I was appalled to hear women scold Al Mohler over his plea for modesty in weddings in a recent radio program. One told him that she didn't think women needed to hear about modesty from a man (never mind the fact that Mohler's wife also appeared on the program), and another said, "I think a wedding is about celebrating beauty and celebrating women."
Of course, the really funny part of the program to me was hearing people accuse Mohler, the "compromising neo-evangelical," of rampant legalism and moralism.
Kudos to Mohler for taking on this subject and the artillery fire that accompanied it. It's well worth the trouble to listen to the MP3, but you can also get the condensed version in his blog post.
4 comments:
This has been a common complaint of my wife and me. We are puzzled as to why, on the day where Christians show their commitment to God's sacred institution of marriage, part of which includes the idea of purity and holiness (!), that some women choose to dress in a way that explicitly contradicts that. Why, on a day where a woman confesses her devotion to one man, would she choose to parade her wares to every other man who happened to attend?! These "brides" moreover choose to garb their bridesmaids in a similarly sultry fashion, perhaps so that her fair groom may be tempted to desire one of her own attendants.
It boggles the mind.
We women have absorbed too much of our culture if we truly believe what that one commenter said--that weddings are about celebrating beauty and women. A wedding is celebrating a covenant between and a man (did we forget he was there?) and a woman to enter into marriage. For the Christian, there is also the mystery of reflecting Christ and His church.
Having said that, though, I will attest to how difficult it is to buy modest garb for weddings these days. It can be done, of course, but it requires LOTS of time and perhaps a skilled seamstress to fashion what you can't find in the marketplace.
I think that the lack of modesty at a bride's wedding is rooted in the standards she has held long before that day. The mentality that accompanies immodesty is a problem that many Christian women today struggle with. We have allowed the world's fashions and standards to dictate our dress choices and that all comes out when it is "a woman's day to shine". There is a lack of connection between our clothing and our commitment to Christ--sadly it is affecting the lives of Christian young women. Ben,I think this article is closely related to your other post on chastity commitments....we have failed to seek God's glorification in all areas of our lives and have stopped keeping each other accountable in these areas. And the result is clearly seen!
Ladies,
It's great to have your perspective here. For what it's worth, of course, it's not just women who have a faulty view of what a wedding is about. Watching "Mike and Mike in the Morning" on ESPN2 this morning reminded me of this. They're putting on a sports wedding for a couple that won a promo, and even in that man-culture, the "Let's face it, the wedding day is all about the bride" comments were flying fast and furious.
Sarah,
I see your point about the connection between the two posts. Great observation. Even our "Christian" overtures to purity and holiness are often just immersed in well-intentioned but still individualistic (humanistic?) thinking that we can please God without being profoundly aware of our dependence on God.
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