Sorry you feel that way.
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Visitors Wearing Hats in Church
- Thread starter sag38
- Start date
Sorry you feel that way.
USN2Pulpit
New Member
JohnDeereFan, do you also believe that women's heads are to be covered in a church setting? Not trying to be smart-alec, but the hat thing seems very important to you and I wondered if it worked the same way for women at your church.
In our culture, it's considered appropriate for men to remove their hats for worship.
Period. Mock all you like. We're not changing it for you.
JohnDeereFan doesn't answer direct questions...
USN2Pulpit
New Member
I'm not asking you to change. Each church should decide on their own. Please note that I wasn't mocking...I asked because of your strong opinion in this area. I know some baptist women that cover their head in accordance with their understanding of scripture while in a worship setting, and I simply wondered if that was important in your fellowship also.
That's all I was asking. Please don't misunderstand my intention here.
I'm not sure why you think I have a "strong opinion". A question was asked and this happens to be a custom in the culture we live in and so I answered the question accordingly. No, in answer to your question, we don't require women to cover their heads because it isn't the custom in our culture. But it is expected for men to remove their hats during worship.
And even outside church, it's considered good manners for men to take their hats off anytime they're indoors.
USN2Pulpit
New Member
Thanks JDF for your answer.
Gib
Active Member
I don't always take my hat off in church on weekdays if I'm stopping by to drop something off or turn the a/c on to cool the building for a service. I will even wear it in my office when I first get here. I do take it off when someone comes in my office or I go to another's office. I usually don't put it back on at that point.
But out in public, if it's on I usually don't take it off until I get in my vehicle. I even where a hat in my home. Different strokes for different folks.
I was raised in that culture, too. I understand the mindset. I don't care if you or your church or anyone else's church preaches and teaches that the wearing/not wearing of a hat corresponds to one's being worthy/unworthy to practice the worship of God or not ....
....but I do have to question the notion - because it is only a cultural tradition of man and not an ordinance from God - that why would one "not care if he offended visitor" as you have said and greet the visitor who doesn't have the same cultural background of the man made rules - no matter how sincerely - with a directive that his worship cannot proceed until he takes that hat off of his head.
If you want to practice that cultural norm, fine. But why does a visitor - the very moment his foot crosses the threshold HAVE to conform to a man made sanction before he is allowed to worship.
The wearing of a hat during a service is not offensive to God. It's offensive to some people. We should not make our own peculiar sensitivities the hallmark of how others should or should not behave.
Now if there behavior IS offensive to the Lord - such as they show up dead drunk or high as a kite or wearing a shirt with a naked woman on it, then one might gently correct a first time visitor and lead him from the sanctuary and help him rectify that situation before he can return. There would be justification for that.
MUST we - must we - inflict man made rules on guests as a pre-requisite to their "worthiness" in OUR sight?
That's all I'm asking.
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It usually doesn't take long for someone to look around and realize, "Hey, no one else is wearing "whatever." And, they make their own determination to change. I would much rather a man wear a hat and hear the gospel than to run him off because of the enforcement of some cultural norm.
I truly don't care. I really don't. I find it so interesting that you all get so upset if you even think I'm suggesting your church ought to do something (which I never have), but have no problem telling me what our church ought to do.
We have churches in this area that cater to just about everybody. I'm sure you can find a hat wearing church here.
You guys need to understand, we're not taking suggestions about how to run our church and what our church's culture should be from anonymous people on the internet.
We like our little church and, based on the fact that it's grown from 25 to just under 400 in five years, I'd say that our tradition of not wearing hats during worship is not the stumbling block you all claim it is.
Church is not about you and your comfort and your self expression.
So would I. The problem, however, is that, following Biblical ecclesiology, we evangelize the lost outside of church and save the worship service for the ekklesia.
Your latest slanderous charge is duly noted.
When it comes to dress codes and hat wearin' in church you're not taking instruction from the Bible. I think that is the point that some are making.
But neither are you taking instruction from the Bible. So what makes your opinion more authoritative than our opinion?
You are taking your instruction from the traditions and culture of the world. You are following the world.
In other words, you can't explain why your opinions are more authoritative than ours, so you try to imply that we're sinning for some reason you can't explain or demonstrate.
Out of curiousity, do you know what adiaphora is? If so, do you know how Paul says we're to treat one another when it comes to matters of adiaphora?
You haven't demonstrated that your opinion of wearing a hat in church is actually irreverent to God. There is no Biblical basis for it. And I'm not saying you are sinning, I'm merely saying that your reasoning for your stance is a cultural tradition. In fact, my point is pretty lousy. I offered it to show how ludicrous this thread has become.
I would think that Christian liberty would cover the wearing or not wearing of hats in church.