My friend James called me the other day with a concern. He is a young guy, one of those "Millennials" we hear so much about these days. He attends a small group Bible study with other men his age, and he noticed that many of them don't remove their hats to pray. James was raised by good parents in the South and was always taught that a gentleman should remove his hat inside, and especially in church or while praying. When James brought this up to the group he was surprised to discover that every guy in the group (except himself) thought that it was perfectly acceptable to wear a hat in church or while praying. So he called me to find out if he was perhaps completely off base here.
While the topic of hats in church may in many ways seem inconsequential, I assure you it is not. And it is perhaps a much more complex issue than it may initially seem. Paul actually addresses this very thing in 1 Corinthians 11. In verse 4 he says, "Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head," and then in verse 5 continues, "And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head." Now we could certainly take these two verses in isolation and justify James in his belief. But good Biblical interpretation doesn't always work that way. However, there are many churches who do take what Paul says here both literally and seriously. In the Eastern Orthodox Church all women must have their heads covered when they go into church and men must remove their hats. Women in the Church of Nigeria likewise have a custom of wearing hats (and amazing hats at that!) for worship. But while some people will claim that Paul is making a moral declaration here, others feel that the context for Paul's statements are more culturally based. But even if we take a looser interpretation, the overall message is clear: when coming together to worship God publicly we should always adhere to a cultural norm of respectful behavior.
This of course begs the question, do we have such a cultural norm today? I would say, yes, but it is eroding quickly, and much to our own detriment. If we want to look at men's hats specifically, we have seen a pretty significant cultural shift regarding their use. Prior to the 1970s, pretty much all men wore hats outside. Consequently, strict social norms grew up around their proper use. Hats were to be worn outside only, and men knew, almost instinctively, to remove their hats when coming inside. Men would also remove or "doff" their hats as a show of greeting or sign of respect when passing someone on the street. And certainly no man would ever dream of wearing his hat during the Pledge of Allegiance, the National Anthem, or a public prayer. As time wore on, hats became less and less common for gentlemen, and thus the behavioral norms regarding their use were no longer engrained into the hearts of the general public. However, as the use of the hat faded away, we saw the rise of the "cap." What was once a practical accessory used to keep the sun out of one's eyes while playing sports (e.g. baseball) eventually came to be a fashion accessory. Today it is considered to be part of a person's outfit, and so for a man in his 20s, the idea of removing his hat for prayer or worship is as foreign as removing his shirt would be. Why would I take my clothes off to worship God?
But this is perhaps a sign of a larger trend in society which has spilled over into the church. In many ways we have rejected the notion of "dressing for the occasion" for a "come as you are" attitude. But how we dress still says a lot about our attitude. As a competitive cyclist at the elite level, what message would I send if I showed up at a race wearing cutoff shorts and an old T-shirt? I would certainly turn heads, but not in a good way. Dressing like that would show a blatant disregard and disrespect for my team, my sponsors, my fellow racers, and even the race organizers. So if we have that attitude towards athletic events, why don't we have a similar attitude with regards to the public worship of God?
Now I know that some people will say that church shouldn't be a fashion show, and I agree 100%. I certainly can't afford $1000 suits. But you don't have to spend a lot of money to be respectful. Everyone can do things like making sure their clothes are clean and ironed, tucking in their shirt, wearing clean (and even polished) shoes, and for goodness sake, take off your hat! Like it or not, the way we dress does affect our attitude, and if we refuse to dress respectfully for public worship we are going to have a harder time giving proper respect to God. Worship, after all, means "worth ship." In our public prayer and praise we are assigning worth to God. So think about what you would wear if you were going to meet the President of the United States, or even the Queen of England. I might be old fashioned, but I just don't think skinny jeans and a graphic tee would cut it in such a situation. So why do we think it is acceptable to dress that way when we come to meet the King of the Universe?
This of course begs the question, do we have such a cultural norm today? I would say, yes, but it is eroding quickly, and much to our own detriment. If we want to look at men's hats specifically, we have seen a pretty significant cultural shift regarding their use. Prior to the 1970s, pretty much all men wore hats outside. Consequently, strict social norms grew up around their proper use. Hats were to be worn outside only, and men knew, almost instinctively, to remove their hats when coming inside. Men would also remove or "doff" their hats as a show of greeting or sign of respect when passing someone on the street. And certainly no man would ever dream of wearing his hat during the Pledge of Allegiance, the National Anthem, or a public prayer. As time wore on, hats became less and less common for gentlemen, and thus the behavioral norms regarding their use were no longer engrained into the hearts of the general public. However, as the use of the hat faded away, we saw the rise of the "cap." What was once a practical accessory used to keep the sun out of one's eyes while playing sports (e.g. baseball) eventually came to be a fashion accessory. Today it is considered to be part of a person's outfit, and so for a man in his 20s, the idea of removing his hat for prayer or worship is as foreign as removing his shirt would be. Why would I take my clothes off to worship God?
But this is perhaps a sign of a larger trend in society which has spilled over into the church. In many ways we have rejected the notion of "dressing for the occasion" for a "come as you are" attitude. But how we dress still says a lot about our attitude. As a competitive cyclist at the elite level, what message would I send if I showed up at a race wearing cutoff shorts and an old T-shirt? I would certainly turn heads, but not in a good way. Dressing like that would show a blatant disregard and disrespect for my team, my sponsors, my fellow racers, and even the race organizers. So if we have that attitude towards athletic events, why don't we have a similar attitude with regards to the public worship of God?
Now I know that some people will say that church shouldn't be a fashion show, and I agree 100%. I certainly can't afford $1000 suits. But you don't have to spend a lot of money to be respectful. Everyone can do things like making sure their clothes are clean and ironed, tucking in their shirt, wearing clean (and even polished) shoes, and for goodness sake, take off your hat! Like it or not, the way we dress does affect our attitude, and if we refuse to dress respectfully for public worship we are going to have a harder time giving proper respect to God. Worship, after all, means "worth ship." In our public prayer and praise we are assigning worth to God. So think about what you would wear if you were going to meet the President of the United States, or even the Queen of England. I might be old fashioned, but I just don't think skinny jeans and a graphic tee would cut it in such a situation. So why do we think it is acceptable to dress that way when we come to meet the King of the Universe?
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