Though, there may be no clear idea as to what modesty actually is, we do learn that it is has something to do with propriety in dress (speech and conduct). She closed her essay by saying (in part), “Modesty made me “fat” because it defined my relationship with my body in terms of appearance. Not action. Not gratitude. Not the joy of movement. Just appearance. It also defined my relationship with men as one of predator and prey.”

From the point of view of Scripture what can be said about modesty? Does it have any connection with appearance? Is it a doctrine that is immoral and, thus, not part of God’s ideal? In brief, let’s address these.

First, the Scripture does have something to say about modesty, and it all begins with one’s approach to the Lord (1 Peter 3:15). The KJV uses the word “modest” only in 1 Timothy 2:9; it comes from a Greek word (kosimos) that means “well-arranged.” The actual Greek word is used one other time and that is in the next chapter (3:2); a man who desires to be an elder must be a male “of good behavior” (NKJV), “orderly” (KJV). The KJV uses the words “modest apparel” in 1 Timothy 2:9, while other translations will read, “suitable apparel with modesty” (NET), “respectable apparel with modesty” (ESV), “dress modestly with decency and propriety” (NIV).

Second, does it have any connection with appearance? As we have seen in the previous paragraph it does. Does the clothing have to meet a certain standard? The only standard that I am aware is that standard that expresses itself in godliness. There is no certain length to a skirt, no certain arrangement to a blouse top, and neither is there an exhortation that a man must wear a shirt. But there is a connection to apparel that has propriety in view, something that is respectable, suitable, and decent. In the end, the individual will have to judge what is best, but they need to do so in accordance with godliness. If one does not use this standard, then the only standard remaining is one’s own. Can one be pleasing to God with such a standard? Moreover, if godliness has its start in the heart, it can’t help but to come out in the appearance.

Third, is the teaching on modesty in Scripture immoral? No, and those who so identify it as such probably do not have a very good standard themselves. Morality has, at its core, the idea and teaching of the very essence of that which is good – God. Thus, the answer to the question is no, and neither is modesty immoral.

The problem is not modesty; it is the person who has taken modesty, coupled with whatever influences there might be in life, and made a particular application and response to it.

My daughter called me the other day expressing her disappointment in an article link (blog) that a friend of hers had on his facebook page. The sentiment of the piece expressed by a young woman (I presume) is the disappointment and rejection of what she calls the modesty doctrine. She says, “It’s a story about how modesty doctrines impacted my mind, in ways that had real, negative effects on my body….Modesty was one of the engines that pushed me into a full-blown eating disorder. It’s not just a dress code: it’s a philosophy, and it’s one that destroys young women, mentally and physically.”

What is modesty? Modesty is defined in the dictionary as “propriety in dress, speech, or conduct.” [1] The “modesty doctrine” the young lady speaks of is not well delineated in the dictionary, and neither is it in her essay. One can, however, pick up on enough of what she said to get a good idea of what she means by the “modesty doctrine.” In her own experiences she gives us an idea about what others taught her with regard to modesty: “Modesty taught me that what I looked like was what mattered most of all. Not what I thought. Not how I felt. Not what I was capable of doing” (bold in original).

In the next two paragraphs of her essay on modesty she relates particular experiences that have influenced her toward thinking differently on the application of modesty. She even commented on one experience that what she was taught on modesty was keeping her physically weak.  As she grew older she decided to dump “the modesty doctrine.” Evidently, however, before she got to the point of dumping her perceived “modesty doctrine”, she noted that it contributed to her having an eating disorder, and this disorder contributed directly to her feeling that her appearance as a woman was in order to prevent a man from lusting.  

There are some things in her essay that has much we ought to consider. On the other hand, there are some things that she said that is really nothing more than a reaction to a perceived doctrine undefined. In fact, it appears to me that her reaction to the “modesty doctrine” brought an imbalance to her life.

More will be addressed in the next entry….