A while back a bishop told a friend of mine that he could not play guitar with the worship band if he was going to wear a particular t-shirt. (Yes, photo shows a t-shirt similar to the t-shirt my friend was wearing.)
The bishop deemed the garment offensive and inappropriate, and because the clergyman was older, wiser and far better at staring without blinking, my guitarist friend backed down.
Almost two decades have passed since that little encounter, and with all these Christmas sweaters being paraded in front of our eyes this week, I’m wondering whether we’d still draw the line in the same place. Would you say no to one of your team wearing a top like my friend’s?
Have you ever told someone to change an item of clothing before leading worship? What was it? Why? Did it become a big deal, or was it all fine?
And while childish t-shirts are one thing, what about if you have to tell someone that a particular item might lead the flock into the dark valley of sexual temptation? How do you go about a conversation like that?