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 Christian Modesty and the Public Undressing of America
Christian Modesty and the Public Undressing of America, by Jeff Pollard, is a small book (the author often refers to it as an article), and could be a very quick read. However, there is a lot of thought-provoking information contained in just 74 pages! So, I took a little extra time as I read, because I wanted to really think through some of the ideas and challenges to modern thinking presented in this little book.
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br /Even within the church, controversy and confusion surrounds the issue of Christian (biblical) modesty. And, as the author acknowledges, some will judge this book to be far too conservative, or legalistic, while others will say that it is too liberal, and does not go far enough. While that may be the case, it is the stated purpose of this book, not to add to the confusion, or to stir up controversy, but to provoke fellow believers (men and women alike) to "love and good works" (Heb. 10:24) in this area, and if read with a heart that desires to conform to God's Word, it does just that.
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br /Pollard begins by carefully defining Christian modesty in this way:
br /"Christian modesty is the inner self-government, rooted in a proper understanding of one's self before God, which outwardly displays itself in humility and purity from a genuine love for Jesus Christ, rather than in self-glorification or self-advertisement. Christian modesty then will not publicly expose itself in sinful nakedness." (pg. 22)
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br /The first few chapters deal with the history of clothing, and modesty in general. Pointing to God as the "Originator and Designer of clothing" (pg. 23), he looks to several biblical examples which, he says indicate "the purpose and function of clothing and the approximate area of the body that clothes were designed to cover." (pg. 23) He uses these examples (ranging from the good nakedness of man at creation, to the need for covering man's shame after the fall, to priestly garments, to the clothing that Christ himself wore on earth, to the robes of those already in Heaven) to illustrate that while Scripture may not offer a black-and-white command in regards to style of dress, "It appears then that the Bible does offer us a standard for covering the body....The Old and New Testaments reveal that God's earthly and heavenly people wore garments that covered them from at least the neck-to-below the knee." (pg. 28)
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br /Using this principle (of covering the body from the neck-to-below the knee) as a guide, the rest of the book deals specifically with the evolution of modern swimwear, and how it is connected to our changing perceptions of modesty and immodesty.
br /"Exposing the male or female body, which should be covered, is out of harmony with the Biblical model. Moreover, since exposing the privates is shameful, it seems obvious that clothing which emphasizes or purposely draws attention to these areas of the body is likewise shameful and immodest. And modern swimwear is the epitome of these things - by design." (pg. 34)
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br /He carefully chronicles, using mainly secular sources, how swimwear fashions have changed throughout recent decades. Through his descriptions, he easily points out how, with each new season, swimsuits have become increasingly more revealing. "The metamorphosis of the bathing suit forced our society to reassess its views of modesty." (pg. 42)
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br /Throughout the book, Pollard challenges areas that most Christians (pastors, teachers, and lay-people alike) view as "Christian liberty" or "a thing indifferent." (pg. 47) And, he asks his readers to honestly assess and consider the dichotomy we have created in which "people who sit in church on Sunday decrying public immorality, while remaining unaware that the garment they will wear to the next retreat would have landed them in jail for nakedness a few decades ago!" (pg. 47)
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br /First on his list of "Christian liberties," beach trips, water parks, and backyard swim parties - all common, and seemingly "innocent" summertime destinations for church youth groups (and others) around the country. But, he points out that 60 years ago, a woman wearing what is now considered by many (within the church, especially) to be a "modest" one-piece bathing suit would have been arrested for indecent exposure. (pg. 47) Yet, many pastors, youth workers, and parents promote, and even encourage these activities in the name of evangelism or spiritual encoragement. But, Pollard poses a question that should be given careful thought and consideration:
br /"Given that modern swimsuits were designed to promote public nakedness and remain the most revealing form of clothing, why do so many Christians wear them in mixed company and encourage their young people to do so?" (pg. 45)
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br /He also addresses another area often classified under "Christian liberty" - the media, specifically television and movies. "The media's impact in selling nakedness to the American public is difficult to exaggerate. Although the printed page once exerted considerable power of men's minds, cinema and television dramatically eclipsed it." (pg. 57) Hollywood is certainly not neutral in this battle against immodesty. It wields great influence in the way people think about fashion, style, and has long been a factor in the "sex sells" mentality.
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br /While most lay the burden of responsibility for modesty on the woman, Pollard boldly makes the following statement (forgive the long quote, but I think it makes the point quite clearly),
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br /"Guilt for this decaying and debauched state must not be laid entirely at the feet of women, as it often is. The problem lies squarely wit the men in the pulpits and homes of this nation. With the near dissolution of Christian manhood in this century, American males have become feminized sex-worshipers who do not lead, but are led. They have followed their silver-screen icons into nudity, and not the purity of Jesus Christ. Had they followed the God of holiness and governed their hearts and eyes as instructed by God's Word, the present lascivious culture simply would not and could not exist." (pg. 59)
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br /Men are responsible before God for controlling their eyes, and guarding their hearts, and minds. While the blame may not lay exclusively with the women, they are also responsible before God for their actions. Women need to carefully examine their heart and their motives in their dress. Though a particular mode of dress is not explicitly commanded, Scripture does contain clear principles for the purpose and function of clothing. And, as believers, we need to remember that it is not legalism to call brothers and sisters to obedience to God's Word.
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br /"Nevertheless, any who dare to speak against public nakedness are quickly decried as legalists, Pharisees, and - worst of all - fundamentalists. How pathetic that so many pulpits and youth groups today are governed by the desires of the women and children of the congregation, and not the Word of God." (pg. 59, emphasis mine)
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br /Whether or not you agree with the content of this little book is between you and God. But, it will challenge your perceptions of Christian liberties and modern-day modesty. The tone of the book is an honest and direct look at the state of modesty, not only in our nation, but also our Christian churches and families. But, it is also a humble, passionate plea from the author for believers to return to a biblical way of thinking in the area of dress.
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br /I would highly recommend it to anyone (man or woman) seeking to develop biblical convictions on modesty.
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 Invaluable Scripture Insights
Having given this topic a good bit of thought as a husband, father and follower of Christ, I found Jeff's book to be invaluable in the Scripture insights he cites, and the demonstration of our shift through the evolution of bathing suits.
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br /This is 76 pages so Jeff is not seeking to address everything modest and immodest. What he does is to be very relevant and convicting.
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br /A great point about this book is is brevity and yet sufficiency to alert one to the core issues.
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br /Highly recommended. Thanks you for this valuable addition for the Body of Christ.
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br /Reading the negative reviews, I believe that the criticisms are spurious in that Jeff never did intend to do a comprehensive treatise. It's as if I gave a you $5 at the gas station when you forgot your wallet so that you have enough to get home, and then was criticized for not giving $45 to fill up your tank. The power of Jeff's work is precisely that it is so sharp and concise. Incisive.
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br /Incidentally, one example of spurious criticism is the assumption that Jeff places the responsibility on the women. For exammple, he writes:
br /"Guilt for this decaying and debauched state must not be laid entirel at the feet of women, as it often is. The problem lies squarely with the men in the pulpits and homes of the nation...." p.59
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Excellent "call to arms"!
I just finished reading this book and it communicated to my heart a vivid burden that furthur emboldens us to enter a realm that relates back to the creation account, namely that of covering Adam Eve after they sinned. This concise book on the subject, though apparently not designed to be exhaustive, is an excellent "call to arms" that burdened my own heart to broach this subject more in our ministry of Biblical creationism. EVERY area of our lives MUST be brought into the realm of the design of God our Creator, and Brother Pollard does an excellent job at bringing the subject of dress (particularly the failure in our society) into the realm of "where we are now" and "how we got here." As a result of reading this book, we are adding it to our ministry materials! See creationfamin.com for more. We must help Jeff Pollard make this a "call to arms" to all for a "covering up" of America...and WHY, starting with professing Christians! THANK YOU, BROTHER POLLARD!
A Dynamic That Christians Need to Restore
I am disgusted at hour our society regards everybody who dresses modestly as a "fuddy duddy" or "uncool." I even know some people who are like this. The Bible gives us plenty of guidelines for modesty in the way that we dress. (1) We are all ambassadors for Christ (II Cor. 5:20), (2) that a person should dress in a manner that is different from members of the opposite sex (Deut. 5:22), (I Tim. 2:10), (3) that we should strive to maintain a decent appearance before the world (Col. 4:5), (4) that we should show our worth by not conforming to the styles of those who are without God in this world (Rom. 2:12). Sadly, this has been abandoned in favor of being "trendy" and "fashionable." This book is highly reccomended for anyone concerned with this issue.
 does too much and too little
by focusing primarily on the history of the swimsuit Pollard's book does not address the larger issue of modesty in public dress as effectively as he might. And while the history of fashion sheds light on fashion, (i.e. swimsuits have observably become skimpier over a century) Pollard can offer no explanation except the caving in of Christian virtue. This is basically saying Christians have lost a culture war without explaining why.
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br /While the initial exposition on what the parameters of Christian modesty mean Pollard provides no application for what a suitable example of Christian modesty would be. Furthermore, when push comes to shove he refers to the Westminster Larger Catechism for application rather than sticking to the biblical principles he espoused. Some of his cases are self-defeating. On one hand he notes that garments in biblical periods could be sleeveless and then states that the inexorable decline of swimwear in the west into sluttiness really began when sleeveless swimwear appeared in the mid-19th century. Props for giving the topic serious consideration but as an exegetical study it is still wanting.
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br /On the other hand, it's cheap so if you're not persuaded the research has been effective it won't cost you much.
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