To Beard or Not to Beard, That is The Question

[n david]

Originally Posted by hometown guy

My intention was not to mislead the post my intention was to show that people will do it for their jobs, sports ect but not for the glory of God.

Okay. I've actually used the same argument in the past, though not as for the "glory of God." How is shaving for the glory of God?

Employers require a lot of things the church cannot or should not. We shouldn't be pointing to employer requirements as a basis for church standards. There are employers which require females to wear pants instead of skirts/dresses. Are you going to allow bifurcated garments on females since some employers require it?

Originally Posted by hometown guy

Why because you don’t agree with the stand?

No, because it's the truth, especially when there are personal preferences preached as church standards (facial hair, colored dress shirts, etc).

This reminds me of a Pastor I once knew and assisted. There was a young man in the youth group who struggled, but had a heart and desire for God. The youth staff and I mentored him and he was doing well. One struggle was that he wanted to play football in HS and, as a result, would miss youth services during football season. Early in his Sr year of HS, he came to me and expressed his desire to attend Bible School and get involved in ministry. I was overjoyed. All the prayers and mentoring had made a huge difference in his life.

I went to the Pastor with the news, expecting him to be as excited as we were.

He was not. He told me in no uncertain terms that he would not sign the application for the young man to attend. He didn't approve of the young man playing football. I was shocked.

Before the midweek service, he asked the young man to meet with him in his office. The look on the young man's face as that Pastor told him he refused to sign his application was heartbreaking.

That was the final straw for me. There were several other things prior to this with which I didn't agree. I voiced my concern with the Pastor, we had a very heated argument over it and I resigned and left that church.

The young man graduated HS, still in church, still living for God. Instead of going to bible school, he went to play football at a community college. It wasn't long after that he became part of the party scene and started drinking. He's far from God today.

I believe that Pastor will have to answer one day for the stumbling block he caused with that young man.

I believe the same of the Pastor who refuses to allow a man to serve because of facial hair.

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick: but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life."