Chased out of church…for wearing trousers

Some months back, my friend narrated to me how she was chased out of an Anglican church in Anambra state because she wore trousers. I always knew churches in the east were quite strict when it came to modesty but I didn’t know they took it to the extreme. The funny thing is that she was modestly covered from top to bottom. She wore a flowing long sleeved shirt which reached below her hips. Even women who go on pilgrimage and meet the Pope at the Vatican wear modest trousers. So I couldn’t understand why any church would dwell on something so trivial. Many women have faced this kind of situation. They enter the church modestly dressed with the intention of partaking in the service and oblivious to the special dressing regulations only to be disgraced. All because they were wearing trousers.

Many churches have cited a verse in the bible, Deutronomy 22:5 as their major reason for their stance. The verse states that, “A woman shall not wear a man’s garment, nor shall a man put on a woman’s clothing; for anyone who does such things is an abomination to the Lord, your God” However the claim that the scripture forbids women from putting on trousers is made void because of many reasons;

• Men did not put on trousers in the Bible days – Men in the Middle East through the history of the Old and New Testaments did not ordinarily wear pants, trousers or slacks; they wore robe-like garments. Trouser wear is man’s innovation. Men’s garments were sewn differently from women’s garments. A man for instance can’t put on a trouser designed for a woman. So, men have their kind of trousers and women theirs too. Trying to say trousers are limited to men is as good as saying that wrappers are restricted to women and we do know that men also tied wrappers in this part of the world but not the same way as the women tie theirs. The fact that wrappers are mostly common with the women and trousers mostly common with the men doesn’t make these styles restrictive to either sex. Moreover, traditionally, trouser wears are not even men’s wear in this part of the world. None of our fore fathers wore trousers until the white men came to colonize them.

• Deuteronomy 22:5 Is Not For The New Testament Saints – This verse which is one of the laws of Moses was addressed only to the Jews under the Old Covenant. Before Jesus came, you were either a Jew (with God) or a Gentile (without God). Under the Old Covenant, the Gentiles weren’t included. “That at that time you (Gentiles) were without Christ, alienated from the community of Israel and strangers to the covenant of promise, without hope and without God in the world” (Eph. 2:12). So, Deut. 22:5 has nothing to do with the New Testament Saints. Exodus 34:27 further confirms this truth; “And the Lord said to Moses: Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” No mention was made of the Gentile nations here so using Deut. 22:5 to judge the Christian women is like asking Nigerians to keep American laws and make us feel guilty for not keeping it.

• The law may have been needed partly because of the pagan customs in the surrounding cultures – Transvestitism or Cross-dressing was a practice of the Canaanites, and Israel was to consider it an abomination. The Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary explains; “Disguises were assumed at certain times in pagan temples. Asiatics, when they engaged in the worship of gods, were accustomed to exchanging the male and female dresses. In fact, all idolators confused the sexes of their deities—representing them sometimes as male, at other times as female; and hence, their worshippers, male and female, fell gradually into the custom, which became extensively prevalent, of changing their attire in adaptation to the sex of a particular divinity.” Deutronomy 22:5 has to do with more than just clothing; it also speaks of a life that emulates in every way those of the opposite sex. We take a principle from this and apply it to our lives as believers, but we must use it in the context in which it is given and do so in relation to the dispensation of grace. God’s command to Israel forbade the people from incorporating pagan religious rites into true worship.

So, the issue is that a woman should wear modest clothing. Whether or not that includes a pair of slacks should be a matter for the woman’s own conscience before God. It is an issue that is superficial when the life of the child of God should rather be about a spiritual relationship with God. The obedience of a child of God is not measured by what clothing we wear but by our walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). Christian women are free to wear whatever modest apparel they choose, and the only judgment they should be under is that of their own conscience.

It is true that some women do dress immodestly in church but we need to remember that as Christians we need to correct with love. Our speech should be kind but firm when necessary as Christ advises us in 2 Timothy 2:24-25, “And the Lord’s servant should not quarrel, but should be gentle with everyone, able to teach, tolerant, correcting opponents with kindness…” There have been many Christians damaged (and non- christians who ran away from the church after being invited) because someone corrected them in a way that is contrary to how we’re meant to . Proverbs 18:19 says, “If you correct someone outside of grace, you will surely lose their friendship”

Now, if any church or place of worship that you go to forbids trousers, it would be wise and good to respect the rules since we’re meant to obey authority as long as what we’re obliged to do is not sinful. However, it is always worthwhile to know why we do things instead of acting out of fear. The Bible emphasizes modesty and God does not intend for this scripture to be understood in an extreme or unreasonable way. Religion is not clothing and as Jesus made it clear in Mark 2:27, the law was made for man, not man the law.