I don't have a beard and can't grow one and I gaurantee I could beat the snot out of Clement.

I win.

__________________
Andrew DeShazo, Deacon
Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, Memphis, TN
"Send Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey with haste, that they may lack nothing." -Titus 3:13
http://foolish-wisdom.blogspot.com/

You do have a boyish quality to you.

As a side note, 3 years into my parent's marriage my father shaved his beard off. My mother, up until that point, had never seen her husband without a beard.

When God designed Adam He was designed to have a beard. Why is there so much prejudice about them? I had a mustache until I was married and made a point of NOT shaving it off until I got married.

If we were meant to have facial hair why remove it? Cultural prejudices aside, ignoring all the gillette adverts etc... why do we (men) shave?

Where does the pressure preventing me regrowing my beard come from?
a) My wife who does not like them
b) My wife who says I will look older
c) My daughter (prompted by my wife) who says she does not like them

Can anyone spot a pattern

__________________
Scottish Reformed Baptist No.2
member,Thurso Baptist Church
Scotland

specialist subject: Creationist Genetics
interests: holiness

My fiance hates them. I told her I would grow one anyway one day and if she won't kiss me, her loss.

Is that before or after he died?!

__________________
Sterling Harmon
Coventry, CT
PCA
Deacon
________________

"Whatever is laudable in our works proceeds from the grace of God."
-- John Calvin, Institutes III:xv.3.

"Our Lord God must be a good man, to be fond of worthless fellows. I cannot like them, and yet I, myself, am one."
-- Martin Luther, Table Talk

Wooooo. Can I get dibs on the marital counseling contract?

__________________
Dennis E. McFadden
Atherton Baptist Homes, CEO
First Baptist Church of Alhambra, Member, Transformation Ministries (CA)

I shaved mine a year ago and both my wife and son insisted I grow it back....sheesh

__________________
How often have you wondered why Christ should set His heart upon such a one as you! --Octavius Winslow

Lon Wadkins (Jesup, Iowa)
New Covenant Fellowship, OPC
Independence, Iowa

I havent shaved in a while. I think i may just grow one! Good thread gentlemen

__________________
Brian E
Attending Christ Reformed Baptist Church
Milwaukee, WI

I've posted this quote in other threads recently, but it seems appropriate here, so hopefully you won't mind the repeat:

Martin Luther wrote to Spalatin on May 14, 1521:

Men grow more armpit hair than women...why couldnt this be a sign of manliness instead.

Or chest hair! I am a hairy bear and thus could take the cake as the most hairy...i.e. the most manly!

__________________
Pergamum

Ah, er, hmmm . . . you aren't related to Warren Jeffs are you? Do the letters FLDS mean anything to you? Have you ever lived in Utah?

Actually, that is a mighty fine looking family. What a blessing!

Under this rationale of design, why would we ever cut our hair or trim our finger or toenails either?

Run screaming from the room like everyone else?

__________________
Kevin
Far East
Deacon, Int'l Church

You're right. Let's stop.

Lesser known Early Church Father Steve of Sardis wrote, “How womanly it is for one who is a man to manicure himself and clip his nails with a clipper, for the sake of fine effect, and to take a file and smooth them!"

Paul of Tarsus (not the Apostle, but a similarly named church father from the other side of Sardis) wrote, "Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man hath short nails, it is a shame unto him?"

And that's all I have to say about that. And yes, my wife complains about my quite long nails regularly.

__________________
C. Gorsuch
Glencullen Baptist
Portland, Oregon

This is an intriguing question. My facial hair is short and I shave my cheeks, thus leaving only a goatee, if such it might be called. I have pondered this issue in times past.

Regarding things strangled and blood, I would argue that this law is moral. A similar law was issued in Genesis 9 and was also repeated at the Jerusalem counsel.

When meat is butchered, the juglar vein is sliced and the blood is drained from the carcass. There is no sin in eating steak as God intended - medium rare. That red liquid seen on the plate isn't blood, it's water. Pagan cultures often ripped right into it, sometimes even before cooking it. Of course, blood has often been drank during pagan sacrifices. I would argue that it is sin to eat meat that has not had the blood drained out.

I do think the issue of the beard is ceremonial - it is not given elsewhere in the Scriptures and would seem to be packaged as laws pertianing to Israel as opposed to laws applied universally to all men. Thus my view is that if you don't desire a beard, shave the whiskers off to the glory of God.

bob

__________________
Bob Leverton
Elder, Faith Baptist Church
Family Blog: http://levertonfamily.blogspot.com/

Then, by Clemente's standard, a "real man" with "superior nature" would be...



Cousin Itt?

__________________
Will Shin
Pastor/Church Planter
Grace Reformed Church
Rockville, MD

How about a Mark Twain Avant-garde style?

__________________
John J.
Member Christ Prebyterian Church (OPC) Preparing For Eldership
Salt Lake City, Utah
www.christpres.net
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us...
Currently reading Patristic Roots of Reformed Worship

Oh my! You win this one Beautiful family.

__________________
~Gloria M.~
Member, Trinity Presbyterian Church, PCA, Southeast Georgia

"Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways." Psalm 119:37

I like beards...

__________________
[B]Nse'

Seattle, WA
Reformed Church
I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved

Psalm 16:8

__________________
Andrew Myers
Husband of Jessica, Father of Jackson, Katie and Samuel
Member, Presbyterian Reformed Church of Northern Virginia
Warrenton, VA USA
Editor, The Matthew Poole Project

"On land, at sea, at home, abroad, / I smoke my pipe and worship God." -- J.S. Bach

I am quite thankful God has blessed me with a thick beard at the age of 20, even one that connects to my unibrow (thanks to my German genes). I plan to grow it out for at least my next two years studying philosophy in school (beards and philosophy go well together I think). Were there any reformed who argued against having a beard? It does seem to be both an unattractive and unprofessional feature in today's society (unless you are in philosophy!).

__________________
Patrick Arnold
Currently Attending Covenant OPC
In Brighton, Mi
Philosophy and English Student at Northern Michigan University