My family is very thankful for this opportunity. My eldest son is in the midst of answering the survey and didn’t even get half way through it before letting his sister know that she really ought to read the answers all the guys shared as they would really help her understand many things so much better.

I understand that some girls really are clueless when it comes to modesty if they have no father-figure or older male who can guide them. If I didn’t have a dad I probably would be one of those girls.

Since you aren’t using this as a basis for some kind of Christian law, that dispels some of my misunderstanding.

God does give us pastors, teachers, parents and the like, but doesn’t the Holy Spirit take preeminence over all those mentioned? There can be false teachers, pastors, and wrong teachings in books. But the Holy Spirit never lies, and never goes against scripture, because the Word and the Spirit are truth: “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:17 And 1 John 5:6-9 says: “[i]And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.[/i] For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. [i]We accept man’s testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son[/i].”

Verse 13: “Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.”

Verse 20: “Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats.”

Verse 21: “It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.”

The purpose of the Modesty Survey is not to create the “laws of modesty,” but to help Christian girls who desire to protect their brothers in Christ. Some girls have brothers and fathers who assist them in this way, but many more do not. This survey is especially intended to help those girls.

There is more that could be said, but I trust this is enough for now. We are not replacing love with law. Rather, we are facilitating love through a godly, safe discussion. God gives us the Holy Spirit, but He also gives us pastors, teachers, books, parents, and one another. They are all means of His grace.

I firmly believe in true modesty both for men and women. Yet I still think that there comes a point in time that we need to keep our standard of modesty strictly to what the Lord has prescribed- and just follow God- despite the majority. As if there was not enough in scripture already on this issue- why add to what the Lord has said?

As Paul said, “I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “Do not covet.” (Rom 7:7) By thinking about and analyzing this issue too much, we can begin to make law out of, and complicate an issue that should be very simple.
It may be that after someone finishes this survey they will be exposed to “covetousness”, so to speak- that they obviously disagreed with before, but now they will begin to notice things that make them “covet”, that before they were not necessarily as aware of. Put differently, we can know that something is wrong and disagree, and not know all the details. But why go into details that may expose the reader to things that aren’t edifying to the reader- for the purpose of getting the reader to admit he disagrees with it?

As we can see from scripture- the law is made for the lawless. 1 Timothy 1:9
“Knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane…” So why make law- unless we’re lawless?

I sure think that the motives and heart behind this survey is right- however, sometimes the end is greater than the means. God bless you guys! I have a tendency to come across bold sometimes, but trust me, it’s in love.

In His grip,

Paul