Tuesday, March 24

It was said in a sermon that, if one visits a foreign country and one is identified as an American before one is identified as a Christian, there is something wrong in your life. Not necessarily. And what exactly is a distinctive Christian mode of dress? Given that the minister making the remark is explicitly Baptist, it is doubtful that this pastor would think that highly of clergy shirts, habits, vestments, or monastic robes. Secondly, it is not someone’s fault if they look American in terms of their physical appearance. Granted, Europeans often share a similar genetic ancestry with run of the mill Caucasian Americans. However, one is forced to admit that many Europeans possess a more gaunt or malnourished countenance. Just because the residents of the Old World might not be as fastidious in terms of their grooming, it does not follow that Americans are obligated to adopt similar practices of deliberate slovenliness