Is it right to watch movies with poorly dressed people?

Question: Is it right to watch movies with badly dressed people? People seem to think that because it’s in a movie, it’s normal. I disagree. Most movies are sensual. Answer: What is being argued is that it is acceptable to look at scantily dressed people for entertainment. But if that is true, when does clothing become…

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Cover Up

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/CoverUp.mp3 by PJ Anderson

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Your sermon on modesty was just what I was looking for

Question: I have been asked to do a split session with our teen girls on modesty. In my internet searching for illustrations, I stumble across your sermon. I have books, printouts, and many other sources, and needed help consolidating. What you have put together is exactly what I was looking for. You gave good illustrations…

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Is mixed swimming right or wrong?

Question: I was reading your sermons on modesty. What I want to know is why do you say mixed swimming is wrong, but in the article labeled “Emphasizing the Physical”, mixed bathing is not considered wrong, but people make it a rule? I’m a little confused. Answer: People love to make rules, but we don’t often think…

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What do you think about Christians watching cheerleaders at games?

Question: I read your article on dancing, and I was hopeful that you would have a complete sermon covering this topic.  Our class, last night, was on Christian Strategies for Social Life. Yes, pretty much dancing was discouraged.  But, and I knew it was coming, football games and cheerleading was not an issue. It was…

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Isn’t Jeremiah a poor source to argue about the inappropriateness of speedos?

Question: I came across Preaching Like Jeremiah while researching Jeremiah. There’s a lot of good stuff here, thanks. However, I was amused that you invoked Jeremiah to defend your apparent stance against speedos; considering the dirty underwear incident at the beginning Jeremiah 13. I’m now wondering if there’s a page on your site that invokes David to…

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Are tattoos or plastic surgery sinful?

Question: Is it a sin to have any kind of surgery like plastic surgery? Are tattoos sinful even if they don’t represent anything bad? Answer: Under the Old Law, the Israelites were forbidden to imitate the idolatrous religions around them. One practice was to make marks on the body, either by tattoos or by scaring…

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Do you have more thoughts on the issue of dress in worship?

Question: Thank you for your sensible and persuasive essay on dress.  It is a nice contrast from some of the more stringent and pharisaical content that I’ve seen and heard, in that you are able to make a sound, scripture-based argument without beating anyone over the head with personal views.  Your reasoning shows little personal bias…

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Questions about spanking, privacy, and clothing choices.

Question: I have three boys who are actually not my stepsons yet.  Their mother, who is widowed, and I are going to be married in about two weeks. We are maintaining a biblical relationship. However, I am a teacher, so I am free to handle childcare over the summer, where she is not.  In order…

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Can a man go shirtless to church?

Question: Is it acceptable biblically for a young man to attend church in just shorts? And if not, why not? Answer: I was asked a similar question a while back: What do you think about people wearing shorts to church? I don’t know if you are extending this to mean attending church without a shirt as…

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Why do boys act as they do?

Question: I really enjoy your web site. I have been studying it for quite a while and it all sounds scripturally correct. I have been asked at church to teach a girls’ teenage class about peer pressure and have been concerned about how to answer some of the questions the girls have asked of me.…

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Is it a sin to view naked girls?

Question: Is it a sin to view naked girls? Not in a pornographic way, but as in like just girls without their clothes on. Answer: Much depends on the purpose for which the viewing takes place. If it was a sin to see someone naked (boy or girl), then parents would have a hard time…

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Our nine-year-old is seeking boys’ attention by letting her underwear show

Question: We are a dresses-only family. My daughter is (deliberately?) not careful when running and playing and her underwear is showing. She has lost some of her treasured outfits. We raise her to dress very modestly. Last time she was on the swings during a church picnic seeking the boys’ attention. Other parents noticed. I’m…

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Is a sleeveless shirt or a knee-length dress immodest?

Question: Are sleeveless shirts that are covering everything immodest? I had a skirt that was right on my knee and I wore it to church. I had an older man come up to me and tell me how sinful I was for wearing such a thing. It revealed my knee he said and it could…

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What does the Bible say about wearing pants low?

Question: What do the Scriptures say about guys and girls wearing pants below their backside? Answer: You won’t find a direct passage because the style of dress in biblical days is quite different from modern times. However, you can find numerous guidelines which help us understand what is and is not proper clothing for a…

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That Suddenly Uncomfortable Cheerleading Uniform

by J. S. Smith Parents in Southern California are understandably disturbed that videos of their teenage daughters cavorting about in sexually tantalizing clothing have been showing up for sale on the Internet auction site e-Bay. That’s not exactly how the news media begin their reports on the story, but still, it is a pretty fair…

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What do you think about people wearing shorts to church?

Question: I was brought up in a church that has taught us to be modest and when we come to church we should dress appropriately. I have moved out of state and attend a church where people wear shorts in the congregation and on the platform and I am grieved. Do you think this is…

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Is it wrong for a Christian woman to wear pants?

Question: Is it wrong for a Christian woman to wear pants of any kind? I always see references to not wearing tight pants but very little on the actual subject of whether pants are wrong, immodest, or a man’s clothing. The Bible teaches that there is to be a definite distinction between the dress of…

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I need help handling teenage dress and language problems

Question: I need another outlook about fashion statements of today in the church. Young ladies are exposing themselves and young men are out of control with their dress and their mouth. I have covered I Corinthians and Deuteronomy 22 and a few other chapters. Can you help me put this in perspective?   Answer: I…

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Should my attire match those around me?

Question: I have read the articles and sermon outlines you provide on modesty. I believe I am clear on how the Bible addresses modesty and feel secure in how I dress as being modest. The question I have is: if the standard of modesty for other Christians in the church is more conservative than mine,…

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How long were the priests’ breeches?

Question: In one of your articles, you mentioned that Exodus 28:42 means from the waist to and including the thighs. What is your source for this interpretation? Answer: “And you shall make for them linen trousers to cover their nakedness; they shall reach from the waist to the thighs” (Exodus 28:42). This verse was discussed in the…

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What is Wrong with Mixed Swimming?

Text: Ephesians 4:17-24   I.        Let’s first define the issue.                         1.         It is not whether boys and girls can participate in the same activity.                                     a.         There are plenty of sports and other activities where both men and women participate.                                     b.         Often, as adolescence is reached, boys and girls will separate, mostly because men and women have different levels of…

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Dress Codes

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton by Elissa Eikelboom Why do we pull out our best clothing each Sunday in preparation for attending services? Many of us have our “Sunday Best” – those outfits reserved for Sundays and other special occasions. The thought of attending services in anything but our best clothing is so repulsive that many…

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Was I not dressed up enough for worship?

Question: I read what you wrote about Timothy 2:9. I go to church, but I am a person who does not wear make-up and the only jewelry I have is my wedding ring. I went to church in a pair of slacks that were black, dress shoes and a sweater. When the church had testimony someone…

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Why isn’t I Timothy 2:9 taken literally?

Question: On I Timothy 2:9, how come it is not taken literally? I was wondering because I keep getting told that it is cultural when I do not understand even how the Bible could possibly be cultural being the Word of God and II Timothy 3:16. Answer: In like manner also, that the women adorn…

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You Can’t Tell Me How to Dress!

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton He came to services sporting a mohawk haircut spiked tall with hair gel. Each ear was pierced several times: small nut-like objects filled the larger holes in each ear. One eyebrow was pierced. His lip was pierced and when idle the boy toyed with the ring occupying the hole. His tongue…

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The Rebel’s Cause

Text: II Thessalonians 3:6-15   I.         Israel – the name means “one who wrestles with God”             A.        Jacob received the name when he wrestled with an angel, asking for a blessing – Genesis 32:24-28             B.        It became the trademark of his descendants – Deuteronomy 9:7, 24             C.        One that lasted their entire existence as a nation – Ezekiel 2:3-5…

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Modest Apparel

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton “Therefore I desire that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting; in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness,…

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What would you consider as modest apparel for a woman?

Question: So what would you consider as modest apparel for a woman? Does the Old Testament law pertain to now — a woman in man’s clothing and man in woman’s? If so, then what would you consider man’s clothing and woman’s clothing? All men and woman wore skirts. So why is it that women who…

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Is it okay for boys and girls to swim together?

Question: My friend wants to know if it is ok to go swimming where there are boys. I asked Daddy and he says he did not think that was right, and I do not do that. I told my friend, but she still does. Answer: To answer your question, we need to define exactly what…

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