As a senior man, I do not pay much attention to fashion trends among men.  My wife can attest to the fact that my church wardrobe is out of style.  However, I was struck by an article at Breakpoint that got my attention.  I felt like it was worthy of a blog.  The “quarter-zip” pullover seems to be a popular choice for young men these days. Its popularity is a surprise happening.  “This preppy compromise between a hoody and a sportscoat has swept across social, racial, and cultural spectrums, from urban epicenters to college campuses.  It has even generated an unusual amount of media coverage and analysis.”

USA Today is quoted as saying, “[P]eople engaged with the quarter-zip’s popularity say it goes beyond just trends and clothes – it’s a lifestyle that reflects a commitment to sophistication.”  I thought it was interesting how the authors, John Stonestreet and Timothy Padgett, see in this popularity pointing to a trend of  young men coming back to the church.  “It is as if they want something to challenge them,” note the authors.  

The article goes on to say, “It seems as if a significant number of young men, sick of the meaninglessness of low expectations and infinite distraction, are looking for something else……Having been told for so long that they are what’s wrong with the world, that all masculinity is “toxic” and the “future is female,” they’re looking for answers in not all the wrong places.”

While rejecting the shallowness found in our culture, many young men are turning to modern forms of “Nietzschean nihilism,” found especially in the growth of “white supremacist groyper influencers,”  along with radical Islam and various expressions of woman-hating misogyny.  The article encourages us to celebrate quarter-zips as possible evidence of new counterculture.  “It would be strange,” observes the article, “if the icon of the cultural rebel went from white t-shirts with cigarettes in rolled-up sleeves to sagging, baggy pants to quarter zips.”  I especially appreciate the authors hopeful observation regarding the trend.  “But for young men recovering from “Peter Pan Syndrome” – who are done with being the “lost boys of the West” – a new kind of rebellion is overdue.”  

I for one, know very little about trends in men’s apparel.   But the fact that Breakpoint has now alerted me to the possible correlation of a fashion trend and young men being  open to the gospel, I will be alert to this possibility.  As an “old timer” I can bring a longer view on clothing trends.  As a teenager in the 50’s I was a full blown Elvis Presley fan.  I had to white suede shoes and bright colored pants, along with the proper hairstyle.  I want to be “in.”  I attempting to made a statement. I had no identity or purpose in my life.  Being self conscious, to dress in the latest fad was important to me.  Then after high school I found the Lord Jesus out in California. It totally reorientated my life at 18 years of age.   

I slowly came to know my identity was in Christ.  “My old self has been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).  Being a “people-pleasing” person I have had many struggles being a faithful follower of Jesus.  I am eternally grateful, knowing in my heart, that God loves me in “my stink” and that he delights in me as his son.  After over 60 years of following Jesus, along with Peter, I can say, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life.  We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God” ( John 6:68).