Ryan & Kristin

I was surfing the Internet today, watching some music videos on youtube and reading some webpages when I stumbled across a forum regarding Carrie Underwood’s Christian profession.  A few posters were raising concerns about some seriously questionable outfits Underwood had worn, and how that reflected on her as one who claims to be a Christian.  In response, some other posters who called themselves born-again Christians were defending her style of dress, claiming that it doesn’t matter how a Christian dresses.   You can be a Christian and still wear “short shorts.”

I couldn’t disagree more with the stance these posters were taking.  How a Christian dresses is very important, particularly a Christian woman.  Why?  Because your outward appearance is a reflection of your heart attitudes.

What does a seductive outfit say about you?  That you want men to lust after you.  On the flip side, what message does a modest outfit send?  That you are concerned about purity and holiness, both before God and men.

I’ve seen a lot of girls become defensive when the topic of modesty was raised.  Objections come thick and fast:  “Guys won’t notice me!” “Everyone else is doing it!” — and the clincher — “It’s their problem, not mine.” (For more reasons why women avoid dressing modestly, click here).

That speaks volumes.  This is not the heart of a godly, mature, Christian young woman.  A woman who spouts off such objections isn’t concerned about her brothers in Christ struggling with sin, or about living in holiness, or about seeking after the heart of God in this area of her life.  She is only concerned about herself, her social standing, her ability to attract male attention, etc.

As Christian women, we need to be distinguishable from the world.  We need to have a godly vision.  We need to live for something more meaningful than that second glance from Joe, Billy, and Sam.  We need to be holy women of God: upholding purity, fighting sin and temptation, promoting faithfulness on the part of Christian men to their wives and young men to their future wives.

I know what some of you reading this post –particularly single young ladies — are thinking: that this pie-in-the-sky vision is great, but not in touch with the real world.  Immodest clothing is a “necessity” if a girl wants to attract a husband and fit in with her friends.

Not so, although I can relate to that kind of thinking.  During highschool and the first few years of university, I often wrestled with the question of modesty. (To be honest, I generally erred on the side of being frumpy, dressing in clothes that were too big or too short, old styles, or weird neon colours.)  I fretted about, cried over, and brooded on the issue.  I even remember a heated conversation with my parents, in which I gave voice to my frustrations regarding the apparent lack of interest shown by the young men around me.  At times I too pondered whether immodest clothing was a “necessity.”

But Sister in Christ, if you choose to follow after God’s heart, if you choose to honour Him with your body and your dress, if you choose to protect the purity of your brothers in Christ, God will honour that.  I mean that 100%.  Now, I’m not saying that Prince Charming will show up on your doorstep tomorrow if you start dressing modestly today.  God will work in His time, and according to His good plans. But God will honour your obedience and your desire for holiness.

After seven long years (age 13 to 20) of worrying and wondering what God had in store, I met Ryan.  Not long into our courtship, Ryan and I had a conversation in which he specifically thanked me for dressing modestly.  He thanked me.  Not as a passing comment about one outfit, but a deliberate statement about my wardrobe. I don’t know if he realized just how much that meant to me.  I was so moved, I cried about it later.  I had waited a long time to hear those words.

Sister in Christ, may the attitudes reflected in your style of dress be pure, right, and pleasing to your Maker and Redeemer.  May your clothing testify to your intent to guard the minds and hearts of your brothers in Christ.  And may the true and lasting beauty of your godly woman’s heart shine forth for all to see and admire.

-Kristin

Postscript.

To clarify, I am not promoting wearing burkas or frumpy old dresses.  Modesty and attractiveness are compatible, although one has to be thoughtful and deliberate in choosing articles of clothing that have both of those qualities.

As a starting point in determining what crosses the line into being immodest, here is a survey taken of Christian young men which will offer some guidance as to what styles and cuts cause men to struggle:  http://www.therebelution.com/modestysurvey/

I (Kristin) was just reading the news about a Vancouver rioter, Camille Cacnio, who posted a 3,300 word ‘apology’ on the Internet after being routed out for her part in looting a tuxedo store (she later removed it and replaced it with a shorter version).

The ‘apology’ basically can be summed up as follows:

********************************

I apologize.

I take full responsibility for my actions.

But that’s not the person I am.

I am now a victim of the social media mob.

What I did wasn’t as bad as what everybody else did.

I was just responding to an adrenaline rush.

The stealing was just for fun.

I was overcome by mob mentality.

I really am a good person because I am a university student and I was conscientious enough to save the trees that day [though not enough to protect other people's property].

I am now a victim of harassment.  The social media mob is ruining my life.

I have my rights.

These people who are smearing me on social media sites are stupid, racist, and sexist.

I can loot stores because I am a woman and I can do anything that men can do.  If what I did proves this to misogynistic people then the looting was a good thing.

I think this has blown out of control.

I have lived in Canada all my life.  I am a hardworking university student and athlete.

I have been dehumanized.  People are wrongfully venting their anger against me.

Stop ruining my life!

Stop forgetting that I have rights.

Canada is peaceful and kind.  You are embarrassing our country by singling me and other rioters out in social media.

Give us a break.  We made a mistake.

I am willing to take whatever punishment I get [except for public shaming on the internet].

Thanks to those of my family and friends who supported me during this difficult time.  And to all of you who disowned me:  Get lost, because I don’t want to have anything to do with you.

Thank you ever so kindly for your time [and for listening to my self-justifying rant],

Sincerely,

Camille

*********************************

I think Ezra Levant said it best, that when no one is watching and all the moral strictures are removed, that is when the real person comes out.

I am sorry, Camille, but we have all seen who you really are and no amount of self-justifying remarks and ranting about rights will change that.

If you are truly sorry and taking full responsibility for your actions as you claim, I suggest that you meet with the owners of Black&Lee in person to apologize and not only return the pants you stole, but make restitution by giving them twice the cost of the pants with your own hard-earned dollars.  And then you can go and help clean up all the mess:  not only of their store, but all of downtown.

You participated in the destruction, you participate in the reconstruction.

You were quick to list all the things you didn’t do (smashing windows, torching cars, hurting people), but in that you did not leave the scene of the riot or make any attempt to stop those things from happening, you were complicit.

You pride yourself in how you stopped some rioters from pulling down trees.  But you did nothing to protect other people or their property.  On the contrary, you openly admit that you “had fun stealing.”

Very telling.

by Kristin

In case you haven’t noticed already, some people are narrow-minded.  What people am I thinking of? Well, I was particularly thinking of people who typically like to call themselves ‘open-minded’, ‘liberal’, ‘free thinkers’, and ‘followers of science,’ but in reality, they are just as biased and intolerant as the next man.  Here I have compiled a short list of the statements narrow-minded people can make:

1. “There is NO God.”

This is what we philosophers call an “absolute negative.” This is the equivalent of claiming “There are absolutely no pink elephants in the universe.” A statement which espouses an absolute negative is impossible to prove unless you are an omnipresent being (i.e. you are everywhere in the universe at one time).

2.  “The current evolutionary dogma is the only scientific explanation for our present day world.”

What rock have they been hiding under? First of all, evolutionary theory as it stands today is fraught with problems and unanswered questions.  Highschool science textbooks still contain and sell as truth evolutionary ideas which were disproven or exposed as hoaxes long ago, like the peppered moth hoax and Haeckel’s fraudulent drawings of human and animal embryos. Evolutionists have a lot of explainin’ to do.

And what about irreducible complexity? The wonders of DNA? Darwin’s “simple cell” which turned out to be a whole microcosm in itself? Evolutionary theory has no answers for all this.

There are scientists (and I’m not just talking about creationists, or even about Christians) who are challenging and offering alternatives to the current evolutionary dogma. There’s Michael Behe, Michael Cremo, Guillermo Gonzalez, and Jonathan Wells — just to name a few.

People who mindlessly parrot the evolutionary theory taught by their highschool teachers should really take a look in the mirror before calling anyone else “narrow-minded.”

3. “Guns are only for killing people.”

That’s the only use they could think of? What about hunting? Olympic sports? Target practice? Protecting livestock from predatory animals?  Preventing innocent people from being killed by scaring off attackers through a show of force? This has got to be one of the worst cases of narrow-mindedness ever.

4. “The world is over-populated.”

Have they looked at any population charts recently? Canada has a ridiculously low population density of 3 people per square kilometer (or 8/sq. mile)! Furthermore, the population density of the entire world works out to only 13 people per square kilometer (or 34.5 / sq. mile). I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound crowded to me.

5. “Disadvantaged people need special social programs in order to overcome their circumstances.”

If you believe this, go add biographies about self-made people to your reading list. Seriously.

by Kristin

I remember my highschool English teacher standing before the class one day and telling us 12th-graders in somber tones what he considered to be the greatest tragedy in life: “failure to live up to one’s potential.”

I also recall that on a different occasion he openly expressed his opinion that I ought to pursue doctorate studies because I had the intelligence to do so.

Sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Z., but I stopped school after earning my undergraduate degree.

Is my life a tragedy?  My answer is an unwavering and resounding “NO.”  Not because I am actually a simpleton (hopefully that’s not the case!) and was content just to be a “domestic slave” and a “baby machine”.  On the contrary, the reason why I say “no” is because I disagree fundamentally with my highschool teacher’s understanding of “human potential.”

What really is our “human potential”? What does that mean?

If you ask me, our potential as human beings is inextricably linked with our purpose as human beings.

Take a hammer for example.  Sure, a hammer has the potential to dig a hole, but it would make a lousy shovel.  It also has the potential to flip pancakes, but honestly, it would make an even worse spatula.  The greatest realization of a hammer’s potential is found in fulfilling its purpose: to drive nails.

So the next question is: what is our purpose as human beings?

The Westminster Catechism presents the best answer: “To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”

That’s it, friends. Our purpose in life, and the greatest realization of our potential, is not to become the smartest, the richest, the strongest, or the fastest human. Rather, our greatest potential lies in glorifying God.

Does that mean we have to stand around and sing hymns all day? I don’t think so. We can bring glory to our Creator by doing our best in whatever sphere of life He has called us to.  God has equipped us with certain skills and talents that He expects us to use to the praise and honour of His name.  Has He called you to be a musician? Be the best musician you can be.  Has He called you to be an entrepreneur? Be the best entrepreneur you can be.  Has He called you to be a wife and mother? Be the best wife and mother you can be. Has He called you to be a missionary? Be the best missionary you can be. Even those who suffer from a disability can glorify their Creator by doing their best under the circumstances. Take Joni Eareckson Tada for example.

The one qualification I would stress is that we, in our respective callings, put our Christian calling and obeying God first.  What does it matter if you are the richest, most successful entrepreneur if you cheated people and swindled money to get there and thereby shamed the name of Christ?  What does it matter if you are the most famous, most persuasive missionary of your time if God is not glorified by your life?  If other people, when observing our life and work, are not led to praise God but rather to slander the name of Christ, we have failed to live up to our true potential.  And that failure, my friends, is truly a tragic one.

I close with the last verse of one of my favourite poems, “A Psalm of Life” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (read the whole thing under “Poetry” in the right column):

Let us, then, be up and doing,

With a heart for any fate;

Still achieving, still pursuing,

Learn to labor and to wait.