The @Preachersnsneakers Post
@Preachersnsneakers is an Instagram account that showcases the absurd amount of money some high profile pastors are willing to spend on footwear and fashion. Prominent, noteworthy Christian preachers and teachers (most of whom lead megachurches and have published bestselling books) have been tagged sporting shoes ranging anywhere from $500 to several thousands of dollars.
As you can imagine, the discussion online has been uproarious and multifaceted. Many commenters rush to the defense of pastors they clearly support and others mercilessly criticize them (coming up with some pretty fantastic one-liners in the process).
To his credit, the man behind @Preachersnsneakers has chosen to remain anonymous and has managed to do so up until at least the writing of this post. He has used the viral growth of his account to create and sell branded merchandise with the sole purpose of donating to charities and non-profits. He has even started a podcast where he talks with several of his friends from the ministry world about their personal thoughts on his social media passion project.
And further, @Preachersnsnearkers itself takes no stated position as to the appropriateness of their subjects’ fashion standards. The account is witty and hilarious in its captioning, but its savvy man behind the curtain makes sure to allow the discussion to go on largely without his input. He is content to post the content and let everybody else hash out their conclusions.
Pursuing the comments has certainly been an eyeopening experience for this writer. Most of the defenses range from claims that high-dollar fashion pieces are often purchased as gifts for these preachers by wealthy congregants looking to show their appreciation, or that the church, ministry, or particular pastor in question is being deliberately over-the-top in how they present themselves for the explicit purpose of making evangelistic in-roads with the trendy and hip sectors of modern society.
To the contrary, many of the more accusatory and exasperated commenters point out that $5,000 sneakers make a blatantly insensitive statement to the congregants, the vast majority of whom will never in their entire lives be able to afford such ostentatious apparel. Other criticisms make the point out that these pastors could spend far less on their swag and give extra money to charity.
Surprisingly, what seems to be getting missed in the midst of all this back-and-forth is why I wanted to write this post. In all the comments, podcast interviews, and media write-ups, I never seem to hear what I think *most* needs to be addressed. It’s not the salaries of popular pastors or the amount of money they’ve made on the sales of their books. It’s not even precisely about how they ought to spend their money if they’ve rightfully earned it. It’s more about the purpose of fashion culture in the first place and in what kind of regard Christians ought to hold it.
1. Modesty is about more than sex appeal.
In Peter’s exhortation to Christian wives about how best to conduct themselves in order to display the transformation of spirit their new birth has wrought, he appeals specifically to their modesty. But that appeal is not couched in instructions about covering up properly so as to not evoke urges of sexual attraction. His appeal has to do with, “the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear.” (I Peter 3:3-4) Now, of course, the phrase, “the clothing you wear,” almost certainly encompasses the realm of the sexually suggestive. But alongside “the braiding of hair,” and, more importantly, “gold jewelry,” it becomes clear that what Peter has in mind here is exactly the kind of thing @Preachersnsneakers exists to showcase. Namely, that the Christian approach to fashion and apparel ought not to be about a display of wealth or status. Modesty, as far as the Bible is concerned, has as much to do with resisting an urge toward showy materialism as it does with wanton displays of physical beauty. To pretend that the Bible has nothing specific to say about high fashion is simply inane. The Bible knows plenty about “gold rings and fine clothes,” (James 2:2-3), “choice garments,” (Ezekiel 27:24), “purple and fine linen,” (Luke 16:19), and the like. And it instructs the people of God not to be taken in, deceived, impressed or overly concerned with them.
2. High dollar fashion exists to be ostentatious.
Make no mistake: brands like Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Versace exist for the sole purpose of showing off how much money you have (or, at the very least, how much money you spent). There is no other discernible purpose to their extravagant costs. “I’m rich,” is what they are designed, produced, purchased, and worn to say.
Some will push back on the basis of craftsmanship and quality. But any honest assessment of real, actual value can only conclude that these kinds of high-dollar brands left the sphere of utility and reasonable cost a long, long time before they reached the price on the tag. A fashionable handbag or belt or pair of shoes can only do so much, no matter how well they’re made. They will not last forever. They can be damaged and ruined just as easily as much more conventionally-priced pieces. To accept these brands’ marketing campaigns by agreeing to pay what they ask is also to implicitly agree with them that what you’re actually paying for is the name and not just the product itself. And the name is the issue.
A Christian wearing obscenely overpriced clothing is, for all practical purposes, agreeing with these companies and society-at-large that fashion ought to be used to display wealth and social status. It’s peacocking, even when a Christian does it. And it’s peacocking because that’s why the stuff exists. To argue otherwise is senseless. True, a pair of shoes or a jacket may have been received as a gift. The pastor may not have spent a single cent of his own money to procure it. None of this actually matters. To wear ostentatious clothing on stage and during an online stream, in front of many thousands of people, is to endorse ostentatious clothing, its purpose, and what you believe it says about you to all who see.
To be clear, there is a difference between high quality, well-made, expensive clothing and overpriced name brands. The same is true for almost all consumer products. At some point, the cost of workmanship, talent, labor, ingredient, fabric, R&D, and components is surpassed by companies looking to establish themselves as “luxury” and “1%” brands. They charge a lot more than they could ever possibly be truly worth for the express purpose of being associated with the affluent.
Whether or not a particular pastor can comfortably afford outrageously overpriced fashion pieces is beside the point. The point is whether or not he should wear them at all. Ever. And, by extension, whether any Christian anywhere should wear them. Ostentation is not a Christian virtue, no matter how subtle or trendy it happens to be.
3. “Becoming all things to all people” is not license to act in a manner contrary to the Scriptures.
The oft-cited appeal to I Corinthians 9 and Paul’s declaration that he had “become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some,” as justification for materialism as a path to evangelism must be understood in the wider context of the scriptures. Paul was not saying that it becomes permissible to sin or to bring reproach on the name of Christ in order to save souls. Consider the fact that Paul also teaches against being “conformed to the pattern of this world,” (Romans 12:2) and that, “those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction,” (I Timothy 6:9). The Bible is replete with warnings against the idolization of money and wealth and goes to great lengths, from front to back, to tell the people of God that they are not to share the same goals, desires, or priorities as the rest of the world that does not know Him.
Put simply, it is not an legitimate evangelistic strategy to agree with the world. It is not appropriate for the Christian to fall in line with the standards and practices of the sinful cultures that surrounds them. ‘“All things are lawful,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up,” Paul wrote earlier in I Corinthians 6 (and again later in chapter 10). And immediately after the passage in question in I Corinthians 9, as if to clarify the point that he is writing to make, Paul states,
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. - I Corinthians 9:24-27
In the midst of his “becoming all things to all people,” Paul made sure to maintain his self-discipline. He knew that Christian freedom can very easily give way to worldly indulgence if not handled with appropriate seriousness.
To Conclude
To pithily summarize Paul: Just because we can doesn’t mean we should.
Consider this earlier portion from I Timothy 6:
“If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.” - I Timothy 6:3-5
Don’t miss the phrase in verse 3: “…and the teaching that accords with godliness.” It’s not just about the Gospel or the reality that Jesus Christ is Lord. It has to do with behavior, sanctification, and how Christians are called to conduct themselves before a watching world. It’s not just about recognizing and acknowledging who Christ is, but also about being like Him.
Now connect that statement with the final part of the passage, that these false teachers “[imagine] that godliness is a means of gain,” and you have a fairly serious warning against what we see on the @preachersnsneakers account.
@Prophetsnwatches, the offshoot account that deals with timepieces.
You simply cannot escape the fact that men and women who stand before thousands sporting name brand shoes, jackets, belts, and watches costing exorbitant amounts of money (and who go out of their way to display them) are making statements to everyone both about their own net worth and their willingness to agree with the world’s standards about fashion and wealth.
Again, so as not to be misunderstood: it is not wrong or sinful to appreciate fashion or quality, to own expensive or valuable things, or to be wealthy. It is wrong, however, to be showy and ostentatious about your wealth and to use it in a way that speaks falsely about God, Christ, the Bible or the Christian faith. It is wrong to agree with the world about it. And it is wrong to assume that financial success is somehow an indication of the favor of God.
@Preachersnsneakers ought to serve as giant red flag to everyone paying attention. The level of ostentation, the ubiquitousness of the trend among so many pastors, and the willingness of so many of their congregants to defend their materialism should serve as a scathing rebuke to the Western Church. Christianity is as much for the rich as it is for the poor, that is true. But Christianity is not a wealth-building scheme or a path to worldly celebrity.
Something is going on in our churches, people. It is past time we come to our senses about what it is and begin to reject it wholesale.
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Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. - I John 2:15-17
They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. - John 17:16-18
And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendorwas dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. - Matthew 6:28-33