We
live in a society, where many former taboos have become acceptable. It has long
been chic to be a social iconoclast. It is uncool to be decent and cool to be
indecent. What was once evil is now good (Isaiah 5:20).
When it comes to specifics like
appearance, standards and values have indeed changed. Growing up in the fifties
and sixties, you will recall that male students were expelled from school if
they failed to cut their hair to the required length. How times have changed,
although hair length has always been the subject of fluctuation. Take a look at
portraits of some of those old Puritans – they had no problem with long hair.
But times have changed in Church life as well. Few young men wear a tie these
days, and often instead wear casual clothing, which once would not have been
considered acceptable in Church.
I'm sure that there are some reading this, who
lament this change, as indeed I do. I think, however, that we can agree that it
is very unlikely that most of the younger generation will begin to wear suits
and ties again. Some people don't even own one. And it is also true that
"best clothes", for the younger generation are now something other
than a pin-striped suit. For some, I know, if a suit is required as part of
one's employment, it is seen by them as a uniform, say like that of a policeman or a bus driver. If you remember
back to the fifties and early sixties families would go uptown on Friday night
and dad would wear his suit and probably a hat as well. There were also recognisable occasions when
you've donned your suit. You probably only had one and it was definitely your
best clothing. Today if you attend different functions, where once a suit would be worn, chances are that is no longer
the case, including Church.
Should there be standards of
appearance?
But
this raises the question, are there to be any standards concerning appearance
for the Christian at Church? I want to suggest that not only are there such
standards, but that our standards are slipping. There are two areas of
appearance that we will briefly look at – tattoos and body piercing.
As in all areas of morality or duty, we should not
automatically take the standards of the world as our standards. Rather our standard must always be the word
of God - Isaiah 8:20. "To the law and to the testimony! If they do
not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn."
The Old
Testament has something to say about physical appearance. At the base of the Bible’s teaching on man
is his creation as the image of God. Often the “image” of God is confined to
the qualities of knowledge, righteousness and holiness (see WCF 4:2). But there are good grounds to
extend the image to the whole man, body and soul. Genesis 9:6, “Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood
shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man,” rests on the idea that
man represents God. To injure man is to injure God. Added to this is the
likelihood that man’s dominion task is another reflection of the image of God –
a task which requires physical as well as mental attributes (Gen.1:27f). Respect
shown to a dead body, which will one day be resurrected, is also to be shown to
the body when alive. In 1 Cor. 6:19,20 in the New Testament, man is also said
to be the temple of the Holy Spirit. Paul’s teaching requires that we think of
the individual as the temple in the context of the community of saints. We are
only temples in so far as we are conceived jointly as the temple of God the
Holy Spirit. This last point means that we do not have an autonomous status as
a temple, but are responsible to conform to the required standard of holiness
of that other analogy Paul uses – the body of Christ. There is a mutual
responsibility to conform to the Bible’s requirements of the temple or body of
Christ, under the supervision of Christ’s authority delegated to the Elders.
However, it is not uncommon to see covenant youth bearing decorations on their
bodies of various forms, with no consciousness that the wider body of believers
might be offended or the holiness of the body compromised. And that holiness of
the body is compromised by the lack of holiness of even one member (1 Cor.
5:6). Holiness requires that we live and worship according to the Word of God.
Holiness is partly defined by the church's separation from the world. This
means separation from the world's practices which exist in the pagan society
around about us. This is particularly important when it comes to the sort of
image we present to society. But it is also important in our denominational
situation to present the most Christian image to other fellow Christians in
other churches as well. Holiness also means that we will not give offence where
it is unnecessary. And it is unnecessary when the world's standards of personal
appearance are sanctioned in the Church. It gives real offence to many
Christian parents who do not want their children influenced by other Covenant
youth, turning up with body piercing
and other types of decoration of the body that identifies with the
worldly culture. It is a reality that serious Christians are turned off
Churches that have a lax view of social drinking and smoking for the same
reasons.
Under
the Mosaic law, tattooing was prohibited. The commentators suggest different
reasons for this prohibition found in Lev. 19:28. “You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead, nor make any
tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the Lord.”
R. Laird Harris in The Expositors Bible Commentary series suggests: "There was
nothing morally wrong with cutting the hair or the beard or with tattooing. But
these practices then, and also now in some places, were parts of heathen
ritual.” However other commentators affirm that there is something morally
wrong with the practice.
Unlike Harris, Keil and Delitzsch say that
tattooing, "had no reference to idolatrous usage, but it was intended to
inculcate upon the Israelites a proper reverence for God's Creation." Here
is this idea that because bodies are God’s creation - bodies of man created in
God’s image, they are not to be defiled by tattooing.
Gordon Wenham in The New International Commentary on the Old
Testament, concurs: “This law conforms to other holiness rules which seek
to uphold the natural order of Creation and preserve it from corruption
(cf.v.19;18:22-23; 21:17ff). God created man in his image and pronounced all
creation very good(Gen.1). Man is not to disfigure the divine likeness
implanted in him by scarring his body. The external appearance of the people
should reflect their internal status as the chosen and Holy people of God
(Deut.14:1-2). Paul uses a similar line of argument in 1 Cor. 6. The body of
the believer belongs to Christ, therefore, “glorify God in your body (1
Cor.6:20).”
Keil and Delitzsch and Wenham take
the context of the image-bearing requirement
for holiness, more seriously than Harris and for that reason are to be
preferred. We are brought with a price and are to be a holy people – adults and
children. And since respect for the body is rooted in creation, we cannot
restrict that respect to the Mosaic economy. As Wenham says, the same principle
is evident in the New Testament.
But we need to be sensitive to longstanding
practices when we apply such teaching in our own day. In our own society
tattooing is part of the culture of Polynesians, often signifying the status of
a person or to mark their passage into adult life. Two other groups come to
mind in European societies as well. Someone who had joined the Navy often
became tattooed. The third group are
obviously criminals, who see certain tattoos as a mark of status in a perverted
way. Several spots above the eye, for
example, indicate the amount of time you have spent in prison. These three
groups are different, but even in the case of cultural tattooing, we should not
be silent in teaching that it is contrary to the Bible to permanently mark the
body for decoration.
Furthermore tattooing for most
people now, including women, is considered to be fashionable. Added to the
reason for prohibition we have just canvassed must be the desire to associate
with worldly fashions. We don’t hear that word “worldly” too much these days do
we? A modern getting a tattoo, will probably not be consciously identifying
with criminals or with some pagan idolatry. But they will be identifying with
the non-Christian culture which embraces this body art or tattooing. It is
certainly not a part of Christian culture.
Tattoos
can now be removed by laser, and I would suggest a tattooed Christian should
give serious consideration to that. We should be less forthright when it comes
to discussing tattooing with those of Polynesian descent for whom tattoos are
not so much fashion, but a remnant of a very ancient tradition. But even so, a
use of your body, which glorifies God and not man, must be the goal of each one
of us.
When
it comes to Jewellery, and in particular body piercing, the Bible has more to
say. Modern archaeology has uncovered a lot of examples of ornaments used in
the ancient Near East. And there are a number of references to ear and nose
rings and other ornaments in the Bible.
It is not always clear what ornament is being
described in some places in Scripture, but it seems that men, women and
children wore rings of different sorts and on different parts of their bodies.
Take Exodus 32:2, when Aaron made the molten image from the rings of the
people. “And Aaron said to them, ‘Tear
off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your
daughters, and bring [them] to me’” (Here I suppose you could argue
perversely that idolaters take their rings off). The most common jewellery for
men in Scripture, however, seems to be a signet ring, which doubled as a seal,
and we see examples of the wearing of such rings in both the Old and the New
Testaments (Job 42:11 and James 2:2). Furthermore, it is likely that men wore
bracelets around their wrists, one being given to the prodigal son by the
father (Luke 15:22) “But the father said
to his slaves, 'Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put
a ring
on his hand and sandals on his feet.” Pharaoh is also recorded
giving Joseph a necklace in Gen. 42:42.
It is only in Exodus 32, where there is an
unambiguous reference to males wearing earrings in Israel, considered as a
nation under God. In Exodus 35:22, it is difficult to know what rings were worn
by what sex, because they collectively donated their jewellery for the
tabernacle. Moreover, the Ishmaelites in Judges 8:24 are singled out as male
wearers of earrings in a way that suggests Israelites do not wear them. In
Numbers 31:50, the male Midianites are also identified as wearers of earrings.
And in Genesis 35:2, Jacobs household are required to hand over their earrings,
because they were a part of idolatrous worship. We get a negative picture of
the wearing of facial jewellery on males of God's chosen people.
There is a more positive tradition for the wearing
of such body piercing jewellery among the women of God's people. Abraham had
seen nothing wrong with such jewellery when his servant gives a nose ring and
bracelets to Rebekah (Genesis 24). The
Bible also uses rings in simile and analogy. For example Proverbs 25:11 “[Like]
apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right
circumstances. 12 [Like] an earring of gold and an ornament
of fine gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear.” When the Lord
reminded Israel of His covenant faithfulness in Ezekiel 16:8-22, he uses the
analogy of adorning a bride with fine things including jewellery: “And I adorned you with ornaments, put
bracelets on your hands, and a necklace around your neck. "I also put a ring in your nostril,
earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. "Thus you were
adorned with gold and silver, and your dress was of fine linen, silk, and
embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, honey, and oil; so you were exceedingly
beautiful and advanced to royalty.”
It would seem unlikely that the Lord would compare
His covenant love to something He disapproved of. But there is a definite
context where nose and earrings find this approval-by-association. The analogy
uses the imagery of marriage. We see it also in Isaiah 61:10, “As a bridegroom decks himself with a
garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” In both these cases, Jewellery is associated
with marriage and with the female sex. This would seem to lend approval to a
judicious use of such jewellery by women. Proverbs 11:22, “[As] a ring of gold in a swine's snout, [So is] a
beautiful woman who lacks discretion,” suggests the association of
legitimate facial rings with female beauty. Such beauty turns to ugliness in
the indiscrete woman. If we can
follow the examples of God’s people then nose and ear rings would seem
acceptable on women, but not on men. Men usually wear finger rings and
bracelets. When facial rings worn by men are mentioned, it is in an association
with idolatry, or as the practice of pagan nations. The frequent association of
jewellery with females and marriage is also telling. Added to this Western
Culture which owed its ethics to Christianity, at least that until the middle
of the last century, decried tattooing and body piercing for males. More
importantly Christians have always had higher standards of appearance than
those sanction in non-Christian society.
In the light of this background can
we discover how we should view the wearing of male and female jewellery as well
as the extreme forms of body piercing we see in our own day - not infrequently
among covenant youth in our Churches?
Can one or several studs in eyebrows, ears, and even tongues be harmless
decoration? In our own day, we do know that this modern practice does not come
from Christian tradition, or Christian culture. It definitely does come from
non-Christian worldly counterculture. In New Zealand, those of us who grew up
in the dominant culture of rugby, racing and beer, are aware of gradually more
people taking up ear piercing. For men it began here in New Zealand with
homosexuals as an identification with the group, but grew into a practice among
heterosexuals as well. Foreign homosexual pop-stars like Elton John, and many
others, encouraged the trend. And probably heterosexuals who wore earrings from
other nations, and who settled here, probably helped in normalising the wearing
of earrings among men. It was a daring thing to do in the sixties and even the
seventies, and really has only became part of the dominant culture in the 90s.
Modern women can find some approval for wearing ear
and nose jewellery in Scripture. However, there is also another strand of
teaching which should be born in mind. Wearing jewellery was also associated
with shallowness and immorality in Isaiah 3:16-18, and brought about God’s
judgement on the daughters of Zion specifically. (See also Hosea 2:13) In 1st
Tim. 2:9, Paul too has something to say about the proper ornamentation for
women. “Likewise, I want women to adorn
themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair
and gold or pearls or costly garments;
but rather by means of good works, as befits women making a claim to
godliness.” Or 1st Peter 3:3-5. “And let not your adornment be merely
external-- braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewellery, or putting on
dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable
quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.
For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to
adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands [my emphasis] .”
In this latter quotation, the NASB (and the NKJV)
inserts the word “merely” here which is not in the original text. However, in
the light of the example of Sarah, the one Peter is referring to, and who most
probably wore a nose ring or earrings, it must be possible to have both
godliness and jewellery. The insertion of “merely” is therefore judicious. But
when such things become more important than a godly life, then God condemns
them. If a woman’s focus is on earthly beauty, she has missed the point, and
not yet learned what proper adornment is. Peter is also comparing the external
to the internal. Our external appearance can indeed be an indication
of our inner thoughts, habits and spiritual maturity. It is difficult not to
read a blatant "in the face" type of body piercing, seen among both
males and females, as a downright lack of respect for the older generation in
the Church, and a rebellious unwillingness to recognise a responsibility for
corporate holiness. Many older people are offended by the array of metal
protruding from various parts of the anatomy of Church members, and rightly so.
When they see this, they see worldliness coming into the Church.
It is one thing when a betrothed
woman wants to appear physically attractive for her husband to be, or a married
woman for her husband, it is another for men to follow the vagaries of a new
fashion which blur the distinctions between the sexes and give offence to many
of the older generation.
But you might argue, that it’s better that the youth
are in church and we shouldn’t make a fuss, because we might drive them away.
Behind such thinking is an abandonment of Covenantal theology and an embracing
of Arminianism. We cannot forget that our children are Covenant youth. We as
parents, and they as young adults, have a responsibility to ensure that they
live godly lives. They too are in covenant with a Holy God and are obliged to
live according to the terms of that Covenant. This fear of driving them away,
is an Arminian idea. Overlooking wilful sin and rebellious worldly behaviour is
not the Bible's way of leading sinners to Christ. This kind of tolerance has
its parallel with the seeker-service mentality, where Churches change the God
ordained method of worship to a compromise with worldly music, an artificial
mood-altering atmosphere, humour and drama. Both ideas suggest we should
overlook what God requires in His word.
What about people off the street? What a great
opportunity to speak to such a metallized
person and explain that God calls us to holiness, which extends even to
the way we use our bodies. Perhaps then, God in His grace will convict him of
his sin, and he too will become a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. Although
standards are slipping in the world, we need not capitulate in the Church. God
will honour such an attitude. However, if as God's people we saw this 'in the
face' body piercing as a legitimate form of decoration among Christians, I have
this frightening vision of our young Ministers preaching while wearing either
facial rings, nose studs, eyebrow studs or a stainless steel tongue bolt, or
all of the above. It doesn't bear thinking about does it?
GM.
Faith in Focus /NZ Reformed Church / gmilne@ihug.co.nz / revised July
2000 / Copyright 2000