Yes, It Matters: What the Bible Says About Our Appearance

by Tom Brennan

Yes, It Matters proves that our that our clothing style and selection choices matter as God’s children. It does so by furnishing the reader a reasoned explanation of dress standards and the principles that lie beneath them. In the process, this work will help you formulate practical clothing choices in a biblical framework. How we look is not isolated from our spirituality. Our appearance alone does not make us spiritual, but neither is our spirituality divorced from it. Yes, our appearance matters. To God and to others.

114 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 25, 2023

About the author

After six years establishing a church in rural Pennsylvania and sixteen years revitalizing an inner-city church in Chicago, in 2019 Tom Brennan accepted the call to pastor the Bible Baptist Church of Dubuque, Iowa. He and his lovely wife, Mandy, have been married since 1999. They have three children. He is happiest at home, surrounded by his family, with a cup of tea to hand and a large stack of books within easy reach. Failing that, he can be found hiking one of the many beautiful trails in Dubuque or slowly barbecuing something on his smoker.

In addition to pastoring, the Lord has given him an active writing ministry. Birthed in 2014, Brennan's Pen includes a blog, daily emails designed for men in ministry, and five books to date. You can find more about his writing by perusing his blog, concerningjesus.blogspot.com, or his author website, brennanspen.com.

Reviews

[Paul Frederick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book for my Kindle knowing full well what to expect. You see, the author is a friend of mine and I read these chapters on his blog as they came out some time ago. In the months between the conclusion of the blog series and the publication of this book, I had forgotten some of the details of the series, but I was reminded of them in a very pleasant way.

I know this will not be a popular book for many different reasons. Unfortunately the chiefest of those reasons will likely be preconceived and tightly held ideas and notions. I believe you will do yourself a great disservice going into this book with a great amount of skepticism. However, if you approach this book with an open mind, open heart, and an open Bible, I think you will benefit from it greatly.

Brennan does not lay out the specifics of dress standards as much as he builds the case for correct dress standards. I for one think he could have used a chapter or two to be a little more pointed, especially in making his case for women not wearing pants, but I understand why he didn't. Even if you don't like all of his personal standards/convictions/preferences, you will be strengthened in knowing the purpose and definitions behind these terms. (For an added bonus he also wrote what is probably the best chapter on legalism that I've ever read.) Your ability to form your own standards/convictions/preferences will be aided greatly by Brennan's work.

The real highlight for me, and for any Bible believer, is the vast amount of Scripture Brennan uses to make his case. I don't know how many verses, and sometimes entire chapters or passages, are used in the book, but there are many. This is not just the opinion of a person who is knowledgeable in the subject, it is the work of someone who has allowed the Bible to form their opinion and very clearly shows the reader exactly what the Bible says in regards to the issue of appearance.

In short, every Christian should get this book; every pastor should promote it; every family should read it together. This book will help you.

[Emma Brennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A balanced application of what the Bible actually says regarding standards. Easy to read and a helpful resource.
Not a biased review, Dad. ;) haha!

[Mark McElreath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brennan has laid out a clear biblical approach to appearance. His heart behind this endeavor is manifested by his effort in taking the first half of the book to lay out his theology before taking the second half of the book to give practical guidance. His connection from convictions to standards is most helpful.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book after not being able to articulate to some of my family the way I wanted to why I dress the way I do. I appreciated how he spent time discussing not only convictions, but also principles, standards, and preferences. All of this was backed with a multitude of Bible passages. I feel like he was able to say what I believe in a much better way than I ever could, but I feel better equipped to explain my position.
Thank you Pastor Brennan for this book!

[Ryan Rench · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this twice for a short series on appearance that we did at church, and I appreciated his approach to how we arrive at standards and preferences. It's not an in-depth expositional study of each of the hot-button verses on modesty and dress, but each chapter takes a broader study of the topics that go into HOW we arrive at our own standards (e.g. convictions, principles, preferences, standards, etc.). Then the second half deals with some of the spiritual particulars of our appearance (hair, modesty, identity, and vanity.) Not until the appendix does he make a case for the particular standard of ladies wearing only flowing garments, so if you're leery of books that shout at you the whole time, this is not that.
I appreciate the inside>out motif throughout, sincerely allowing for the Holy Spirit to guide one's beliefs and genuinely leaving room for biblical fellowship in areas where some might not draw the exact same lines. I respect the tone and positions taken very much.
What helped me most was perhaps less about the dress issue and more about the distinctions between convictions and preferences. I really enjoyed that, and this is a worthy resource for any Christian looking to discern how God would have us apply God's Word today.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second of Tom's books I've read, and what I appreciated about both is that he started where he needed to: with the principles. He begins not with, "wear this, don't wear that," but with the principles of how we build standards into our Christian lives, and how those standards relate to biblical convictions, principles, and preferences. He showed that the issue is no one so much of having a "church standard," but of having a right heart towards the biblical principles God has set forth for the life of a believer. Even if you do not agree with Tom's specific standards (which he spends very little time addressing), you will be better prepared to evaluate your own standards in light of God's Word. The best presentation of standards vs preferences vs principles I've read.