I was listening to the radio the other day and heard the following, “…let the hat go! Stop looking like a 12-year-old.”

I chuckled because that sentence epitomizes my sentiments when I see a man wearing a baseball hat during a church service.

When I was a kid, men wore suits to church. Once upon a time, men wore suits to board an airplane. Men wore suits to a baseball game. Regarding church, the idea was that “God deserves our best.” So, we wore our best clothes.  But somewhere in the past 20+ years, that idea took a backseat to comfort and, I want to be fair, a different sense of style.

I still remember walking into my 4^th grade Sunday School class with a new suit. It came with a matching “newsboy” hat. I felt pretty good about myself – “look good, feel good.” My teacher was a no-nonsense older gentleman, and he quickly let me know that it was completely unacceptable to wear a hat in church.

I Corinthians 13:11 explain, “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.”

As I got older, smarter, more mature, I determined to do the things that men do.

Look around, men do not wear hats in church. We need to let the hat go.

Additionally, the Bible addresses this issue most clearly in 1 Corinthians 11. Verses 4-5 explain, “Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head.” While much has been written about head-coverings, this article is particularly addressed to men. So let me say it this way:

To the males, if/when you wear a hat (i.e. baseball cap) during prayer, you are presenting yourself before God and His people as if you are a woman. Please stop. “Be watchful. Stand firm in the faith. Act like men. Be strong” (I Corinthians 16:13).  

Let me take a moment to address the argument that “the command in 1 Corinthians (re: head coverings) was a cultural norm and not intended to be a mandate for the 21^st century.” It is important that a verse of Scripture be read in context (to the passage, and chapters that surround the verse). 1 Corinthians 11:7-9 explain that head-coverings have to do with the glory of God; verse 3 explains that there is a biblical order regarding headship =  God the Father is the head of Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ is the head of man, and man is the head of woman. This goes all the way back to Genesis 1-3 and the created order of male and female, this is not just a cultural mandate for the early Christian church.

I was listening to the start of the NBA Finals the other day. The announcer at the stadium said, “Please rise and remove your hats to honor America and those who support our freedom at home and abroad.”

If you would take your hat off to honor America, I hope you would take your hat off to honor God, His Word, and the sanctity of prayer.

So, let the hat go!