is the woman's fault if they sin. Just like when a women gets pregnant out of wedlock. The Free Church calls the woman a whore to her face and a liar when she names the father, because we all know that THIS young man doesn't sin.
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