Men and Earings

I'm interested in answers here, too.

 

there is a passage in the OT that talks about men getting an earing if they love their master and want to be a slave for life.

As for the 21st century context, I don't see a problem with it. IT is simply a cultural issue, and our culture is changing so that most people don't think twice when they see and earring.

 

As far as I know, I cannot see a Biblical standard either way. However, I do know some IFB girls who do not wear earrings because they feel it violates the Scripture of "treating your body as the temple of the Holy Spirit." Maybe that helps.

God bless!

 

Good post, Will... we always have to take our testimony into account...

God bless!

 

Pryor, what about the droves and droves of people who view "suits" (those who wear them) to be stiff and rigid? Using your logic, wearing a suit would hinder your witness and ministry. That's why so many churches don't promote the look from the pastorate (e.g.Saddleback, most non-denom's). Your argument just doesn't hold water, because everyone is just not like you.

 

I think it is a cultural thing. Here in central WV it is looked down upon, and a Christian guy wearing one would not be taken seriously.

 

You’re right! A Pastor or Christian for that matter IMO should be separate from worldliness.

 

Amen John 6:63

 

Excellent thread, I am most excited to see all the fresh faces on this one. Nobody with more than 500 posts so far. Maybe there is hope for this forum after all.
Murph

 

What is the contextual Biblical Standard on men wearing lipstick?

I'm not trying to be a smart-alek. (I wore an earring and long (waist-length) hair until I was about 33.) I felt all along that I was abusing my liberties and "offending my brother" by my "meat sacrificed to idols" (ie. the old Rock-n-Roll lifestyle)and finally (mercifully?) the conviction got to me.

Should I preach to other men to cut their hair and pull out their earring (and quit wearing lipstick?) That's a good question. Get them saved. Get them growing. God is big enough to convict!

I have to admit though I might slip up at times and call them a "girly man" from time to time.

Lacy

 

This isn't a thread just for guys is it? Sorry if it is.

There are plenty of men with long hair and ear rings that lead a Christian life. If an older person is speaking with them, that may turn them away. If I was speaking with them, I wouldn't care one way or the other. It shouldn't be about whether or not someone decided to pierce his ear or leave his hair long. That doesn't have much to do with his faith in Jesus and his desire to bring others to Christ. It's just a form of expression. Many men who appear above board (conservative) are often the worst of the lot.

Lacy...lipstick??

Kim

 

When my wife and I first separated, I did a crazy thing and got my left ear pierced (culturally, a piercing in the left ear signifies heterosexual masculinity). Ladies, I feel for you. It stung somethin' fierce!!! I'm not 100% sure why I did it, but it was something that my wife (at the time) had no say or control over, and it was something that could not be taken from me. Anyway, to make a log story short, after a few years, my wife and I divorced, and I eventually stopped wearing the ear stud altogether. Interestingly, when I first had it done, the ladies at church thought it quite nice and tasteful, and quite masculine.

I no longer wear it, but the girl I'm dating now (a die hard Calvarean) begged me to wear an ear stud when we attended a semi-formal attire Christmas party. She found it quite attractive. That's probably the only time I've worn it in the last year or more.

To make a long story short, it's cultural. There's no biblical ban on it. It wasn't okay 80 years ago, but today it's quite appropriate, depending on the circumstance. 80 years from now, it might not be appropriate again. It's a style, like hats, ties, etc.

 

There were men in the bible that wore earrings:

Exodus 32:2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.

Judges 8:24 And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)

Job 42:11 Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an earring of gold.

Must be just a cultural thing.

 

Hello Will,
I don't think that you will find anything in scriptures that directly deals with this, but there are principles that are involved here that I believe make this incorrect for the child of God.
We are to do all we do in word or deed as unto the Lord. Our appearance does send messages and even in our culture where this is practiced it is a practice of the world to send messages of being part of the group or crowd.

The bible tells us to come out from among them and I will be your God. I know that at my salvation, late in life, I suddenly wanted to be associated with the Lord in all He is. That meant I had things to give up and deal with. I not long ago confronted a young man in church about this very thing. I asked Him if he felt that God had led Him to wear the ear ring or if he felt that he was wearing it to honor God. He said no and removed it without any further discussion. The world today is sending multiple messages in how they dress, talk and live, and even our body language sends messages. We need to do the same and be careful that we do not take on their ways just to be part of the crowd.

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service.

 

In OT days money was gold, silver, precious stones which were secured (in the absence of banks) by wearing or hiding them.

Today there are at least three reasons, (1) "adornments" and/or (2) a message (I am rich) or (3) functional (e.g. a watch).

A wedding band sends a clear message "I am married".

The problem with a male wearing an earring (IMO) is the message it sends or even worst the message "assumed" by others as opposed to the clear "message" of a wedding band or the clear function of a watch.

HankD