Sadie Robertson, the young star of the hit TV show, Duck Dynasty, and now Dancing With the Stars, has dominated the entertainment headlines in recent weeks. The “world” watched on as she came out of nowhere, dancing her way to the final round of Dancing With the Stars. While she and her dancing partner lost in the finals last week, it was not without much ado and acclaim. Her performances made her a darling of the entertainment media, especially the “Christian” entertainment media.
However, that wasn’t the only splash she made last week. On Friday she and a friend, Kolby Koloff, released a video on Youtube admonishing girls to dress modestly (click here to watch the video). I first saw the video mentioned by a news outlet with the a headline something to the effect of “Sadie Robertson releases statement on modesty”. Having just seen all the news coverage she received for her stellar performances on DWTS, the story intrigued me. I don’t know if you have ever watched DWTS, I have not, but I do know that the ladies who appear on the show are not exactly modestly dressed. Neither do they move about the dance floor with modest and discreet motions. And, the outfits that Sadie Robertson was wearing in the pictures that I have seen on Facebook and other news outlets regarding her performances on DWTS, were not modest. They all showed plenty of skin, including “bootie” and “boobs”, which she and Koloff admonish girls to cover up in their video.
I know this is a risky subject for an adult Christian man to discuss. I risk appearing like a prude, a pervert, or a predator. I also want to say this is not an attack on Sadie Robertson. I believe she is a good girl, with a good heart, who wants to do right. And, what I really want to discuss is not modesty, or Sadie Roberton’s take on modesty. I want to discuss a glaring problem in the comments which followed the news article that I read regarding the video statement that Robertson and Koloff had posted on Youtube. There were several different types of responses, but the vast majority of the comments praised the girls for what they had said. Others commented on what a wonderful role model Robertson is for Christian girls. Several people lauded her for holding to her values as she danced on DWTS and for wearing modest outfits that weren’t “slutty” like the other female dancers. All of these comments seemed to be made in a vacuum, without any consideration to her immodest outfits or dancing on DWTS. Without getting down to specifics, which I think the Bible is more clear on than what people want to admit, I came away with a larger question- who is setting the standard? Robertson’s attire on DWTS was lauded as modest compared to the other female dancers. Her dance moves were supposedly appropriate for a young Christian girl compared to “dirty dancing” of the other dancers. And, probably they were more “modest” and “appropriate” compared to the other dancers. But again, who is setting the standard? As Christians, are we to compare ourselves to the world and then set our standards just a little bit stricter because we are Christians? In all of the comments that I read, not a single person mentioned God’s Word as a standard! God’s Word is to be the standard for our lives in everything!
What I witnessed in the thread of comments that followed the article was a classic case of the Church being pressed into the mold of the world. The world had set the standard for these Christians. However, as Christians, we are not godly because we are a little less like the world, or a little stricter than the world. We are godly when we are like Christ and our lives are aligned to his Word and his will. Romans 12:2 gives us a clarion call to come out from the world, to no longer allow the world to set our standards of living, to no longer compare ourselves with the world, and to live wholeheartedly in the will of God. This is what Romans 12:2 says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” I love the Phillips translation of this verse, which says, “Do not let the world press you into its mold….” Brothers and sisters, the Word of God and his will is our standard! Let us live by it carefully!
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All Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version.
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