To beard or not to beard

[mennonitemom1]

So I'm just wondering if the beard is a salvation issue for anyone. Is it possible to have a conviction for or against a beard? Will enjoy reading your comments and views.

I think men with beards are more credible....
I don't believe shaved faces is biblical, goatees are against torah, in my opinion....

[Neto]

Mustaches as military fashion was largely a 19th Century thing and was largely out of style by WW1.

The "Clark Gable mustache" was a very popular among military guys in WWII.

When we were "interviewed" before joining our current congregation, the minister asked me why I wore a beard. The reason was that they discouraged people from wearing one as a fashion - you needed to be doing it by reason of some conviction. (My reason was out of respect for my father-in-law, who actually gave that as one of the conditions for marrying his daughter. I didn't do it at that time - wore just a mustache then. The bishop at her church told me the deal about looking different than the women, but I asked him if a mustache didn't do the same. It wasn't that I was being cheeky, I just grew up without fear of the pastor, so I didn't need to muster any nerve to just ask. I guess I knew that others didn't dare ask questions like that, but I actually had a good relationship with that man, greatly admired him, and appreciated the privilege of talking with him about many things.)

[Pelerin]

Maybe a bit of a tangent, but I’d be interested to see a list of conferences that require and disallow beards and the years they were founded. I’m wondering if there’s a pattern there.

(For the record, I have a beard, no moustache.)

[Ken]

First time I ever saw "hipster" here on the forum. Made me chuckle a smidge.

It’s actually kind of weird seeing guys around cities like Portland essentially dressing similar to Amish with beards, hats, and suspenders but with more tattoos.

FOTW Boston?

Nope, just stolen from a Wall Street Journal article on beards in the workplace.

[Josh]

Maybe a bit of a tangent, but I’d be interested to see a list of conferences that require and disallow beards and the years they were founded. I’m wondering if there’s a pattern there.

(For the record, I have a beard, no moustache.)

Holdemans - 1859 - explicitly required beard since founding in 1859 (this was actually a point of division with the mainstream Mennonites at the time!) Used to be no moustache, but that was just a cultural custom. Nowadays moustaches are common. Beards still required but are cut much shorter than they were in the 1920s.

[Ken]

Mustaches as military fashion was largely a 19th Century thing and was largely out of style by WW1.

The "Clark Gable mustache" was a very popular among military guys in WWII.

You can google search images of WW2 soldiers and see that very very few had mustaches: https://www.google.com/search?as_st=y&t ... &tbs=isz:l

They weren't particularly common in WW1 either: https://www.google.com/search?as_st=y&t ... &tbs=isz:l

You have to go back to about the Spanish American War in 1898 or even the Civil War to start finding lots of mustaches on soldiers and even then it was hardly universal: https://www.google.com/search?as_st=y&t ... &tbs=isz:l

[steve-in-kville]

Maybe a bit of a tangent, but I’d be interested to see a list of conferences that require and disallow beards and the years they were founded. I’m wondering if there’s a pattern there.

(For the record, I have a beard, no moustache.)

To my immediate knowledge, I am unaware of any Groffdale (Joe Wenger) or Weaverland (Horning) men that do. I have known of a few EPMC men that did, but they were older than dirt at the time and have since passed on.

Have known of a sprinkling of Hope & Pilgrim that did, but at the time was pretty controversial. KMF/BMA do whatever they want, basically. Of course there will be a bunch of "unaffiliated" and independents that most likely don't make issue of it either way.

On the Brethren side, you will see it quite dominate among the conservative end of the spectrum. And in several variations. Mustache, no mustache, keep it trimmed, not trimmed. On the progressive side it can be anything like mustache alone, a few hipster-type beards, etc.

To that end, in my Dunkard Brethren days, it was encouraged that the ordained men had beards but it wasn't enforced at the time. They also forbad the goatee, but again that kinda went by the wayside.

And then of course there is Charity, but I'll let others pick up that cause

[Neto]

Mustaches as military fashion was largely a 19th Century thing and was largely out of style by WW1.

The "Clark Gable mustache" was a very popular among military guys in WWII.

You can google search images of WW2 soldiers and see that very very few had mustaches: https://www.google.com/search?as_st=y&t ... &tbs=isz:l

They weren't particularly common in WW1 either: https://www.google.com/search?as_st=y&t ... &tbs=isz:l

You have to go back to about the Spanish American War in 1898 or even the Civil War to start finding lots of mustaches on soldiers and even then it was hardly universal: https://www.google.com/search?as_st=y&t ... &tbs=isz:l

I didn't use an internet search engine to come up with what I said - it is based on a first-hand recollection from someone I know who served in the occupation force in Germany after the war ended. Maybe that doesn't qualify as being "WWII", but it was actually later. I would imagine that what you are referring to would be the huge drooping mustaches - the "Clark Gable mustache" is no more than a thin line. Unless a photo is a close up, it may not even be perceptible.

[steve-in-kville]

So I'm just wondering if the beard is a salvation issue for anyone. Is it possible to have a conviction for or against a beard? Will enjoy reading your comments and views.

I think men with beards are more credible....

I'd like to hear more about your thought process behind that.

[ABC 123]

Ok, I am going to word this carefully. I mean no snark.

How can we say we believe that Salvation is not of works but through Jesus and then say (anything) is a "salvation" issue? Plug in anything you want, like the beard or obedience to (this or that church),