[In this article: Because Women Wear Pants, Corpus Christi, Texas Will Be Destroyed. (That is what the guy who came into my office said, but the title was bit too long for me to put it on the title line of this blog.)]

I was in my office studying while the church secretary delivered some outgoing mail. I had told her “not to lock the door” that I could easily hear someone come into the building. The door made a terribly loud squeaking noise. However, one of our church members, irritated by the high pitch noise, had put some WD-40 on it. I didn’t know that.

I had been in my study for about twenty minutes when I heard a light knock on the door. It surprised me that someone entered the building without my being conscious of it. Someone knocked again, so I went to the door and opened it..

In front of me there stood a well dressed young man. He was in his thirties. He wore a nice pair of dress slacks and a nice blue shirt. “Are you the pastor”? he asked. “Yes,” I replied. “Come in and sit down”, I requested, pulling a comfortable chair to the front of my desk. “Thanks,” he responded.

He sat down, and looked me straight in the eyes. “How can I help you”? I asked.

“Corpus Christi, Texas is going to be destroyed because women wear pants,” said the young man in a serious tone wearing his “this is a fact” face. Note: Corpus Christi means “body of Christ.”

At first, I smiled wondering if a pastor friend had set me up–playing a practical joke. I knew that I was well over due for a couple of practical jokes to come my way. The problem was that the young man seemed serious in his verbal and non-verbal expressions. “Maybe he was just a serious actor or maybe he really believed what he was saying?” So, I asked him, “When is this to take place?”

Probably, in the next few months.

And the reason, is because women wear pants?

Yes

Because they wear, pants or trousers?

Yes, and especially in church.

Ok, so women wearing pants displease God?

Yes, they must wear dresses like they use too, and like in the New Testament.

Oh, you mean robes.

Yes, robes.

I acted as serious as I could, but inside, I really wanted to laugh. I still wondered if someone put him up to this. But I wondered if he just didn’t understand the customs and dress of New Testament Times. He seemed reasonable in his manner of speech and actions. I next began a new strategy.

I turned and looked at him. “So, how much of the blame are you and me suppose to take for the coming destruction.” Huh? He looked upon me with great curiosity. I said, “You know, us men are going to take some of the blame for this.” ”How’s that,” he asked with a questioning look. “Well, you said that the women are supposed to dress New Testament like they did in the New Testament. That means us men by not dressing new testament, have sinned too. Men also dressed in robes in the New Testament times!

He looked surprised! It was evident that he had to rethink his position. I told him that maybe we should look a little closer at the reason why both men and women wore dresses or robes in both old, and new testament times.

“Do you know why men and women dressed in robes in the bible times?” I asked. “No”, he said rather flatly. “Well, in those days there were no gas stations, convenience stores, Walmart stores, grocery stores or other places that had toilet facilities. If they had to go, then they had to go. Restroom facilities were rare if non existant, in biblical times. Anyway, the robes were used for modesty, so you would not be able to see their private parts, if you came walking upon them while relieving themselves by squatting on the ground. That’s why men wore robes too.

The bible does not tell us specifically how to specifically dress, except that we are to dress modestly. And, I must admit not all women or men dress as modestly as they should. Maybe we need to go back and look again at the customs and dress of bible times? “I think your right,“ he said as he got up and walked slowly towards the door. As he walked he was looking at the floor, thinking. I could tell that I had blown his prophesy related to the destruction of Corpus Christi right out of the water.

Evidently, he had based his concepts of women’s dress based on the traditions of the past. Perhaps those traditions that were held by his parents were passed on to him. Or the church he attended keep had the tradition of women always wearing dresses to church. It reminded me about the many traditions that we hold, often considering them the gospel truth. I wonder how many traditions I hold that are not biblical, but traditional. How many traditions do you hold that are not biblical, but traditional.

Do we sing the same songs our great-great grandparents sung? No, but most of us use musical instruments they use in their services. Do we meet in houses as many of the early Christians? No, but there has been a return to use of house churches in which to worship over the last twenty years. My great-great grandparents stayed all day Sunday at the church building, listening to messages for hours, eating and fellowshipping. We definitely don’t follow this tradition anymore. If anything we complain if the preacher, preaches over twenty minutes.

Is a limitation for a twenty minute message a tradition that we will pass on to our children. In Russia and Ukraine many of the services last five to seven hours in length.

When church buildings were built by early believers, they stood during services and didn’t sit down. There were no pews. Later came the pews. We did keep this tradition. Why do some congregations sit so much today? Some churches clap and other churches feel respect of God means silence. Often, they do these things because those who came before them set a tradition and others pick it up and follow it. Other churches, “Amens” are heard at every service. Some churches sing without the use of musical instruments.

Before pianos and organs came to the Wild West in the United States of America, the pioneers sang without music or used harmonicas, hand organs or accordions for music. What traditions do we hold that are not biblical, but we hold on to them as if they are biblical. What new concepts do we detest, because it has never been done that way, by our church before? Our relatives, of days gone by, spent much time worshiping Jesus both as a congregation and individually. Do we? Is it our tradition to ignore Jesus. It’s interesting to look at the traditions we keep, and those we don’t.

At the church I attend, often during the service one of the pastors call out “God is good!” The congregation responds, “All the time.” Then he, in turn responds, “All the time!” Then the congregation responds “God is good.” They picked this tradition up from a pastor years ago.