Shaved to be saved

[Sam]

Originally Posted by TrmptPraise

Been in the UPC 35+ years. Although I could see this happening in more conservative/strict churches, I have never been in a UPC church were this has been preached from the pulpit.
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No one in this thread has proclaimed that. And no one has argued your point that shaving is not a requirement for salvation.
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Why are we even devoting this much time to a subject like men shaving their beards? Or women shaving their legs, underarms, etc? These are culture things and have nothing to do with Scripture.

Look at pictures of the old time Pentecostal leaders. Some of the men had sideburns, shaggy hair, and facial hair. It was not an issue.

Later, men began to go clean shaven with little or no facial hair. Again, just custom. During the nineteen sixties, long hair and facial hair began to appear among some as a form of protest. Because this was something "new" and a little different form the "norm" some preachers started teaching and preaching about it. They made themselves look silly with stating that Jesus had close cropped hair and was clean shaven. When the Bible prophesied about Jesus having his beard pulled out some preachers said that meant that the Roman soldiers used tweezers and pulled out what was just a few hours stubble. Again, this was just a "reaction" by some preachers to a change that was happening.

In our ALJC church we had a couple of young men who were preachers and they were called down in a UPC camp meeting down South because of their sideburns. They were told by some of the ministers that their sideburns were "offensive." A couple of young men in the church grew beards and our pastor told them they were not allowed on the platform nor could they take any active part in the church because of their beards. Yet at the same time he would allow a minister from a nearby PAW church on the platform and invite a young man from a nearby UPC church to sing even though they both had facial hair (mustache). The last service I attended at that church was on a Sunday night when the pastor declared from the platform as part of his Sunday night sermon, "The Bible says that a man is supposed to be clean shaven." That was enough ignorance and false teaching for me. I left that church and have not been a member of a Oneness Pentecostal church since. That was almost 30 years ago.