In Muslim nations and communities, women dress in burkas or long-sleeved abaya in order to be considered appropriate in their culture. Yet in Indian culture, an exposed belly is not considered revealing—whether it is 20 years old or 80, and whether its size is 2 or 32. Meanwhile, in the United States, Amish women dress only in dresses comprised of a simple scoop-neck bodice attached to a loosely gathered straight skirt, and perhaps only pinned together, because pleats and buttons are considered too ostentatious.
Depending on where you live, culture does play into how one should dress. However, with a few exceptions here and there, most Western nations have a lot of leeway in what is considered appropriate or inappropriate for women to wear. But do we have that much latitude in God’s view?
Biblically, women should not be ashamed of their bodies. When God created Eve, He made her beautiful, and women are designed to want to be that way. Peter acknowledges that women want to be beautiful, and he extends that to beauty that is more than skin deep (1 Peter 3:3). Our character needs to be beautiful, and every godly woman wants to be beautiful on both the outside and the inside.
So, if God meant for women to be beautiful, why must Christian women be concerned with what they wear in public? Does God care if we wear yoga pants and a cropped sweatshirt to the mall? Does God care if we wear a low-cut blouse with a keyhole opening? Does God mind if, when we sit down and cross our legs, anyone in front of us can see halfway up our thighs? Although it is godly for women to desire to be beautiful, is that the same as being sexy—by definition, “sexually suggestive or stimulating”—in public?
Read more 
Tomorrow’s World
Don’t forget to register for camp! [Pinned Post]
/in Uncategorized/by Your Friendly Neighborhood EditorsIt’s time! Registration for camp is open—do it now before you forget! You can click here or click on the nice, big, blue button in the margin that says “Register for Camp!” However you want to do it—just head on over to the site and register for camp today!
And if you would like to revisit pictures from the 2022 camp, one helpful way is to click on the search box on this page and simply type “camp.” There are a plethora of posts with pics. Check them out—but go register for this year’s camp first!
Podcast 48: The Poisonous Power of Blame
/in Uncategorized/by Wallace Smith & John RobinsonWe’ve all done it. Adam and Eve did it! But it’s not helpful.
Blaming others. It blinds us and twists our thinking. But there is real power in “owning up” to our mistakes, errors, and sins. As the Spring Holy Days approach and we are all examining ourselves, let’s consider the effect of blaming others for our choices and aim at doing better.
Podcast 47: Sweet, Sweet Deleavening Meditations
/in Uncategorized/by Wallace Smith & John RobinsonThe deleavening that you do leading up to the Days of Unleavened Bread can bring some sweet, sweet meditations. There are a lot of lessons packed into that crumb-sweeping! Today, we flash back to some lessons we’ve learned, and we hope they inspire you to do some meditating yourself this season. [BTW: The Apple Podcast is taking a while to load. We’ll come back and add it when it is up, too!]
Men and Modesty
/in Uncategorized/by Mark SandorOne of the biggest complaints I ever heard from my students was about the school’s dress code, and these complaints sometimes caused me to think about the relationship between female modesty and male thoughts. The students had been told that boys were easily distracted by female dress—hence, at least one of the reasons to have a dress code. While the students did not like to acknowledge that connection, the Bible also points out in 1 Timothy 2:9 that women should “adorn themselves in modest apparel” and focus more on “the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit” (1 Peter 3:1-6). Young ladies in the Church are taught this principle and given instructions on how to put it into practice, and if you’re one of them, a great place to start is the companion to this post, Mrs. Jeanine Smith’s “Women and Modesty.”
But this post is for young men: When you think of modesty, do you think it only applies to the ladies? That can be a dangerous trap, for two reasons.
Read moreWomen and Modesty
/in Uncategorized/by Jeanine SmithIn Muslim nations and communities, women dress in burkas or long-sleeved abaya in order to be considered appropriate in their culture. Yet in Indian culture, an exposed belly is not considered revealing—whether it is 20 years old or 80, and whether its size is 2 or 32. Meanwhile, in the United States, Amish women dress only in dresses comprised of a simple scoop-neck bodice attached to a loosely gathered straight skirt, and perhaps only pinned together, because pleats and buttons are considered too ostentatious.
Depending on where you live, culture does play into how one should dress. However, with a few exceptions here and there, most Western nations have a lot of leeway in what is considered appropriate or inappropriate for women to wear. But do we have that much latitude in God’s view?
Biblically, women should not be ashamed of their bodies. When God created Eve, He made her beautiful, and women are designed to want to be that way. Peter acknowledges that women want to be beautiful, and he extends that to beauty that is more than skin deep (1 Peter 3:3). Our character needs to be beautiful, and every godly woman wants to be beautiful on both the outside and the inside.
So, if God meant for women to be beautiful, why must Christian women be concerned with what they wear in public? Does God care if we wear yoga pants and a cropped sweatshirt to the mall? Does God care if we wear a low-cut blouse with a keyhole opening? Does God mind if, when we sit down and cross our legs, anyone in front of us can see halfway up our thighs? Although it is godly for women to desire to be beautiful, is that the same as being sexy—by definition, “sexually suggestive or stimulating”—in public?
Read morePodcast 46: How Can I Have Hope for My Future?
/in Uncategorized/by Wallace Smith & John RobinsonToday we answer a question from a listener: With the world getting worse as Jesus Christ’s return approaches nearer, how should a young person think about his or her future?
Mr. Weston’s LCN Articles
/in Uncategorized/by Your Friendly Neighborhood EditorsIn last week’s podcast, we mentioned two Mr. Gerald Weston articles, and we just realized we forgot to post links! So, here they are, the first of which might already be in your home!
We hope you’ll consider clicking through. Both make for excellent pre-Spring Holy Days reading.
Podcast 45: Why Is the Bible Sometimes Vague?
/in Uncategorized/by Wallace Smith & John RobinsonSometimes you just want the Bible to spell out all the “dos and don’ts” of things in all their details, but it doesn’t. Is that a bug or a feature? Join us today as we chat about why God might choose to handle some things this way.
You can find the episode on any of the platforms below, and if you have a favorite platform that we’re not on, just let us know at [email protected].