Menfolk: Your church's standards on facial hair?

Christian ethics and theology with an Anabaptist perspective
Sudsy
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Re: Menfolk: Your church's standards on facial hair?

Post by Sudsy »

Soloist wrote: Fri Oct 13, 2023 1:32 pm Sudsy, I would hazard a guess that everyone knows your view on it. Generally speaking, Anabaptists believe in some form of standards.
Well, just in case, 'everyone' does not know my view on it, I will present it as others continue to repeatedly share their views on the same or similar outward appearance subjects. I think sometimes the more 'conservative' Anabaptists are more outspoken on such things, whereas those labelled more 'liberal' (which, by the way, make up the larger number of Anabaptists) are not in Anabaptist churches that have 'some form of standards' pertaining to outward appearance to adhere to.

Unless one considers a form of church standard would include an unwritten requirement, for example, of a person serving in a church leading role in a bathing suit. My guess is that an usher would stop such a thing at the door. In the MB church I attended people dressed as they would going to most any event outside the church (young men wearing ball style lettered caps sometimes worn backwards, women wearing pants, dyed hair, long hair, short hair, makeup, men in summer shorts, various forms of jewelry, tatoos, etc). I seldom today would see a man wearing a suit and tie which, years ago, was an expected norm, the 'Sunday best' expectation. When it comes to facial hair, no written or unwritten church standards were expected.

In our society, whether or not a man has facial hair is not a defining characteristic of being a man nor was it at various times in history. Actually many gay men wear beards. Myself, I wear a beard and moustache. Here is an article on why a Christian man should wear a beard and his arguments supporting wearing one -



I think he makes some interesting observations but I am not convinced a church needs to make standards for it.
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Re: Menfolk: Your church's standards on facial hair?

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Pretty much everyone on this forum that belongs to a Mennonite church has some form of standard Sudsy. I wasn’t referring to the tiny amount of conservatives on here
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Josh
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Re: Menfolk: Your church's standards on facial hair?

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Unless one considers a form of church standard would include an unwritten requirement, for example, of a person serving in a church leading role in a bathing suit. My guess is that an usher would stop such a thing at the door
What biblical support would the usher have to do so?
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JimFoxvog
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Re: Menfolk: Your church's standards on facial hair?

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Sudsy wrote: Thu Oct 12, 2023 5:16 pm I don't know of any direct biblical reference that might be used to support a standard for hair on the head for men.
All I can think of is the verse in Leviticus 19.27
Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.
Most Christians think most of the Old Testament laws for Israel are not applicable to Christians today, but this could still be seen as a clue to what God likes.
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Re: Menfolk: Your church's standards on facial hair?

Post by silentreader »

JimFoxvog wrote: Sat Oct 14, 2023 10:39 pm
Sudsy wrote: Thu Oct 12, 2023 5:16 pm I don't know of any direct biblical reference that might be used to support a standard for hair on the head for men.
All I can think of is the verse in Leviticus 19.27
Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.
Most Christians think most of the Old Testament laws for Israel are not applicable to Christians today, but this could still be seen as a clue to what God likes.
So God prefers men not to get haircuts either?
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Re: Menfolk: Your church's standards on facial hair?

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silentreader wrote: Sun Oct 15, 2023 8:13 am
JimFoxvog wrote: Sat Oct 14, 2023 10:39 pm
Sudsy wrote: Thu Oct 12, 2023 5:16 pm I don't know of any direct biblical reference that might be used to support a standard for hair on the head for men.
All I can think of is the verse in Leviticus 19.27
Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.
Most Christians think most of the Old Testament laws for Israel are not applicable to Christians today, but this could still be seen as a clue to what God likes.
So God prefers men not to get haircuts either?
Right. And to wear robes and not pants and shirts (with or without buttons). And finger and toe nails have no biblical support to be trimmed. Nor is wearing eye glasses supported in the scripture. Considering NT practises and what we will wear in heaven, isn't not wearing robes today being quite worldly ? Revelation 7:9 -
After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands;
I'm just kidding but I believe God is much more concerned about the inside (our hearts) than He is the outside (our dress and hair). That is what Jesus pointed out to the Pharisees in His time on earth. They outwardly tried to appear holy yet inwardly were far from it. That is what religion without being born again produces. How we fit in with the culture we live in (as Paul tried to do) and not be 'of the world', we have the Spirit to guide us in a way that will draw others to Jesus. If we are not drawing people to Jesus by how we live, then perhaps our religious ways are the hindrance.
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Re: Menfolk: Your church's standards on facial hair?

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silentreader wrote: Sun Oct 15, 2023 8:13 am So God prefers men not to get haircuts either?
Check different translations. Maybe the passage refers to sideburns?
27 You shall not cut the hair on the sides of your heads, neither shall you clip off the edge of your beard.
- World English Bible
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Re: Menfolk: Your church's standards on facial hair?

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JimFoxvog wrote: Tue Oct 17, 2023 7:10 am
silentreader wrote: Sun Oct 15, 2023 8:13 am So God prefers men not to get haircuts either?
Check different translations. Maybe the passage refers to sideburns?
27 You shall not cut the hair on the sides of your heads, neither shall you clip off the edge of your beard.
- World English Bible
So it is a clear commandment against goatees?
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Re: Menfolk: Your church's standards on facial hair?

Post by Heirbyadoption »

silentreader wrote: Tue Oct 17, 2023 8:12 am
JimFoxvog wrote: Tue Oct 17, 2023 7:10 am
silentreader wrote: Sun Oct 15, 2023 8:13 amSo God prefers men not to get haircuts either?
Check different translations. Maybe the passage refers to sideburns?
27 You shall not cut the hair on the sides of your heads, neither shall you clip off the edge of your beard.
- World English Bible
So it is a clear commandment against goatees?
Some take it as such, certainly. 8-) It would certainly go along with the premise that God intended men to wear the beards He gave them, and the idea of not accessorizing oneself for admiration from others. ;)
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JimFoxvog
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Re: Menfolk: Your church's standards on facial hair?

Post by JimFoxvog »

silentreader wrote: Tue Oct 17, 2023 8:12 am So it is a clear commandment against goatees?
Yes, for those following the Jewish Law. Christians, however, are not under that law. But, still, it might be something we can learn from.
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