Going Bald for the Glory of God
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Carl Trueman has a must-read article at Reformation21. Just a snippet:
Yet baldness is nonetheless a great gift from the Lord, in that it imposes a certain dignity on the ageing process by cutting off the various less dignified options (e.g., ponytails, which shouldn’t be sported by anyone over 30; and mullets which, frankly, should not be sported by anyone, anywhere, anytime. Period.). Of course, there are those, even Christians, who fight against this divinely-imposed dignity. Dreadful toupees abound in the church, along with frightful transplants, and the ubiquitous 'comb-over' or 'sweep.' The latter seems predicated on the false notion that, if you have six hairs to stretch across the barren landscape of your otherwise shiny pate, nobody will notice that you have gone completely bald. Or perhaps there is a belief somewhere that, in the country of the bald, the one-haired man is king. Come on, gents, parade your baldness with pride and accept the dignity which your divinely-imposed hair loss brings with it.But really do read the whole thing, which contains serious, insightful points about youth, culture, and the priorities of the ministry.



7 Comments:
Trueman's main point:
a theological agenda which mimics the world's obsession with locating wisdom in the very sector of society with least experience of, and perspective on, everything is far more serious and potentially damaging
Justin, I love it that you point us to good stuff like this on the web. Trueman's essay, with its blend of humor and substance, is one of the best things I've found in the blogosphere for a long time. thanks!
This is a great piece that blends biblical wisdom with acute cultural analysis. As one who is on the slow road to baldness, I appreciate his blend of humor with serious reflection.
It is very good.
Wow! A very insightful article. Please forward it on to any youth pastors you know!
Recently, my wife observed the same obsession of women (many believing women) who are fixated on covering the gray. Just another example of the church being infiltrated by the culture. Surely Proverbs 20:29b is instructive for women, too. Brothers, we all need holiness of life...that will strip us of the prevailing triviality.
So what does this say about those in the "soul patch" crowd who purposely shave their heads? :)
Thanks for sharing this article. It makes a great point to remind us that there is nothing new under the sun. "They won't listen" is the common excuse given for everything from the purose driven church marketing schemes to the emergent diversion from the true,clear gospel with lines around it. That doesn't give license to change the message. The soul patches and other "wardrobe malfunctions" are just symptoms of the malady. It's going to take more than a wardrobe change to remedy the problem.
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