A pastor
I admired very much once said to me that he "felt naked if not in a
suit" whilst behind the pulpit. He continued his soliloquy by adding
"a suit to a pastor is the equivalent to the white coat of a
doctor; it’s our uniform", he concluded. “Quite poetic” I thought, a
bit much, but I could understand his position. I guess when you’re in the
business of preaching the life giving gospel of Christ, a comparison to a
physician is apropos. With that said, I
have a confession to make; "I have a love of fashion." For many of
you close to me this is no confession at all. I’m considered, by a very small
number of you, to be quite fashionable, which I credit to, if nothing else, my
mother (I have to say that) and my avid perusal of GQ Magazine. In addition to my GQ
subscription I also watch things on fashion, not everything, for as you can
imagine, there are more things that are of the “not beneficial” fold. But I did
very much enjoy this documentary on the suit, hosted/narrated by Alastair Sooke of BBC called The Perfect Suit. In this documentary
Alastair explores the suit, its evolution throughout history, and the cultural
and social backdrop which it garments.
When I
was considering posting this documentary on my blog, a thought came to mind.
What if we added another segment to this documentary, considering the suit as
worn by pastors? Furthermore what the suit has meant culturally throughout the
history of the church. I won’t delay you from getting to the videos, I will say
this; I considered what I’ve heard from pastors that wear suits and those who
don’t. Like Mr. Sooke’s observation of
the suit being associated with “a world of drudgery…and the peak of squarness.”
Among those pastors who don’t wear suits, speaking personally, I often get the
sense that their disdain for suit wearing is of the same ilk. Which I feel is a misled association. What’s
more, I feel at times that their wearing of jeans, polo shirts, flip-flops etc. behind the pulpit was a silent protest
that they will not be bound by windsor-knots, wingtips, and finely tailored
shackles. But being true contrarians, they would never miss an opportunity to poke fun at those who prefer wearing suits. As if their wardrobe
was free of any external influences, traditional, cultural or otherwise. Some
of those who prefer suits are also guilty of projecting their taste in clothing
as well. Gladly, in both cases the exchange was always light hearted in nature. Still, there is nothing like a well-tailored suit, and while biblical
manhood is not determined at all by the wearing are not wearing of a suit; when
worn, at least for me, it is a fine compliment to a gentlemanly stature.
"I want to raise a generation of young people, imperious, relentless, and cruel." The man to whom these words belong is famous or infamous rather, for embodying those very characteristics himself. In an ambitious outworking of these very ideals Adolf Hitler would carve out his place in history, leaving a most pronounce scar on history itself, in the carnage he left in his path. During the Second World War at the outstretched hand of Hitler, millions would lose their lives. One German Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer would seek to place his hands in the ethical mud, plotting to kill Hitler in attempts to stop the killing. He would lose his life as well, executed for his troubles. Hitler however would witness his empire, built upon racial superiority, hate, prejudice, and violence, implode around him. He and his wife commit suicide, even their dog Blondi is poisoned. In the end, what went through Hitler’s head (besides that bullet of course)? If we were to follow his Darwinian/Nie...
While ingratiating myself with a new church here in Italy and in particular its young people - the Lord saw fit, in His kindness, to have me share in the joy of a few of its young people who crossed over from death to life (John 5:24). Even sweeter still, the most recent convert was won to Christ through the faithfulness of one of the members of the youth group who he attends school with, Soli Deo Gloria! I've noticed that books-to-read, has dominated my conversations with some of the youth - to make most of the fire God has started, while it is at its hottest. So I decided to compile a short list of books that I've found invaluable to my growth. This will not be an extensive list - readability and length will, for the most part, govern this list. I pray that this post is helpful for some to start, and for others to add, to their repository of brothers and sisters, past and present who fellowship, challenge and edify us through the pages. The Bible . Duh...right? Actuall...
The topics of homosexuality and same sex marriage seem a far way off as live issues of discussion concerning the Cayman Islands . As the conversation rages on elsewhere, the level of importance these topics garner increases exponentially; however on our islands, with road expansions and closings; questions of integrity in the government; elections; deficits and immigration laws etc., at the forefront of the public’s thoughts, it seems there just isn’t enough ink to lend to, dare I say, a non-issue. It is this that has left me in a conundrum of emotions, for I want to launch a preemptive strike from a Judeo/Christian point of view concerning homosexuality and same sex marriage, but the temptation is to simply relax. As seemingly only smoke is visible in the distance, but not the fire. Sure the occasional gay cruise ship requesting to dock off our shores, sparks conversation and some protest, but even with Human Rights being presently discussed, these are not areas anyone seems eager ...
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