We’ve received a number of emails at Revive Our Hearts over the past couple of days from women who are confused by Christian media’s seemingly wholehearted embrace of Carrie Prejean as a Christian role model. While believing women applaud her courageous defense of traditional marriage at the recent Miss USA Pageant, they ask:
How can a woman who appears nearly naked on a national stage be a spokesperson for Christian values?
I do not feel she is the proper role model for my granddaughters. Am I being a prude or missing something here?
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What do you think? Does God really care what we as women wear? I mean, I know He’s passionate about our holiness, but does that seriously have implications on our wardrobe?
As a teen, holiness was irrelevant to me. I had a desire to please God, but I didn’t think dressing immodestly was a big deal. Obviously, it was to my parents, but they just seemed to be stuck back in the dark ages anyway.
It took me several years to grow into an understanding of the 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “great exchange” that took place when I asked Jesus to rescue me from my sins:
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (emphasis added).
When we embrace the truth that Jesus wore our sinful robe to the cross so we could wear His righteous robe, we make the “great exchange” and become a daughter of the King of kings! From then on everything we do, say, and wear should reflect who our Father is.
As His daughters, there are three foundational principles that should affect the way we dress, as found in Nancy Leigh DeMoss’ booklet, Does God Really Care What I Wear?:
1. Ownership: My body does not belong to me; it belongs to God.
2. Lordship: Jesus is Lord over all. (God has the right to regulate every area of our lives—including what we eat, drink, and wear.)
3. Citizenship: I belong to a different kingdom. (That means everything about us should reflect our real home.)
As you filter through the media messages—secular and Christian—to try to discern what God thinks about this whole situation, I want to recommend--and give away--two great resources. Leave a comment telling me if you agree or disagree that God’s plan for your holiness includes your wardrobe. Then, I’ll choose one of you on Monday, May 18 to receive:
Holiness: The Heart God Purifies (Learn more about your created purpose and ultimate destiny . . . that’s right: your holiness.)
The Look: Does God Really Care What I Wear? (Discover the Truth about clothing and modesty, and make choices based on God’s eternal perspective.)
Finally, come back tomorrow to hear Nancy’s thoughtful response about Carrie Prejean’s situation.
Comments
*The following comments do not necessarily reflect the views of Revive Our Hearts. We reserve the right to remove comments which might be unhelpful, unsuitable, or inappropriate.
on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 10:12 am
on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 10:25 am
on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 10:31 am
on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 10:34 am
I literally walked into a store, and there they were! Ironically, I get stopped in public as people comment on then but it opens up dialogue! The other day some kids yelled across the parking lot, "We love your skirt!" Whenever I get ready for church, I ask the Holy Spirit. The other day, I absolutely knew that wearing flip flops to church is dishonoring to Him. I am amazed how he guides me to dress for church that is respectful and honoring to him.
on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 10:38 am
you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world."
Even though this passage is talking about God's goodness and blessings the statement is made that the world is watching us. The world is watching us from the outside in. What they see first is the outside, so our appearance should always honor Him so they want to see what God is doing in our lives on the inside.
on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 10:39 am
on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 10:52 am
I, too, have been perplexed by the approval she has received from the Christian community. I am glad of Miss California's stance on traditional and Biblical marriage. I just wish she was as sensitive to marriage and other values by not parading around almost naked. A Christian woman should not desire the praise and approval of other men based on how she looks in a swimsuit.
Beauty pagents are the epitome of worldliness and I imagine it would be very difficult to hold on to Biblical morals and purity of heart in the middle of these type of events. Hopefully this controversy will cause her to look at the entirety of God's Word and embrace Romans 12:1-2 in all areas of her life and know that the counter-cultural woman is most glorifying to God.
on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 10:55 am
One thing that was revealed to me is that God deals with each of us differently, and He does not do it all at once. He does it little by little. I believe, with all my heart as she continues to grow in the Lord that little by little things will begin to change in her and around her, very much like we have changed. When we all first came to the Lord, everything about us was not taken off at once, it was and is done little by little.
Miss California is a Christian model, maybe not in the appearl area, but in the area of standing up for your convictions and doing it without apology that is a model. We have plenty of Christian women who got the outward look down packed, but they don't stand for anything, but their attire. I believe in balance and I believe that Miss Calafornia is a part of that balance and we can take a lesson from her that God can use anyone at anytime, to get His message across and it is not always going to be in the way that we always expect. "God is doing a new thing, do we not perceive it?"
on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 11:01 am
I am not a skimpy bathy suit at the water park.
I am not a bra size.
I AM the daughter of a King, so the way I act and dress carries much significance, and is a reflection on the King.
Proverbs 31:30
Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 11:01 am
on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 11:04 am
I completely agree with you. What we wear reflects what is in our hearts. When we wear things that draw attention to ourselves, we are distracting from giving attention and glory to Christ and isn't that what we're supposed to be doing?
on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 11:37 am
on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 11:38 am
This enables each one of us to help our sisters grow and them to help us grow.
She is young and may not have been convicted to modesty because of culture. She was brave...to speak out for her convictions concerning marriage. Some places are easier than others to speak out. I'm sure she knew that there would be great opposition in that arena yet she was brave and spoke her heart. I'm proud of her for that. Let us not knock her...but love and pray for her so that she can grow and understand that modesty is an important thing for a child of GOD.
I dress modestly but do not always voice my opinion in a brave way when confronted. I tend to be timid and voice it mildly when I know there will be conflict. I need to follow her example and to be stonger in my witness.
It is good that sisters point out her immodesty but let us all do it with love and kindness...guiding the younger women by example, wisdom and love.
Thank you, Nancy, for your guidance to me...to my daughter and to my grandchildren. It is so much appreciated. I love when you say you want to be a Godly Older Woman! What an example to follow.
on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 12:35 pm
on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 12:35 pm
on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Thank you so much for wading into controversial waters with a humble and insightful post.
It is encouraging to read the comments from our sisters on this site. It sounds like a lot of heart searching is going on here - I especially appreciate what Elizabeth and Yvonne shared. Yvonne humbly appealed for us to take the approach of graciousness when she said, "I dress modestly but do not always voice my opinion in a brave way when confronted."
As we hold high God's standard of righteousness, let us strive to be women of purity in our dress and equally women of purity in our responses and words of confrontation. Let us seek to clearly enunciate words of grace as though seasoned with salt (Col. 4:6) while speaking truth in love. Let us never cower to the fear of man, but boldly display Christ's balance of grace and truth (John 1:14).
Thank you, Paula, for challenging us to consider how we are filtering the media messages on this issue and including Nancy's three foundational principles for decision making, that can apply to a host of issues, but principles that are especially helpful when choosing our wardrobe.
Hopefully, this will result in a multitude of beneficial mother/daughter conversations on the topic of Biblical Womanhood!
on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Carrie Prejean can not stand on a stage nearly naked and speak for marriage between one man and one women....when she is causing a multitude of married men to slip into adultery through the lust of their eyes. If she truly believes in the sanctity and importance of traditional marriage, then she needs to support it in what she wears and does, not only by what she says. I believe she can not truly have a "ministry" until the Holy Spirit reveals this truth to her!
on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 1:50 pm
Dressing modestly not only protects us, but others who could be led into sin because of the flash of too much skin.
I have to tell you that I've come full-circle in this regard. I grew up in a small town. Back in the 80's, you didn't see girls wearing the low cut tank tops...to the mall or wherever. It wasn't that we were prudes. We just weren't told that's how we should dress. Sure, you had Madonna dressing all funny, but she stood out from the rest.
A few years into my marriage, we moved to south Florida where, quite frankly, I was shocked by what I saw worn by stay-at-home moms (of which group I had just become a part of). However, as the years went by, I grew less shocked and even started wearing similar clothes.
It's a funny thing. You slowly adopt a new attitude toward your wardrobe if you're not careful.
A few years ago, we moved back to the "real" South (i.e. north Florida), and conservatism won out. I found myself discarding many of the items I had amassed during the previous years.
I'm finally comfortable again.
As I look at the road I've traveled with my wardrobe, I realize that it is symbolic of my walk with the Lord. The times I've been the closest with Him are also the times when I've dressed to impress Him...and not my peers.
Thank you for another thought-provoking message. As Christian, adult women, we need to be passing on these truths to our daughters.
on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 1:56 pm
on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 3:07 pm
on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 4:14 pm
on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 4:36 pm
on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 4:40 pm
on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 5:55 pm
on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 6:20 pm
Chapter 11: selecting a royal woardrobe
Scripture verse's: Proberbs 31:25; Romans 13:13-14; Colossians 3:12,14; 1 Peter 5:5
I highly recommend this book
I don't have a daughter but I have 12 year old niece....going to spend time with her the last week of the month talking about certain things in the book
on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 8:29 pm
on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 9:00 pm
I'm grateful to God for these ladies. It is now my desire to also encourage young girls to dress modestly and to spend time in the Scriptures to know God's heart on the matter.
on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 9:46 pm
on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 10:26 pm
on Friday, May 15, 2009 at 12:11 am
As Christians, we should never embrace worldly practices as part of the package, and need to be discerning. At the same time, we should accept how God chooses to use us each as imperfect witnesses.
on Friday, May 15, 2009 at 1:02 am
I remember as a young woman (late teens, early twenties) reading and being profoundly moved by the poem: "The Church Walking With The World!" The poem starts with the church and the world walking on different sands...different shores. But the sly, old world kept complimenting the church...coaxing her....beckoning her until finally, they ended up walking together. Hand holding. Exchanging hats. Then garments. Until finally, no one but the Master, could tell them apart.
When the Master called His church to stand before Him, she was severly rebuked and ultimately banished from her place of Eternal rest, as a result of her compromise.
I bless God for every woman responding to this article and to societal ills with a heart that is reflective of the true "born again" experience. Thank you for being a beacon and the voice of reason in the ears and lives of impressionable daughters, wide-eyed with wonder at the complexities and mysteries of life. Thank you for your holy yet gentle reminder that amidst all of the tasty, delicious fruit out there, lurks a serpent that we must guard against with vigilance!
To every God-woman out there who sees clearly the deceptive practice of conformity creeping into the church, "thank you!" Let us intercede more fervently for the daughters of Zion, as several of the responses to this article show that the enemy is leading captive 'silly women,' right into his lair.
Children live what they learn. If you lived with a Mother who embraced and approved every fad, fashion and fancy that hit the screen and the streets, you are more likely to have a difficult time discerning boundaries when it comes to your wardrobe. The old women in the church used to have a saying: "If you ain't selling nothing....take the sign down!" It's an old adage but as relevant now as it was then.
The word 'Christian' means "Christ like." Trust me, no one sees or believes that Christ sits on the throne of any woman parading herself half-naked before millions of people - chief among them men who are eaten up with lust. What people are seeing is Miss California's form, figure and body parts that were meant to delight and please our husbands - not strangers!
Further, Miss PreJean lied about the number of racy photos from her past. And to her shame (as well as the Christians who support her), she persists in crying that the attack against her and the ensuing fallout from the photos was unjust.
Also, contrary to those hailing her as "standing up for her convictions," she faltered there, too. She apologized to 'all of those who may have been offended' at her convictions concerning homosexuality! The Gospel of Jesus Christ IS an offense to those who are blind and refuse to believe. As Believers, we have fallen victim to the fallacy that we are to make the Gospel embraceable for everbody. Everybody WON'T embrace the Gospel....it will be embraced only by WHOSOEVER WILL.....not everybody!
I DO belive that Miss Prejean is a Christian. But I also believe that she has been mislead. She needs a strong pastor and the tender guidance of a Godly mother in Zion, to instruct her in the "acceptable" will of Godm, in Christ Jesus!!
As I said on another post: Two places a Christian woman should never be caught in: A "booty" pageant and, a lie.
on Friday, May 15, 2009 at 8:35 am
on Friday, May 15, 2009 at 9:12 am
on Friday, May 15, 2009 at 10:13 am
on Friday, May 15, 2009 at 11:06 am
on Friday, May 15, 2009 at 11:59 am
on Friday, May 15, 2009 at 2:49 pm
on Friday, May 15, 2009 at 4:03 pm
on Friday, May 15, 2009 at 11:37 pm
Living in this generation in this culture and in this time can be hard - and knowing what is truly modest and what is not can be an issue as well when purusing the clothing racks. I pray that God gives me discernment in this area because modesty is very important to me. I wholeheartedly agree that God's plan for my holiness includes my wardrobe. For one thing, I would not want to cause a man to stumble because of what I am wearing. I also don't want to dishonor this body that God has given me to honor Him with by degrading it with immodest clothing. I am God's! That truth alone should be enough for me to desire modesty - and it is.
Thank you for this post! Modesty has been an issue that I have been thinking on lately because of how important it is to me as a young woman desiring to honor God in every aspect of my life - including my wardrobe.
on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 12:04 am
on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 1:25 am
I do not agree with the clothing choices made by Miss CA but I will not put her down to others. I feel so sad that she feels she must wear certain things and alter her body to please others and be accepted-especially since she is a Christian!
I think we should ask what we ourselves can do to help Christian girls who are growing up in a world based upon what they look like and come alongside of them in love and with grace.
It took me quite a number of years to understand this issue myself.
on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 8:26 am
on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 4:03 pm
on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 11:34 am
on Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 2:11 pm
on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 9:32 pm
I'd say yes: you're missing the fact that swimsuit wear is part and parcel of a pageant. If you have a problem with her wearing a bathing suit, you have a problem with her being in a pageant, which is a whole other issue.
"How can a woman who appears nearly naked on a national stage be a spokesperson for Christian values?"
So is nude art sinful now? Are such artists/models incapable of being Christians? I have various nude art photographs and paintings, miss. Does this mean I cannot be a spokesperson for Christ? Does this mean any woman in a bathing suit can't be?
And Bernadette, a pageant is not a Christian congregation. You're mixing two unconnected places and issues.
on Friday, May 22, 2009 at 11:37 pm
on Friday, November 13, 2009 at 7:29 pm
The biblical principle is that a woman isn't to wear pants for the purpose of dressing like a man. Her clothing should express her femininity.
As long as they are modest, God is not displeased with you if you wear pants.
Praying for you as you search out this issue,
Paula
PS: Interestingly enough, men wore skirts/robes in the beginning.
on Monday, November 16, 2009 at 3:49 pm