Beautiful weather and politely living in society - a letter to my students
As a professor I have always seen my students as my little children. As dean of the Balthasar Hubmaier School of Theology and Missions at TMU, I see all of our students as my chil'lens. Because of that, I often see it as my job to help them grown in faith and wisdom. I thought I'd share my latest letter with them.
Dear Chil’lens:I pray you have been enjoying the fall weather, I sure have. Cooler weather is invigorating, and given the fact that I am follically challenged, brings back one my favorite accoutrements: hats! I know that some of you love hats too, but unfortunately, given my generations’ need for rebellion, we have done a bad job at teaching people societal rules associated with hats (as a matter of fact, it seems that we have done a bad job at teaching civics altogether if you look at how many in your generation are behaving these days).So, here is me doing my duty to help you live in polite society, so that one day you will not make social faux pas that might hamper your ability to share the gospel. BTW – for men, these rules apply to ALL hats, including baseball caps, skullies, and casual hats.1) Hats are to be removed when inside, therefore a gentleman should remove his hat as he enters a building. In case you were wondering, this includes: restaurants, homes, classrooms, theaters, and church buildings.2) The exceptions to the above rule are places that are akin to public streets. This includes places like lobbies, corridors, and public elevators. So, for example, as you enter Miller hall you can leave your hat on, but when you enter an office or classroom, your hat should come off.3) Gentlemen are also expected to remove their hats during the playing of the National Anthem, for the passing of the Flag, at funeral processions, and during prayers (see 1 Cor 11, but be forewarned that in rabbinical Judaism, your head should be covered when you pray, and in Muslim mosques and Sikh temples, your head is often expected to be covered).4) Removed hats should be held in hand in such a way that the lining is not visible (for example, you could hold the opening of the hat against your body).5) Gentlemen should tip their hats (slightly lifting the hat off your forehead) when meeting a lady. If you stop to talk to a lady, you should remove your hat. If the weather is frigid, you can ask the lady if she minds if you put your hat back on. Since the tipping of the hat is a gesture of politeness, hats are also tipped to say: thank you, hello, goodbye, you're welcome, or how do you do.6) None of these rules apply to cancer patients, for many of them need their hats on to keep warm due to the side effects of the chemotherapy and radiation.For more information on male and female hat etiquette, you can consult the following sites among many:I’m sure some of you are rolling your eyes about now, but let me remind you that living in society requires following the rules of that society, especially since we, as believers, seek, like Paul, to be able to say “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some” (1 Cor 9:22). So why not impress the people you meet by showing politeness; you never know, it might open up a door to share the gospel.In Christ, mldsd
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