Croc-Free Zone
NO, you may not wear Crocs:
Not unless your title is Minister of Landscaping or Lead Pastor For Volleyball.
Repeat after me: "Shoes are not all about my personal comfort. Shoes are not all about my personal comfort. Shoes are not all about my personal comfort."
And as I've said before, just because Jesus wore sandals everywhere doesn't mean they're appropriate for ministers. You aren't Jesus.
Now get out there and get some proper footwear, dammit.
Not unless your title is Minister of Landscaping or Lead Pastor For Volleyball.
Repeat after me: "Shoes are not all about my personal comfort. Shoes are not all about my personal comfort. Shoes are not all about my personal comfort."
And as I've said before, just because Jesus wore sandals everywhere doesn't mean they're appropriate for ministers. You aren't Jesus.
Now get out there and get some proper footwear, dammit.
posted by PeaceBang at 11:30 AM
12 Comments:
Yep, those are fugly.
CC
Let's be nuanced in our approach. Crocs (I don't have a pair yet) seem very appropriate in some settings --- such as on the way to scuba diving off the beach or any place else waterproof and sandproof footware is a necessity. That was, I believe, the original intent of the maker. Not appropriate, of course, for pastoral calls on dry land.
Errant - my chiropractor suggested I might have flat feet, too, and that could explain the rolling of one of my feet (I twist my ankle a lot when in flats). I was so interested in getting this fixed until she mentioned orthopedics and then my vanity took over. No way would orthopedic inserts fit into my cute shoes! So when I am 50 and have bad knees, ankles and a ruined back I'll likely have to give up being fashionable for the rest of my days.
I need to find a pair of cute walking shoes to wear during the day during lunch and after work. I wear skirts most of the time, so sneakers just look ridiculous. But what this means is that I'm no longer walking 4 to 5 miles every day and I've gained quite a bit of weight as a result.
Scott, I wish you WOULD find some Crocs in your size, because I could go kayaking in them. How handy!
I'm kinda iffy on banning flip-flops but I am ALL with you on NO CROCs - they are the ugliest shoe I've ever seen. I don't care how comfortable they are.
So Peacebang, I need to weigh in on sandals for ministers. For those of us in liturgical churches who wear albs or cassocks, which are based on medieval garb, I think sandals are totally appropriate. They should be nice-looking sandals, not Birks (unless one is in a religious order- the religious I know are very attached to their Birkenstocks) and Lord knows you don't go telling monks and nuns what to wear.
And I must confess I am a friend of the chicken-bag minister. We thought he had learned his lesson when he wore overalls to Career Assement back in Div School, but I guess there's been some regression since then.
Mrs. P., but still no flip-flops, RIGHT?
Because I never said that sandals were totally out. I'm just still wincing from the Episcopal ordination I attended last year where I saw albs paired with high-heeled sexy black sandals and bright red toenail polish. Far too distracting and prone to attract foot fetishists. NOT conducive to a worshipful atmosphere, and I think there were four or five offenders. Later, at a very high church service in Montreal I saw the same thing.
I am also a personal fan of Mr. Chicken Bag Carrier, but he still don't get no slack from PeaceBang. And... overalls!!? Keep working on him, dearie.
I think I heard you say that we can't tell nuns and monks what to wear. Which leads me to say,
"Pardon me, did I hear you say something?"
I thought nuns and monks were supposed to NOT be stylish. As in, if we told a nun or monk that they were looking quite dashing in their attire they'd have to go and smudge it up or something.
I had a long heart to heart with a colleague about his Crocs. He just loves 'em. Said it's okay to wear in California. I said absolutely NOT, unless you are gardening behind a large picket fence.
And as for flip flops--could not agree more. I own them, but only for wearing around the house. I only wear them around the house so my husband knows where I am--thwack, thwack, thwack is NOT a pretty sound for a minister to make. How have we come to this?? she cries, with pulling of her flipped out fake blond hair???
Keep at it, Sister Magda! You're doing God's work, unappreciated as it may be.
Responding to PB's comment on my comment above:
No, certainly no flip flops.
But "sexy" shoes and toe nail polish are a different question. I agree that some shoes should be out on practical grounds- do you want to break your neck up at the altar because you're wearing overly high heels and trip? Probably not.
The issue of toe nail polish, however, may belie an anxiety about overtly femine adornment in the pulpit. Why are red toenails by someone at the front ofthe church "not conducive to a worshipful atmosphere?" I can't imagine asking a lector or lay eucharistic minister not to wear toenail or nail polish, so I'm not sure why the mininster shouldn't.
As far as I know, most women wear toe nail polish with sandals in the summer because it looks attractive, and not to turn everybody on. Thinking that toenail polish is out of place on an ordained minister may simply come from still, secretly, in the back of our feminist minds, having a male model of ordained leadership lurking, and rearing his grey head occasionally.
I actually did have a parishioner comment on my toenail polish last summer, at a church picnic. (I don't lead worship there, so it wasn't noticed during worship.) A cranky older man stared at my feet and said something about the ridiculous things women do to adorn themselves. I said something like, "Wow Bob, I'm sure glad I didn't call you up before I painted my toenails then, because I think it looks nice."
I agree with PB that as a general rule, no part of the minister's attire should distract attention away from the content of the worship service. So stillettos and cowboy boots or espadrilles are a poor choice. But, by the same token, when you're up in front of people, they are going to stare at you, and the minister is not responsible if people stare at her toes or earrings. I'm sure for a good protion of the congregation, the minister having breasts may not be conducive to a worshipful atmosphere, but there's not much I care to do about that.
Also, at that Episcopal ordination PB attended, I would like to point out that red is the liturgical color for odinations.
mrs philocrites observed;
"I'm sure for a good protion of the congregation, the minister having breasts may not be conducive to a worshipful atmosphere, but there's not much I care to do about that."
I'm not sure I'd agree with that. While it may distract a good portion from paying attention to the sermon, I think that in that case, it's probably still a legitimately worshipful state.
But that could just be Pagan leanings expressing themselves.
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