Men: How do you dress for Church?

[Hats Off]

Well, when I said I never wear a T shirt, I meant during the day, in public. What I wear in the bedroom is not up for discussion.

[HondurasKeiser]

Well, when I said I never wear a T shirt, I meant during the day, in public. What I wear in the bedroom is not up for discussion.

This is an interesting thought Hats Off. You’ve just given away something about yourself, a distinction that you make, that few of us modern/assimilated people do. That is, the distinction between a private and public self i.e. what you present to the public and what you reserve for your private life. Your refusal to wear t-shirts in public, yet be perfectly comfortable in them at home is reminiscent of the quintessential image of the 1950’s man, mowing the lawn in slacks and a button-down, he would have perished the thought of wearing shorts and a t-shirt, lest someone see him in a more intimate, immodest way. That, along with other clothing trends and traditions from before the 60’s, was emblematic of people’s felt need to erect a barrier between what the rest of the world saw and what their closest intimates saw. The trend since the ‘great leveling’ of the 1960’s has been to tear down the barrier between the two ‘selves’ in the name of authenticity, comfort and equality. There may have been some good in that by degrees - largely though I think it has contributed, however unconsciously, to the vulgarization of society. As an example, the next time you fly, count the number of people that look as though they simply rolled out of bed, grabbed their suitcase and arrived at the airport. As their fellow traveler I do not wish to know what their pajamas look like - yet I am subjected to it by at least half of the passengers on the plane.

The type of clothing you wear to a particular event denotes the respect you feel for that event and for the people attending with you. Clothing of course is only a piece of our larger loss of ritual and the coarsening of public discourse and life more generally. We have demystified everything, desacralized what heretofore has been universally recognized as sacred. This is no small thing - it empties our world of meaning, it levels everything such that going to the McDonald’s is no different than going to church or going to fill up your car is no different than going to court.

I know this puts me squarely opposite many posters whom I respect - so too do I recognize that the potential ditch on my side is vanity and an obsession with fashion. Though I might rejoin that those two sins don’t seem to have been mitigated by the fact that everyone is now more comfortable wearing sandals, sweats and tank-tops to weddings.

[Mountain Merle]

It has always somewhat amused me at the knots we twist for supporting that we insist on dressing to the nines to go to church.

If anyone thought I was "insisting that we dress to the nines" for church, I was badly misunderstood. I was trying to say there certainly could be a balance between that and dressing overly casual.
I tend to agree with HondurasK; that what you wear to an event shows your respect for that event. But "dressing to the nines" is actually repulsive to me.
And Swiss Bro, as far as you praying in your boxers, I suppose if the Lord knit you together in your mother's womb, He's probably just fine with the boxers.

[ohio jones]

As an example, the next time you fly, count the number of people that look as though they simply rolled out of bed, grabbed their suitcase and arrived at the airport. As their fellow traveler I do not wish to know what their pajamas look like - yet I am subjected to it by at least half of the passengers on the plane.

While I have never flown to Honduras or to XNA ("Walmart Airport"), or on Spirit or Ryanair, even on overnight flights I've not generally observed more than (and usually far less than) a quarter of the passengers wearing sweats or anything that could be classified as pajamas.

Of course if one spends enough to fly international first class, I understand they sometimes provide pajamas and slippers. So someone inhabiting the snoot of the plane might observe a much higher percentage, though in that case they would be tastefully color coordinated. Sort of like Sudsy's robe idea for church.

[HondurasKeiser]

While I have never flown to Honduras or to XNA ("Walmart Airport"), or on Spirit or Ryanair, even on overnight flights I've not generally observed more than (and usually far less than) a quarter of the passengers wearing sweats or anything that could be classified as pajamas.

Actually Hondurans are far more likely to dress up and put their best public self forward when flying or doing anything for that matter, than are North Americans or Europeans (the most casual as I’ve observed). Hondurans tend to look down their noses at the ‘dirty gringos’ who traipse about unkempt and in flip flops. ‘Gringos Mochileros’ they call us pejoratively. I’m not sure where you’re flying OJ but I’ve become keenly attuned to the casualness of airline attire as of late. Just as anecdotal evidence; my North American teacher colleagues here got into a similar conversation about the importance (or lack thereof) of dressing well in public. I mentioned my distaste of seeing people in such casual attire during air travel and a number of my interlocutors were visibly offended as they themselves travel as such. Out of the 10 people in that room, only I and one other person admitted to dressing well for travel. The rest preferred sweats and sandals with socks - their highest value is personal comfort.

[Fidelio]

The type of clothing you wear to a particular event denotes the respect you feel for that event and for the people attending with you. Clothing of course is only a piece of our larger loss of ritual and the coarsening of public discourse and life more generally. We have demystified everything, desacralized what heretofore has been universally recognized as sacred. This is no small thing - it empties our world of meaning, it levels everything such that going to the McDonald’s is no different than going to church or going to fill up your car is no different than going to court.

Though I started this thread and it overwhelmingly supports how I dress for church, the problem is exactly what you say. The men at my church all wear suit and tie. That makes me out of place. I consider that if I were to join the ACCA church, then I had better conform out of respect for the others. For now, being that I am not a member I sort of have an excuse, at least in my mind.

[ohio jones]

sandals with socks

I thought it was mostly older German guys who did that.

My travel forum research supports the impression that feet (bare or in flip flops, or even in socks and/or shoes, placed on the bulkhead or tray tables or the seat in front, or other inappropriate places) are more of a concern than pajamas. Extra credit for operating the touchscreen video monitor with one's toes. I can't imagine why anyone would wear flip flops on a plane (or most anywhere else for that matter, and certainly not church).

[steve-in-kville]

As an example, the next time you fly, count the number of people that look as though they simply rolled out of bed, grabbed their suitcase and arrived at the airport. As their fellow traveler I do not wish to know what their pajamas look like - yet I am subjected to it by at least half of the passengers on the plane.

Don't have to fly. Just go to Walmart!

[JimFoxvog]

I think worship is a holy experience, so barefoot is most appropriate. I frequently went to worship barefoot with my previous church, but I think it might be felt odd at my current one.

[bible]Exodus 3,5[/bible]

Should I help my church grow in tolerance and acceptance of differences?

[HondurasKeiser]

Don't have to fly. Just go to Walmart!

Exactly. The 'People of Walmart' meme is real.