I am going to argue that vanity is most likely the biggest problem within Christianity today. I am not arguing that it is the most serious problem, but it is universal and spares no one.
The way the current problem stands looks something like this. Visit any church and observe what the high school and college girls are wearing. Then look at the young mothers, the middle age women and the older women. What you are going to observe is that all of these women dress according to the standards of the world. They are wearing what's cute, what's fashionable, what's attractive, and what draws the attention. The problem with this is that all of these things are immediately contrary to the Christian faith. Show me in Scripture or the writings of the Church fathers or monasticism where this kind of thinking about appearance is encouraged.
We cannot think like the world. We must not think like the world. As followers of Christ we must be different from the world. If nothing else, this should at least be seen in our thinking. We must be able to articulate why we do the things we do, in regards to our appearance, amongst other things. This includes clothing, makeup, hairstyle, etc.
I am not going to argue for any one particular standard or set appearance, but i am going to argue for the necessity of having a well thought out and supported position. What has the Church historically said about clothing and appearance? What do the church fathers say about this? What do the monastics say about this?
Some could argue that I need to mind my own business and not concern myself with things that others might not even see as sinful. But we need to move beyond self- centeredness. When I go to church, I may need to answer to my children as to why someone is dressed a certain way. It's a shame that I cannot go to a church picnic without having to be concerned with seeing someone’s half naked body. If someone has to continually be attentive to the way they sit or move, because someone may see up or down somewhere otherwise, that is a serious problem.
Our children are our responsibility. We must train them up to think like Christ. If their concern is gaining the attention of some young man who is looking for a pretty wife, then we have failed to train them in choosing a godly spouse. Our young men ought to be looking for a wife that is striving after godliness, humility, chastity and charity, not looking pretty.
Vanity is vanity is ungodliness. And if we are training our daughters to work towards being pretty, then we have failed them.
The way the current problem stands looks something like this. Visit any church and observe what the high school and college girls are wearing. Then look at the young mothers, the middle age women and the older women. What you are going to observe is that all of these women dress according to the standards of the world. They are wearing what's cute, what's fashionable, what's attractive, and what draws the attention. The problem with this is that all of these things are immediately contrary to the Christian faith. Show me in Scripture or the writings of the Church fathers or monasticism where this kind of thinking about appearance is encouraged.
We cannot think like the world. We must not think like the world. As followers of Christ we must be different from the world. If nothing else, this should at least be seen in our thinking. We must be able to articulate why we do the things we do, in regards to our appearance, amongst other things. This includes clothing, makeup, hairstyle, etc.
I am not going to argue for any one particular standard or set appearance, but i am going to argue for the necessity of having a well thought out and supported position. What has the Church historically said about clothing and appearance? What do the church fathers say about this? What do the monastics say about this?
Some could argue that I need to mind my own business and not concern myself with things that others might not even see as sinful. But we need to move beyond self- centeredness. When I go to church, I may need to answer to my children as to why someone is dressed a certain way. It's a shame that I cannot go to a church picnic without having to be concerned with seeing someone’s half naked body. If someone has to continually be attentive to the way they sit or move, because someone may see up or down somewhere otherwise, that is a serious problem.
Our children are our responsibility. We must train them up to think like Christ. If their concern is gaining the attention of some young man who is looking for a pretty wife, then we have failed to train them in choosing a godly spouse. Our young men ought to be looking for a wife that is striving after godliness, humility, chastity and charity, not looking pretty.
Vanity is vanity is ungodliness. And if we are training our daughters to work towards being pretty, then we have failed them.
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