There was a time when dressing up was a real norm in our society here in Canada and North America.

I remember the day when I was required to wear a suit and a tie to work. I also remember the day when that requirement was removed.

I remember the day when there wasn;t even any question about wearing a suit and a tie to church, both before and after my coming into the SDA Church. It seems to me that whatever happens in society eventually also happens in the church.

I still dress up for church with a suit and a tie or a sports jacket and a tie. For some strange reason, I just can't see myself doing otherwise, especially in relation to wearing a tie.

Daryl wrote:

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It seems to me that whatever happens in society eventually also happens in the church.

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At one time the tie was happening in society and eventually was adopted into church, growing into a tradition and now enthusiastically defended...

Dress is one of those things that changes over time, and what we wear to church also changes and as you say Daryl is a reflection of societies dress.

There are some basic principles I try to follow for church dress. My clothes should be neat, clean, modest and not so out of the ordinary as to draw attention to myself, in other words I don't wear blue jeans as that would draw attention. Beyond that I'm not sure it matters. In Bible times I'm not sure what they wore to church. I'm assuming they might have had a special robe and tie they wore to church but I am not certain. However I'd say they were neat, clean and modest. Dressing up is what some people do for work every day, tie, wing tips, the whole nine yards. For me as a bee keeper I'm really dressing up simply by wearing dress slacks and a nice button down shirt and in cool weather a sport jacket. In North America the standards of dressing up have changed in the last few years, people rarely wear ties to work anymore, much less out to dinner or a play, so as a reflection of that most people are dressing down more for church as well. I've heard that at some churches in Hawaii if you wore a tie you would feel out of place. Of course that is true in many countries outside NA. In our fairly conservative church I'm seeing more and more people going tieless and many women are wearing slacks as well. Hopefully the only blue jeans will be on some of the rebellious teens that show up now and then.

Redfog

I have been dressing down a bit lately, from a suit and tie, to just slacks and tie. Not because I think it is the right thing to do, but because I have put on a few inches at the waist line and can't fit into my suit pants. I don't want to spend money on a new suit since it is my goal to get back to my normal size. But I seem to be losing the battle.

I think we should differentiate between the apparel we use for casual friends and aquaintences, and a God who is Holy and awesome.

How do we dress up when we are invited to a special function such as a wedding?

How would we dress up if we were invited to a special function by the President of the USA, by the Queen of the Commonwealth of Nations, or by the Prime Minister of Canada?

In all of life we should dress in a way that is appropriate to the function and situation we find our selves in. If we were having a formal dinner at the White House we'd wear a tux, if we were having lunch with Mr. Bush at his ranch we'd dress in blue jeans and a flannel shirt.

If we are going to a big and fancy wedding we would dress differently than a wedding in a park. If we go to a church where nearly everyone wears a suit and tie, and we would be a spectacle if we did not then that is what we should wear. If we went to church in Honduras then wearing a nicer pair of pants, a open shirt and sandals would be appropriate. A church service in the woods would call for the wearing of blue jeans.

I think my original post holds up: "There are some basic principles I try to follow for church dress. My clothes should be neat, clean, modest and not so out of the ordinary (for the situation) as to draw attention to myself" I think this would hold true for most any function, from meeting the head of a state to the Creator of the Universe.

Redfog

It was not too many years ago that all men would wear a stylish hat, the women would wear a hat and gloves. So the "fashion fad" has changed. Do we stay apart from the world in all her ways? I think not! Look at the dress of the founders of the SDA church. They certainly did not stand out from the society norms for their day. So as time changes, so to does the outward styles, this is not to say that "we" are to follow evry wind of change (micro mini skirts, tatooed and pierced skin, fancy ultra expensive shoes and ties etc) ...
-When I was at University fashion was a reflection of your placement in society. ie: you dress to your position. This was difficult because a lot of people were trying to dress up a level and this was very $$$ so, as "Doctor BUGGGS BUNNY" would ask "What's up doc?" What is up with our continual "looking upon (and judgementation) the OUTWARD appearence???
-What would the SDA church say about the likes of "John the Baptist" what if (symbolicly) he would walk into our church next Sabbath???

We look upon the outward appearance because it is a reflection, many times, of what is on the inside. A women wearing a micro-mini is sending the world a message. And that message is not one of modesty in her life. A man wearing a Rolex is likely not one of the meek that will inherit the earth. Now of course we should not judge and there are exceptions to everything however in general the outward appearance does tell what is in the heart. Many times our only impression of a person is what we see on the outside, therefore that outward appearance should be a reflection of the Creator.

I think the most important part of dress is modesty, this modesty is not just related to how much skin you show, there is also something to be said by modesty in the cost of clothing and accessories. Modesty says that the latest fad is generally not for us, that we don't have to have the latest pair of shoes off the designers shelf, it says that $75 jeans are not the best use of our money.

Redfog

One of the problems I see is that once the standard is lowered, it gets increasingly lower.