Redeeming Nakedness
Recently I was doing research
into the nature of the image of God in man and, as so often happens when
I'm in the midst of a study, my attention was diverted to a another subject.
I was reading what one particular commentator had to say about 1 Corinthians
11.7, where Paul talks about man's physical body reflecting "the image
and glory of God." My interest was piqued, however, by something I read
in the commentator's introduction to this chapter of Scripture which, among
other things, deals with Paul's instruction that women should cover their
heads during public worship. The introduction reads in part:
[Paul] had evidently heard that some 'emancipated' Corinthian women had dispensed with the veil in public worship, and he argues that women should be veiled. For a woman to appear in public bareheaded was to act in what we would call a 'bare-faced' manner. It was the mark of a woman of loose morals. It outraged the proprieties. Paul accordingly rejects it with decision. It is no part of the life of the Christian needlessly to flout the conventions (The First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary by Leon Morris).
The last line of this paragraph
is what attracted my attention. Conventions are the customs of the people,
the ways of the culture. Paul was apparently unwilling to break with many
of the customs of his day, so as not to cause trouble for the Church. This
idea is further reinforced by what he wrote just a few verses earlier in
1 Corinthians 10.32. Everyday customs are constantly changing with the
passage of time, of course, and I began to think about today's "conventions"
as they applied to human nakedness.
Nudity is now found just
about everywhere in our culture, due chiefly, I believe, to the powerful
and pervasive influence of Madison Avenue and Hollywood. They have made
nudity an integral part of much of what they produce for viewing by society
at large. Partial nudity (usually very provocative) is often present in
advertising. Complete nudity is no longer a surprise at the movie theater.
The nudity of soft- and hard-core pornography is finding more and more
public acceptance. Nudity is even becoming a part of highly rated television
dramas. Whether it's welcomed or not, nudity has become a fast-growing
component of our culture. It's becoming so commonplace that I think it
can now rightly be called a "convention" of our society.
But what kind of social convention
is nudity turning out to be? A good one or a bad one? Many religious and
community leaders as well as some lawmakers clearly view it as bad. If
they've based their decision solely upon the media's portrayal of nudity
(which is quite likely), perhaps it's not surprising that they feel as
they do.
As most of you know by now,
I take a higher view of human nakedness. I find ample evidence in the Bible
that the naked human body was and is created in the image of God, and as
such is deserving of dignity and honor. "Man is the apex of the creative
works of God. As male and female, man was made in majesty to reflect the
glory of God on earth. Man is the bearer of the very image of God; this
is his differentia — that which marks him out from all other created things,"
writes Ronald B. Allen in The Majesty of Man: The Dignity of Being Human.
The image of God in man is multidimensional, to be sure, and is much more
than just physical. Nevertheless, the physical aspect is important and
needs to be reckoned with. I find it unthinkable that "image-bearers" of
God should find themselves so ashamed of human nakedness that they would
insist that it should always be covered.
Believing this as I do, you
can imagine how I reacted to a quote attributed to a radio evangelist that
appeared on the front page of the AANR Bulletin a couple of issues
ago. He (if I may assume that this person is male) is reported as saying,
"Nudists are nothing but walking pornography." How dare he, I thought to
myself. How dare he!
Upon reflection, I suppose
it shouldn't be surprising that this evangelist believes what he does.
By lumping nudism together with pornography he betrays his ignorance of
the profound differences between the two. He probably possesses very little
knowledge of what nudism is really all about. The motivation for such harsh
criticism may result from fear that long-standing "religious" traditions
are being threatened. Perhaps public condemnations of this sort are found
to be useful in furthering political agendas. Maybe they result from overexposure
to the Madison Avenue and Hollywood style of nudity, thereby inflaming
him to the point of rebelling against all nakedness everywhere. Whatever
the reason, I find myself wondering if people like that understand the
old expression about throwing the baby out with the bath water.
As I said, the commercialization
of nudity is causing it to become a social convention right before our
very eyes. I doubt that all of the "demands for action" that can possibly
be mustered by radio evangelists or anyone else (well intentioned or not)
are going to change that fact in any significant way. I believe such people
would do well to recognize the changing times and concentrate on redeeming
nakedness from the distorted and unworthy image that has been conferred
upon it. Hollywood and Madison Avenue are not the only influences contributing
to what I view as the desecration of the image of God as it is reflected
in human nakedness.
Nakedness has always been
a part of human life to some degree, all the way from Adam and Eve to the
present. The kind of nudity being commercialized by advertisers and 'entertainment'
producers is of a different type altogether, however. It ranges from seductive
images brimming with suggestive innuendo to images that are starkly sexual.
Sex sells! Sex influences! And these people know it.
Furthermore, the nudity (partial
or otherwise) that we see in film and advertising these days seems always
to be the nudity of perfectly proportioned young men and women, thereby
setting an almost impossible example for impressionable viewers and consumers
to attain. Everything from general unhappiness over body-image to outright
dysfunctions like bulimia and anorexia nervosa are widespread and increasing.
How should we react to the type of nudity that has become "conventional"
in our society?
Ridding ourselves of all
nakedness to dispense with the bad is certainly not the answer. Presenting
a healthy alternative view of nakedness such as that belonging to nudism
might be. I believe Christian nudists can play a worthwhile role in this
effort. We can present a higher view of the human body and nakedness, one
marked by dignity and sacredness. We can educate others by explaining how
the image of God is reflected in our nakedness. We can also help bring
about a return to a realistic view of the body, fully recognizing both
the hand of God in our creation and the effect that sin has had on our
lives.
In
One of a Kind: A Biblical
View of Self-Acceptance, author M. Blaine Smith writes insightfully
about how the Fall has affected our bodies:
"Wonderful are thy works!
Thou knowest me right well;
my frame was not hidden from thee,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately wrought in the depths of the earth.
Thy eyes beheld my unformed substance."
(Psalm 139.14-16)The Psalm says quite specifically that God has given each of us our unique physical constitution for a very good purpose. He has taken special care in forming our bodies, in giving us our distinctive physical features.
One of the basic affirmations of faith, then, is that God knew what he was doing when he put me together physically. He has given me endowments which are noteworthy, designer-fashioned, worthy of great appreciation.
To be sure, our bodies suffer the effects of a fallen world. Through the direct result of our own sin and neglect, the sins of others, and the more intangible consequences of sin in the world, we suffer pain and deformity which mar God's gift of physical life. I do not mean to minimize the problems here, and in some cases the problems can be severe.... Even for those of us who are not afflicted with extreme physical problems, there are still the continual nickel-and-dime factors that affect our appearance: how well we have slept, our diet, stress level, complexion problems, dandruff, hair loss, weight problems and so forth. Continually we face the challenge of maintaining health, cleanliness and grooming, and I doubt that any of us ever perfectly reflect God's ideal intent for our physical appearance.
Yet I am still convinced that Psalm 139 has a message of hope for each of us, regardless of the physical problems we might experience.... Surely the message is that there is a basic physical appearance God has given each of us which shines through all the imperfections brought on by life in a fallen world. It ought to be esteemed regardless of how it has been battered by the realities of life. We are too quick, I believe, to conclude that physical problems have marred our appearance to the point that it should no longer be viewed positively.
In
The Majesty of Man,
Ronald Allen puts the Fall of mankind in perspective: "It scarcely seems
possible for the results of the Fall to be fully realized by us, much less
to be overstated. But we are in danger of overstating the results of the
Fall if we judge that man after the Fall is no longer a creature of dignity
bearing the image of God."
Christian nudists should
probably welcome the growing openness in our society to the sight of the
human body, though "a creature of dignity bearing the image of God" is
seldom what one sees in the nudity that is becoming more and more customary
and "conventional." Obviously, trying to overcome the stereotypes that
nakedness has been laden with in recent years is no simple or easy undertaking.
It is, however, a noble undertaking. Nakedness is being seen by
most people as synonymous with an impossibly perfect body-image or with
highly-charged sexuality. We need to work toward redeeming it from such
ready associations. Some might say that it's unrealistic to think that
nudists or anyone else could ever hope to overcome such pervasive stereotypes.
I really don't know about that. I do know that such an opinion isn't going
to stop me from trying.
Ephesians 2.10 says, "For
we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which
God prepared in advance for us to do" (NIV). God's workmanship indeed —
the very image of God. What an awesome privilege it is to be His image-bearers.
As social conventions pertaining to nakedness continue to change, may we
as Christian nudists always be found bearing the image of God as reflected
in our nakedness with dignity and honor. May we always bring glory to God
with moral conduct befitting Christ's redeemed. And as always, may each
of us take to heart 1 Peter 3.15-16, which says: "Quietly trust yourself
to Christ your Lord and if anybody asks why you believe as you do, be ready
to tell him, and do it in a gentle and respectful way. Do what is right;
then if men speak against you, calling you evil names, they will become
ashamed of themselves for falsely accusing you when you have only done
what is good" (The Living Bible). Image-bearing with dignity; glorifying
God through high moral conduct; sharing the Gospel of Christ and
the good news about Christian nudism — these are, one and all, truly "good
works...for us to do."
This article is from Issue 8 of Fig Leaf Forum and was written by
the editor.
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