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Just for discussions sake. Don't read anything into it.

Acts Mod Posts: 25305 **3/31/20 7:35 am**

Was the Church of God a better church, movement, denomination, etc. when the standards of external holiness were more in vogue. For example, the old practical commitments.
Have we lost anything by relaxing those standards?
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Doctor of Bovinamodulation

It was better...and worse

Hon. Dr. in Acts-celeratology Posts: 6042 **3/31/20 11:28 am**

I doubt it was due to the dress code, but it just so happens that back in those days, the Church of God (in general) felt that Jesus could come back that very night. And so we were more fervent in our devotion, it seemed.

Also, in those days, that generation of pastors and leaders were from a time in our church history when we pretty much set the definition of "Pentecostal preaching." Today, we seem to be more about lecturing/teaching than what I would call "old-fashioned preaching." BOTH are effective! It's just that we were distinctive back then, while today, we kind of morph into many other types of churches in terms of preaching styles.

The dress code did, it seems to me, demonstrate that people were so sincere about living for God that they would make some pretty significant "sacrifices" in order to be in right standing with God. NOT that the dress code really was about right standing, but the fact that we THOUGHT it was caused us to be willing to make any needed changed.

Today, I dare say that most people would rather debate the point, or call you a legalist, if they were asked to do something they didn't prefer to do.

To SOME degree, I think, the long-ago dress code was an outward manifestation of one's inner willingness to do whatever it took to please God (even if they were not always correct in what it took to please God).

I also happened to like the dress code because it was fairly easy to spot those of like precious faith. I'd go into a restaurant, see a family dressed in our distinctive style, ask them where they attended church, and I wouldn't doubt that 90% of the time, it was the Church of God.

Today, folks that dress like that are usually Oneness believers. In fact, I dare say that in 75% of the cases of AMERICAN Church of God members, you often cannot tell them apart from just about how anyone would dress. Again, I'm not saying that this MADE people Christians (or even good Christians). I'm simply saying that I think Christians OUGHT to be a cut above the world in their modestly.

AT THE SAME TIME, it was often worse back then. Good and godly people were deeply hurt by over-enthusiastic dress code agents. These modern-day Pharisees, in their wrong-headed zeal, often pushed people out of the Church of God, NOT for sin, but because they had convictions that weren't like their own.

I wish we could go back and reclaim the good without the bad, but that's just rose-colored wishing.

Re: Just for discussions sake. Don't read anything into it.

Acts Enthusiast Posts: 1865 **3/31/20 12:16 pm**

Re: Just for discussions sake. Don't read anything into it.

Acts Mod Posts: 25305 **3/31/20 5:10 pm**