This subject has always been quite controversial, for there are churches with RULES where females must wear dresses, though I’ve never heard of a rule dictating they must be “ankle length.” The problem with RULES (that are manmade) is that you are putting someone “under the law” and believers in Christ are “not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14). We are “saved by grace” and thus the grace of God should be the principle by which we live as Christians.

Having said that, grace will NOT lead us to live ungodly or worldly lives. We see this in Titus 2:11-12, “For the GRACE of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, TEACHING US that, DENYING UNGODLINESS AND WORLDLY LUSTS, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age. I believe how a Christian woman dresses can be WORLDLY at times. You mentioned the word “modesty” and here is what the Apostle Peter said about this when it comes to a woman’s clothing, “Do not let your ADORNMENT be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on FINE APPAREL—rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God” (1 Peter 3:5). And here is what the Apostle Paul said on the subject: “in like manner also, that the women ADORN THEMSELVES IN MODEST APPAREL, WITH PROPRIETY AND MODERATION, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or COSTLY CLOTHES.” Peter teaches us that Christian women should not wear gaudy clothing or jewelry to “draw attention to themselves instead of to the Lord.” Paul also teaches us that modest apparel will be with “propriety and moderation”. What does that mean? It means their clothes should be “decent” (covering up parts of the body that are meant to be covered) and “moderate” (not attracting attention by expensive clothing OR by clothing that is very old-fashioned and goes to the other extreme where they must cover up everything). In short, a woman’s clothing should be neat and proper, but it should never attract people (men or other women) to themselves. And let me add that these principles apply to men also!

Regarding “wearing dresses,” those who make it a rule for women to wear dresses often use Deuteronomy 22:5 to justify this. It says, “A woman shall not wear anything THAT PERTAINS TO A MAN, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment, for all who do so are an abomination to the Lord your God.” They would say, “Only men wear pants so a woman should not wear pants.” That may have been true back then, but today there are pants made especially for women. That may have been true back then, but today there are pants made especially for women, though I must say I do like seeing women wearing modest dresses.  What God intended in that commandment was for women and men “maintain gender distinctions in their clothing.” Though this was a command for God’s people (Israel), this principle is still relevant in today’s world where we have a “woke culture” which has gone crazy when it comes to “gender identity.” Some women are calling themselves men and some men are calling themselves women, and they dress accordingly. (We call this “cross-dressing”.) I do believe Christians should be a godly testimony in the world and the way we dress is one way we can be a witness to the ungodly of God’s order for men and women.

Let me close by reiterating churches should not put a woman “under the law” by forcing them to wear dresses. Rather, they should teach them the principles cited above and then let the grace of God teach them how to apply those principles. Dresses don’t make a woman godly, nor does wearing pants make her ungodly. We must let the “sister in Christ” be exercised (in her conscience) by the Word of God instead of by a man-made rule. Then she will act with the desire to “please God” and “not men.”  (DO)  (739.3)