Wearing Black for Christ

[holysoldier5000]

Wearing Black for Christ

I’ve heard Christians (of all people) down the “Goths,â€

[DrNic]

Hey I get called Goth all the time because I dress in black. I wear stuff from Attitude.com so my clothes are mainly all goth/streetwear stuff (Famous Stars and Straps and Criminal Damage own!) and have my hair dyed black and various colours at different times. I used to wear black nail varnish and eyeliner too but I kinda stopped doing that 'cough'.

But yeah, I've always wondered about the whole 'wearing black' bit because it says in the bible stuff about not living in darkness and people being dressed in white robes when they get to heaven etc etc...But, I guess most of the preachers and worship leaders at our church dress in black when they go up there to do there stuff so it can't be that bad.

I've come to think that 'darkness' represents evil deeds and such more than actual darkness (if that was true then the night would be evil!) So yeah...

[oro!]

I wear black for the same reasons as you! MOst of the shirts are Christian based, though, like my Jesus in red kanji on black shirt, hearts afrie shirt, etc... I want to sue something to reach my lsot friends who seem to have no hope and to show them that there is hope.

[ShiroiHikari]

I never did get the whole "black is bad" thing. It's just a color. When it talks about darkness, I believe it's in a figurative way. Besides, if we are not to "live in darkness", does that mean we can't go out at night? >_>

[Azier the Swordsman]

It always irritates me whenever I hear other Christians condemning or making assumptions on others just by what they wear. Despite the fact that I'm not a Country fan, I have a great respect for Cash for songs like that one in particular.

[starwarsboy90]

I wear all black for all the reasons that you guys do. I also wear it out of respect for the Lord, etc. Alot of Christians I know wear all black as well.

[Mangafanatic]

But yeah, I've always wondered about the whole 'wearing black' bit because it says in the bible stuff about not living in darkness and people being dressed in white robes when they get to heaven etc etc...But, I guess most of the preachers and worship leaders at our church dress in black when they go up there to do there stuff so it can't be that bad.

Coincidentally, I think many worship leadrs wear black on stage because they want to call as little attention to themselves in a setting of worship as they can. Many people in worship leader positions fear that they themselves will be admired by people, when all they want is for Christ to be elevated. Kind of off topic, but I thought that a lot of my worship leader friends would want me to throw that in on their behalf.

It always irritates me whenever I hear other Christians condemning or making assumptions on others just by what they wear.

That's sad if Christians really do condemn other Christians just because of the colors they wear. God does not look on the out ward appearances but on the heart. However-- people do look on the outward appearance. To me, the issue has been in my life that there are certain cultural connotations connected with certain styles of dress. Are those connotations always true? Certainly not. Are those connections fair? I say, in general, no. But do they still occur-- *in the words of Strong Bad* Very. Yes.

I've always thought about wearing all black in terms of this analogy: Does wearing a tutu make me a ballerina. [Unfotunately] No. But will people assume I'm a ballerina if I walk around in a tutu-- Probably. There in lies the problem with wearing black, which is often connected with life styles which are dishonoring to Christ.

[Ashley]

I've always thought about wearing all black in terms of this analogy: Does wearing a tutu make me a ballerina. [Unfotunately] No. But will people assume I'm a ballerina if I walk around in a tutu-- Probably. There in lies the problem with wearing black, which is often connected with life styles which are dishonoring to Christ.

An excellent point, Osaka. I would add to that while some DO consciously wear black "as a ministry" so to speak, I think many Christian teens--especially the younger ones--simply do it to fit in, for the same reason they wear aeropostale or american eagle or hollister.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

Has wearing black really been associated with that lifestyle? I always figured it was just..... a color people wore. I usually saw "goth" or "punk" with like chains and spiked bracelets or some makeup. Maybe I'm just naive.

[chibiphonebooth]

mhm, ive had this same problem. I love shopping at hot topic, so alot of my clothes are 'gothic.' I wouldnt classify myself as that, because i like to mix and match- so im more ... artsy-punkish. *shrugs*

but ive had that problem. I wanted to dye my hair black, and i was talking to my mom about it after church- and our deacon overheard. and i was like 'what would you think if i dyed my hair black? i think it would look nice." and then the deacon butts in and goes 'i think that you would have problems if you did htat." he ment as in like.. i have issues if i do that.

i got really mad. just because i want to dye my hair a certain color does not mean that im 'emotionally unstable' or anything. so many people gave me a hard time about dying my hair black. and then when i dyed it red, i got no problems at all. e.e

but i have friends who are gothic- and they love the Lord so much! ^.^

also.. even 'gothic' kids who dont love the Lord... ive learned that most of them are really, really nice. I have alot of friends like that. I prefer them over ... like... preppies or something. Ive found that most of the other kids in my school are much worse off than my 'gothic' friends.

Gah, i hate it when people make assumtions. i got into a giant arguement with a kid because i wear black- and apparantly if i wear black- i worship the devil. e.e
He believed that every gothic kid out there are satanists.
that got me really ticked off. XD
ALSO he didnt even talk to them. XD

I wear black because... its a style. i like the style. i dont go around wearing like.. pentagrams or anything- but i like the style. A style shouldnt effect my religion.
Just cause im a christian, does NOT mean that i have to wear dresses everyday and guys have to wear ties and button down shirts. e.e

We can be punk too! \o.o/

[ShiroiHikari]

Gah, i hate it when people make assumtions. i got into a giant arguement with a kid because i wear black- and apparantly if i wear black- i worship the devil. e.e
He believed that every gothic kid out there are satanists.
that got me really ticked off. XD
ALSO he didnt even talk to them. XD

I wear black because... its a style. i like the style. i dont go around wearing like.. pentagrams or anything- but i like the style. A style shouldnt effect my religion.
Just cause im a christian, does NOT mean that i have to wear dresses everyday and guys have to wear ties and button down shirts. e.e

We can be punk too! \o.o/

Preach it, sista! XD

[chibiphonebooth]

XDDD

lol!

[Lynx]

i wear black... a lot. and this summer, i'm going to do a little experimenting and make the full transition into gothdom and see how that goes. i did a "test goth run" this easter break while i was home (because i had access to my full gothic wardrobe at home) it's kind of sad, i thought we solved discrimination based on color in the 60s.

i walk into church and everyone stares. it's kind of sad actually. i wouldnt consider myself a hardcore punk goth or anything, and i'm more of a glam goth then anything else. I intentionally tone it down for church- no spikes, no skulls, nothing like that. just more elegant yet casual gothic black outfits. still people stare and make assumptions. people judge my relationship with Christ based on how i look. it's kind of sad that the church cant get past stereotypes.

the problem isnt only with the church. i dont wear a lot of black at college because i'm pre-med. i dont want my professors to make assumptions about me because of the way i dress since i need them to write good recommendations for me i still wear my gothic flare tho!

[Kurama]

I never did get the whole "black is bad" thing. It's just a color. When it talks about darkness, I believe it's in a figurative way. Besides, if we are not to "live in darkness", does that mean we can't go out at night? >_>

I have allways thought that

[FuzzyWuzzyBear]

I wear a few black clothes.. However, it DOES say in the Bible that we arenn't supposed to have anything to do with sin.. another verse says something about even though you are a Christian, you have to make sure that you don't look oand/or give the appearance of being a sinner. In other words, real "goths" worship the devil. Many are Wiccans and most are wearing black so that they can look like the living dead. There ARE however exceptions to this. For me, I stay away from this because I odn't want to give the impression of being a satan worshiper. If I wore all black, many people wouldn't take me seriously if I trie dto tell them about the gospel.. That is my opinion, and I'm sure many of you have other opinions.. so plz don't flame me!

[Cap'n Nick]

I have heard that a priest's black clothes were originally meant to symbolize the sin that consumes all human beings. The pastor could pronounce forgiveness not because of his own person - he's as sinful as anyone else - but because of the promises of God. Casual black clothing would be an interesting way for the layman to embody this symbolism.

Unfortunately, in my area at least, black clothing carries another symbol. Here, black clothing means that one is trying to actively dissociate themselves from the church at large. Not all who wear these clothes have this intent, but whether or not they intend to, they still send this message to a large body of people. Judging by clothing may not be right, but what about walking into a church with a large sign that says "I AM NOT A PART OF YOU?" To many people, that's exactly what black clothing means. Expecting the public at large to disregard this message without any education as to your alternative motives is simply naive.

[DrNic]

I wear a few black clothes.. However, it DOES say in the Bible that we arenn't supposed to have anything to do with sin.. another verse says something about even though you are a Christian, you have to make sure that you don't look oand/or give the appearance of being a sinner. In other words, real "goths" worship the devil. Many are Wiccans and most are wearing black so that they can look like the living dead. There ARE however exceptions to this. For me, I stay away from this because I odn't want to give the impression of being a satan worshiper. If I wore all black, many people wouldn't take me seriously if I trie dto tell them about the gospel.. That is my opinion, and I'm sure many of you have other opinions.. so plz don't flame me!

No, it's ok. I've had 'satan worshipper' shouted at me once before (though it was by one of my brothers friends and I think he was just being stupid). The thing is, if you don't do something just because someone bad does the same then you'd never do anything (example: Hitler had a moustache, doesn't mean that other people can't have moustaches. Gary Glitter was in the charts, doesn't mean that you can't listen to chart music.).

However, I would say that you can find yourself doing things for wrong reasons, for instance, I used to wear eyeliner alot, but I stopped a while ago because I realised I was trying to look gay, even though I'm not (I don't know what's up with this 'bi-is-cool' thing thats going around at the mo :S).

So I guess its really up to the person to decide whether what they're wearings right or not.

Expecting the public at large to disregard this message without any education as to your alternative motives is simply naive.

Wow, harsh. But then again, perhaps assuming that everyone accociates people who wear black with evil is kinda naive. If one of the members of our church walked into the meeting in white robes they'd probably get some dodgy looks too.

[mitsuki lover]

Most of my t'shirts are black.It's just that black an darker colors are easier to place designs on,I guess.I don't think that there is anything wrong with wearing black or any other dark or solid color.If you think about it if we were living in say,Korea,we would probably be talking about why we wear White.That is because over there White and not Black is the symbol of mourning.So it is as much cultural as anything else.
Then again Chuck Norris also wears black.

[Starfire1]

i have a few friends you could consider gothic and i have other friends who hear gothic and think i'm hanging out with a bunch of worshipers of satan and whenever i wear black makeup or clothes they look at me like i've lost my mind and am going to "join the dark side". this bothers me for two reasons. 1) they make these assumptions without having ever met 2) they've let themselves be sucked into believing a stereotype.
one day she and i left campus to walk up the pizza place for lunch. on the way we passed a small church and she commented on how nice it looked and started talking about her own church and her involvement it it, etc. then we were halfway through our pizza before she reminded me that we forgot to say grace.
and i wished so much that some of my other friends were there to notice this and maybe open their minds up a little more.

[DrNic]

I've seen christian bands wearing black too.

Also, you've got to remember 'black=satanic' is only a modern view. It's not always been that way at all. If I see someone wearing the same sort of gear as me I don't imediatally think 'Satanic!', never have done either, I just tend to associate it with music (even though I myself listen to stuff like L'Arc En Ciel and Daft Punk plus other equally ungothy bands).

[ShiroiHikari]

Not all goths are devil worshippers, much the same way that not all well-groomed church goers are true servants of God.

[chibiphonebooth]

YES! EXACTLY!

>.<;/

gah.

[Puguni]

I wear black, but I don't suggest that people should wear black in the summertime. @.@;

People who think others who wear black excessively are Satan worshippers are misguided. I dunno, if someone was a advocate for the Devil, I'd think that they'd be a lot less conspicuous than that.

[Destroyer2000]

My pastor once preached a sermon on 'goths' and how society is...I got mad. I wear black alot, and to me, it serves no real purpose. I just do. Just the same as I wear blue, green, or red. Black looks GOOD on me, so why shouldn't I wear it? Just the same, I would think pink looks BAD (I dunno, never worn it) on me, but I could still wear it, couldn't I?

On Friday nights, I go to this one church where we will have a sermon and then go play CTF or something; I wear black almost every single time. I blend in with the dark, and that's the only time I ever really have a reason to wear it. That, and it looks cool.

[chibiphonebooth]

yeah! black is flattering too! XD

[Radical Dreamer]

Black is totally slimming, not to mention classic. XD

Anyways, while I don't wear a whole lot of black myself, I don't have a problem with people that do wear black. They're allowed to choose what color shirt they want to wear. XD I definitely agree with what Shiroi said:

Not all goths are devil worshippers, much the same way that not all well-groomed church goers are true servants of God.

We're not supposed to judge anyone anyways, especially not by outward appearance. I think that's a problem that a lot of Christians have--We've got to remember not to judge people by their looks alone. *nodnod*

Anyways, Holysodier--You just earned 100 cool points for using Johnny Cash lyrics. XD I love that song.

*Goes off to Jackson to dance on a pony keg*

...*as if she knows what a pony keg is.*

[holysoldier5000]

Color in and of itself doesn’t make a person righteous or sinful. It is just as easy to be a red shirted sinner as a black shirted sinner. On the same token it is just as easy to blue shirted saint as a white shirted saint. Color does not define right and wrong in the kingdom of God. But color can symbolize certain things. In the "beads" ministry gold is used to symbolize heaven, white = righteousness, black = sin, red = blood of Jesus, and green = spiritual growth. Thing is, these are tools not theology. The colored beads are used to help people understand yet the colors in and of themselves have no power. If that was the case then you could make the waked out assumption that all white people are going to heaven while all blacks are going to hell... do you see how weird that is. Only by the grace of Jesus, by his sacrifice of atonement on the cross, by repentance and forgiveness, can we be washed of our sins. But wait... did you catch that one word "washed." There is another symbol. Are we actually washed with water? No, it is just a symbol God uses to teach us something very important. A virtual object lesson for us "faith like a child" followers. We should keep that in mind when we go about our day to day lives. So what does the Bible say about what you wear? While don't we take a look:

Colossians 3:12-14
12Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

God Bless
HS5K

[Cap'n Nick]

Wow, harsh. But then again, perhaps assuming that everyone accociates people who wear black with evil is kinda naive. If one of the members of our church walked into the meeting in white robes they'd probably get some dodgy looks too.

Heheh, sorry. What I was trying to say was, it's important to think about the messages you're sending. Around here that's what black usually means, but there are other places where it could actually help you communicate. You have to know your context. Black clothes can be difficult because for some reason they have more volatile implications in a wide range of contexts. Right, wrong, whatever, they're there, and people wearing these clothes need to be wary of them and make sure any messages they are sending are working to the advantage of their ministry and not its detriment.

[Doubleshadow]

About two weeks ago, one of the cleaning ladies saw me ouside of the dorm wearing an orange shirt that is a hand-me-down from my mom and said to me, "You're in color today, I didn't recognize you." I was asked in church awhile back why I dress in all black (one of the youth pastors), and I told him my reasons, which I will now share.

1. It is better than how I used to dress, which is a story onto itself.
2. I started buying those clothes because they were the only easily spotted modest clothes; being a counter to the revealing main stream style at the time (and presently).
3. I find black dignified, dramatic, and serious rather than moody or fell. I find khaki kind of ridiculous. Who goes on safari in the suburbs?
4. I dress in clothing I find comfortable. I don't find denim that comfortable unless it has been worn for months, but nice baggy black pants are so comfy.
5. Black goes with everything and it takes no time at all to sort laundry!

As far as goth and all that goes, I find that to be more of a mentality than anything. However, Appearences, especially first impressions, are everything.
A guy I have know for three years now seriously slammed Michael W. Smith (called him a fake who just used Christian music to gain popularity in mainstream music and refused, with a grin, to listen to any arguement to the contrary) the first time I ever met him. I mentioned this to him recently, and flat out denied it ever happened. I insisted saying it was the first time I had ever met him and I would have been surprised if I misremembered. In hindsight, it was his sense of humor, which is partly sarcastic and heavy on baiting. Because I didn't know him back then I missed the joke. He realized this, and our preacher used the moment to emphasize how important first impressions are. I thought he meant it, obviously three years later I was still annoyed at him over it.
Clothing can make just as loud a statement. People say not to judge by appearences, but the truth is one doesn't have time to get to know everybody they pass and appearence may be all one has to go by. With that in mind, I dress appropriately for ocassions, and no matter how I dress, I try to behave in such away that makes me approachable and is as Christ like as I can manage.

[Stephen]

During my cult activitys, I prefer wearing a nice shade of Baby Blue.


Ahem. In all seriousness, I don't put much stock in what people think of how I dress. Everyone can think whatever they want. The Lord knows my heart.