Women and trousers; What the Bible says.

CAN A CHRISTIAN WOMAN WEAR TROUSERS?

By Elijah Asuo Wiredu

This is a question that has been bordering many people for a long time. Some churches and ministers have been very loud in criticizing Christian women who wear trousers with lady pastors as their biggest culprits. Many pastors who have attempted to explain why women can wear trousers have not been able to do it satisfactorily from the context of the Bible. In fact, many Lady-pastors who wear trousers, especially to church have been rebuked but still, they can’t justify this behavior. To discuss this issue let us consider Deuteronomy 22:4-12   where it was mentioned.

Deuteronomy 22:4-12.

4 If you see your brother's donkey or his ox fallen on the road, do not ignore it. Help him get it to its feet.

5 A woman must not wear men's clothing, nor a man wear women's clothing, for the Lord your God detests anyone who does this.

6 If you come across a bird's nest beside the road, either in a tree or on the ground, and the mother is sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take the mother with the young. 7 You may take the young, but be sure to let the mother go, so that it may go well with you and you may have a long life.

8 When you build a new house, make a parapet around your roof so that you may not bring the guilt of bloodshed on your house if someone falls from the roof.

9 Do not plant two kinds of seed in your vineyard; if you do, not only the crops you plant but also the fruit of the vineyard will be defiled.

10 Do not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together.

11 Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together.

12 Make tassels on the four corners of the cloak you wear.

Deut 22:4-12 NIV

The explanation was that “A woman must not wear men's clothing, nor a man wear women's clothing” was not the only law given in Deuteronomy 22. Verse 9 also forbids mixed cropping (i.e., planting two or more crops together on one field). That is to say that the one who plant two or more crops in one field is as guilty as the woman who wears trousers. Verse 11 also prohibits wearing a dress that is made of two or more materials. For example, wearing a pair of trousers made of cotton and putting on a nylon shirt is as equally sinful as a woman wearing a pair of trousers. And James 2:10 says that “ for whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it”. There were over 400 laws given to the Israelites and Gentiles are not bound by all of them. In fact, the Apostles met and agreed that the Gentiles should not be made to live by all the Jewish laws. They wrote to the Gentiles and selected a number of them to obey and leave the rest.

It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements:

You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.

Acts 15:28-29

So our women are not prohibited to wear trousers especially when it is descent.