Differing views on Modesty.

OK well I have been putting this post off, NOT because I don't want to do it, but because I love this topic and I want to write soo much that I just keep telling myself I don't have time to write all I want. So I have decided to make this a two part "series" and we will see where it goes from there.

What I want to say first is that, although it may seem simple, this topic is far from simple. Now I wish it were not that way, but it just is. I wish it were common sense, but its not. I wish we were raised in a culture that upheld a simple standard of modest dress. However, the more I look around the more I find such extremes.

First Extreme: The legalistic Modesty.

To be honest, sometimes I even hate to use the word legalism. I think way too many people use that word in a way and context in which it was not meant for. But what I mean by legalism is when you equate the saving, amazing, personal, sacrificial love of our savior with something you can earn or loose based on what you wear. I know some people truly feel very passionately about this, and I, in no way, want to offend anyone who believes strongly on some of these things, but I do need to speak my heart on this.
So for instance, for ME, modesty is very important, but its not up there with love,forgiveness, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, goodness, and self-control. But for some, to wear pants, or to to wear even short sleeves, is worthy of the flames of Hell.


Second Extreme: The "freedom" view.

Yes, we are free. Those He set free are free indeed. But this extreme is when we take our freedom, the Grace that He has bestowed on us, and disregard what He says about this issue. We throw out his words and commands, as if somehow, because of His forgiveness of our sins, we now no longer need to listen or obey His word. The freedom view says "I am free in Christ to be who I am, dress how I want, and no one can say a thing about it".


My view: God's heart on Modesty

I truly believe with all my heart that God is not silent on this issue. He speaks, and desires us to obey. God wants us to listen. He desires for us to WANT to do what is important to Him and His heart. To seek and pursue it.


Further..

I do not want to take a HUGE amount of time on this tonight, so I will try to dissect JUST ONE verse in this post. That would be 1 Timothy 2:9 which reads, "I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes."

First we see what it says about a woman's dress...it should be modest. We women also should not be known for our braided hair, gold, pearls or expensive clothes.

Why?

Well I will talk about WHY modesty later, but for now I would like to take a view on why it says to not have braided hair, gold, pearls, or expensive clothes.

For one, I think we were to be separate in a sense, especially from the pagans of the day. What braids, gold, pearls and expensive clothes meant back then, to all those people, is a whole lot different than what it means to western Americans. For instance Egyptians were known for their Jewelry. But not in a simple way,but a religious way. A quote from a website says this about Egyptians and Jewelry....
"The ancient Egyptians were trailblazers in many fields, but particularly in the field of beauty. Pioneers in the arts of adornment, including cosmetics and tattooing, they did not limit themselves to enhancement of only the body's natural charms. The ancient Egyptians were also brilliant innovators in the creation of jewelry.
The ancient Egyptians loved ornamentation. Jewelry was designed, crafted and worn with great care thought and care. In their typical holistic fashion, fine jewelry was valued not only for beauty but also for the magical and spiritual protection it provided for its wearer. Did the concept of purely ornamental adornment exist for the ancients? Did they make that distinction between amulets and jewelry? Many anthropologists believe not.
Minerals and metals were identified with specific deities as well as with specific spiritual and therapeutic values. Thus their words for lapis lazuli and turquoise were synonymous with joy and delight, respectively. Copper and malachite were identified with Hathor, gold connected to the solar deity."


Secondly Braided hair in the ancient world was a symbol of Rome and prosperity, both of which was invading the hearts and minds of many a Jew and Christian. The book of Timothy was written so that Paul could give Godly words and advice to young Timothy who had the difficult time of Shepherding a church in one of the most heathen places on earth, Ephesus. Not only was Ephesus known for its decadence but also for having one of the most famous temples in all of the Ancient world, The Temple of Artemis. It was a temple in dedication to the most famous Greek goddess. The details of what she was known for and what how people worshiped inside the walls of that temple, I will leave out of this blog, so that I do not throw up all over myself.

Many Romans flooded the city of Ephesus for its Temple, luxuries, and games.

So what does that have to do with braided hair???

I am glad you asked. Here is what I found...

"One thing is made very clear by the statues, coins, and paintings that provide our evidence about the hairstyles worn in ancient Rome: women changed their hairstyles very often. Though there is no one typical Roman hairstyle, it is obvious that Roman women often curled and braided their hair.

Perhaps to make up for the simplicity of their wardrobe, including the fact that Romans didn't wear hats, Roman women wore elaborate hairstyles. From the early years of the Roman Republic (509–27 B.C.E. ), women began to coil their long hair into a crown on their head. They might braid the hair first and then wrap it into intricate designs. They also used a device called a calamistrum to curl their hair. The calamistrum was a hollow iron tube that was heated. Hair was rolled around it, and when it was removed the hair retained its curly shape. These early hair curlers were very common among wealthy Roman women, and men sometimes had their hair curled as well.

Carving of a Roman man with long braids. Both men and women wore braids and curls in their hair. Reproduced by permission of © .

During the Roman Empire (27 B.C.E. –476 C.E. ), when Roman civilization was at its height of power, women took their braided and curled hairstyles to extremes. They were careful never to appear in public without carefully tended hair, and they kept slaves, known as ornatrices, who were specially trained in hair styling."

So after doing even just a preliminary search of the meaning of braided hair in the ancient world, you can EASILY understand WHY Paul warned against it for the Women of the church. Expensive clothes goes hand in hand with that. Women there were known for their Jewelry, braided hair, and expensive clothes. Not because those things in and of themselves are bad, but because of all they represented about that persons lifestyle. That was NOT to be the case with the Christian believers.

So should we not braid our hair, wear jewelry,and buy only Goodwill clothing?
Well, last time I checked, in America, everyone, even the poor, have some sort of jewelry. Jewelry here and now represents basically....nothing. Due to cheap labor, hundreds of years of trading, and stability of wealth here in America, Jewelry now costs less than a gallon of milk. And everyone has some. We actually tend to store ours more in boxes than adorning ourselves with it. Why? Because Jewelry represents little more than the memory of the one who gave it to us. OR in my case, my $1 earrings are just a pop of color to make my outfit look less.....well....cheap. Because I DO shop at Goodwill. :)

As far as the braiding of hair goes, I think we are fine there, since, in America, braiding your hair down your back pretty much has the EXACT opposite meaning as it did when Paul wrote his letter to Timothy. Now it means to some, your are a simple housewife who doesn't have time to blow-dry, flat iron, or whatever the new style is these days. Braiding is simple, quick, and easy. It really doesn't scream "I'm a wealthy pagan!" anymore, so I think we are good to go on that.

So with that, I close until tomorrow. Since I am sure I did a fine job of confusing you with all my jumbling thoughts, I just know you are dying to come back for more torture tomorrow ;)

But if you are a glutton for punishment, tomorrow, I will talk on WHY modesty is so important. For us, for our daughters and sons, and for our husbands.