Standing up for modesty

Paul Denham, my good friend from Good Fight of Faith, brought this letter to my attention last weekend. It was printed on the front of the Sunday morning bulletin at Loudonville Christian Church, near Albany, New York. I instantly put Pastor Stan Key and LCC near the top of my favorite churches. This letter takes guts to put out there for the whole church. This is NOT comfortable Christianity. I don't want my relationship with Jesus to be like my relationship with my La-Z-Boy. Soft, pleasant, sleep-inducing. The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword. Sometimes the truth will make you go, "Ouch!". Sometimes doctors have to re-break the bone to make it heal correctly, right?

So if the issue of modesty and sexual idolatry hit you like they hit me, may you draw comfort that someone has put your words down in a form that "gets it". And e-mail Pastor Stan at lcc@lcchurch.org. Thank him for his courage. May all pastors "get it" like he does.


Dear Sister in Christ,

As your brother in the Lord, I need to be honest with you. I have chosen to write my thoughts rather than share them face to face wanting to spare both of us a lot of embarrassment and discomfort. It's about the way you dress. To be blunt, your clothing (or lack of it) often makes it difficult for me to keep my thoughts pure. (I told you this was going to be awkward.)

I know it's summer and that fashions are what they are. I know it's hard to find clothes that are not sexually provocative. I know that it is not your intention to be a temptress. I know all this. My purpose in writing is not to blame you for my temptations but to appeal to you to be more careful in how you dress, especially when you come to church.

I have no clue what goes through a woman's mind when she is deciding what clothes to buy and wear. Whether you are motivated by comfort, fashion or economics, I simply don't know. Whether your intent is to make heads turn and draw attention to yourself (which part?) is beyond my ability to discern. I only know that short skirts, exposed midriffs, tight fitting clothing, low neck lines and strapless tops make it difficult for me, as a man, to keep my thoughts pure.

You may think that this is my problem, not yours. Of course, you are right...but only partly so. As members of the family of God, we have shared responsibilities in this manner. The Bible is very clear - my responsibility is to make a covenant with my eyes (Job 31.1) and to keep my thoughts pure (Matt. 5.27-30). Your responsibility is to dress in a manner that highlights your true and eternal beauty, not just your body (1 Tim. 2.9-10; 1 Peter 3.3-5).

I realize how risky this confession is. The truth is, I want to be a godly man with a pure heart. And I desire to respect women as persons (not objects) and treat them in godly ways. But this becomes more difficult when the women around me consistently send signals that tell me these values are (apparently) not important to them.

Please accept this letter in the spirit in which it is written. I am not blaming you for my struggles. I am simply asking you, as a sister in the Lord, to prayerfully consider what you wear. Your choices are more important than you think.

In Christian love,

Your Brother in the Lord


Positively brilliant, no? I owe you thoughts on Father's Day. You'll get them soon.

Walk with God.