What’s So Bad About Encouraging Female Modesty? by Michael L. Brown for Ask Dr Brown
There is no doubt that many Christians were injured by the so-called Purity Culture movement, however well-intentioned it may have been.
Some were under the misimpression that if they stayed pure before their wedding, they were guaranteed to have a wonderful marriage, sexually satisfying as well. Some were made to be feel shamed and unclean, as if having a nice figure was sinful or as if being attractive was ungodly. Others struggled mightily to find just the right clothes that would be considered acceptable, only to find that they still fell short of the mark. The list goes on and on.
That’s why, whenever we teach on holiness, it’s essential that we also teach about the terrible dangers of legalism along with the wonderful power of grace. Otherwise, we will end up with laws without love, standards without a Savior, and rules without relationship. We will end up with a form of empty traditional religion which brings death, rather than intimacy with the Lord, which brings life.
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It is therefore no surprise that youth pastor Bryce Brewer’s recent Facebook post has gone viral, a post where he apologized for “the ridiculous ultimatum to my female students at summer camp ‘ONE PIECE SWIMSUITS ONLY.’”
Specifically, he wrote (and with some humor intended):
– #1 I am sorry that I didn’t teach boys to control themselves
– #2 I am sorry I laid the weight of purity on a girls swimsuit while she was swimming, and not on the boys responsibility to not be gross
– #3 I am sorry to all the girls that frantically searched for an appropriate one piece so that some male youth pastor could deem them appropriate … story here – I accompanied my fiancé and her daughter as we desperately looked for a cute one piece that would be appropriate for camp … it was hard and it sucked
– #4 I am sorry that we have deemed a young women’s body as something that “needs to be covered” and let young men’s bodies be ok to be seen
– #5 I am sorry I ever let this be an item of discussion, usually lead by men, at any youth leader meeting … this must have been awful for my female leaders and students to be part of.
