I find it interesting that as far as modesty goes, both sides essentially agree. Dresses and skirts on women are more modest than most pants on a woman.
I believe that Christian women should be encouraged to embrace Christian modesty and to grow into Christian modesty as part of their personal devotion to the Lord. I also believe (and have experienced) a stronger presence of the Spirit in churches wherein modesty and personal holiness are valued and devotionally aspired to. Turning our focus from the law to modesty also allows us to give individual women time to search their own hearts and seek deeper experiences in modesty as God leads them personally. And for those women who chose to continue wearing pants, approaching modesty as a personal devotion also provides a context wherein we can be patient and understanding. It gives us a context n which we can encourage women who do wear pants to wear longer shirts or blouses, to not wear their pants too tight, and to generally seek a level of modesty even though they continue to wear pants. Focusing on Christian modesty as it relates to dress provides a context of encouragement and inspiration, patience and understanding, love and grace.
I have also witnessed the emotional and spiritual abuse that can be born of legalistically approaching the issue from the perspective of the Law.
Deuteronomy 22:5 speaks of an abomination. If this is applied to women's pants, then women wearing pants are abominations regardless of era or culture. God never indicated that we should give someone time to become convicted about an abomination. God never said that someone can practice an abomination and still claim to be saved. God never indicated that someone can actively engage in an abomination and still be welcomed into fellowship. The law "demands" immediate conformity.
As a result, there are churches who have used
Deuteronomy 22:5 as a "clobber passage" to beat up on women. It is often used to try to "force" women to dress to a certain standard through the fear of being condemned by God. It has been used to disfellowship women who simply have yet to understand or see the deeper reality of Christian modesty. Many young girls were "forced" into wearing dresses or skirts and told that they'd go to Hell if they ever put on a pair of pants. And it isn't uncommon for many of those women to abandon Christian modesty and actually resist the notion of ever wearing dresses and skirts again.
Ultimately both sides of the debate wish to see women aspiring to Christian modesty and holiness. Both sides essentially feel that for women, Christian modesty is best reflected in the wearing of dresses and skirts. However, only one side is appealing to the Law and not Grace. Only one side is appealing to the Letter and not the Spirit.
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