Is it just me, or does every pastor either have a shaved head or some kind of intricately groomed facial hair creation plastered on their head? The only reason I bring it up is because at this very moment I find myself at a conference full of pastors and as I look around the room, nearly every dude (myself included) falls into one of two camps: they’re either completely, utterly bald or they have some kind of well-groomed follicle creation plastered to their mug.
For real. I am looking around the room and it is frightening to me. And then, there are the handful who have chosen to combine the best of both worlds: the shaven head, facial hair combo - which only a select few people on the planet have been known to successfully pull off.
Is this phenomena limited to the world of guys who preach, teach, and hang out at churches for a living or is it spreading across the country as a whole?
For the record, the only reason I sport the chin-strap style facial hair is because a). God gave me no distinction between face and neck. I have a “fack” - a strange combo of face and neck that makes me look like Beaker from the Muppet Show; and b.) without it there is little distinction between me and a 12 year-old version of me.
Here’s one thought. Perhaps (being pastors and all) they’re using their growth and management of hair as a type of spiritual discipline? Maybe they’re taking a cue from Martin Luther who once compared our tendency to sin with facial hair? He wrote: “Original sin is in us, like a beard. We are shaved today and look clean, and have a smooth chin; tomorrow our beard has grown again, nor does it cease growing while we remain on earth.” Maybe?
I doubt it. Most likely they are going bald and trying to be hip.
That’s all I’ve got. I just had to share.
May 7th, 2008 at 1:13 am
You know, I never knew I was so cool … my whole ability to combine the goatee with the shaved head. Of course, there’s no attempt to be cool on my part … the goatee is something I’ve had for more than a decade so I look like I’m older than 12 and the shaved head is because I know kids with cancer. I never pictured that combo as cool.
May 7th, 2008 at 6:26 am
Joe - you have always been cool, no matter what your follicle situation. And yes, i now recall the reason for the shaved head. Even coolerer.
May 7th, 2008 at 6:36 am
How many of those Pastors are wearing socks with sandals?
May 7th, 2008 at 9:23 am
Matt, I really think you ought to go for the mullet. You’d definitely become a better you then!
Keep the facial garb though so there’s some uniqueness left. I think you could pull it off at this point but I wouldn’t think about it too long. I’m 33, balding AND greying so I have to keep it short to avoid looking too old. I did the Steve Austin thing for a while with some success and I’m sure I’ll go back there when things worsten. I’ve considered sporting a Frank inspired hair style or maybe even a reverse mohawk of some sort. I’m still trying to talk my wife into letting me go with one of those. I don’t know what the trend is among pastors but I guess you could always poll some while you’re there and report back to us.
May 7th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
We’d noticed too; it makes me a wee bit nervous. Enjoy the conference.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:40 am
You have a fack! That is definitely the funniest things I’ve seen today! I think facks run in my family. Thanks for the laugh!!!
May 9th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
I, too, have to keep the facial hair in order to remain differentiated from the 12-year-old version of me. Also, Heidi will not allow me to shave clean ever again (see above reason). I have also always said that, before I ended up with the Friar Tuck look (ring-around-the-head) or the island (where everything has receded except for a circle on top), I would shave the whole thing. Considering the inordiante amount of bald heads at CrossPoint, I’m surprised you haven’t noticed this before…
May 9th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
It almost seems like the longer you’re there the less hair you have. Karl’s the new guy, and his hair is longest, then you move on from there, and the hair gets shorter and shorter. Of course, Dan was there for a while, then he left, but now he’s back. As he was taking the stage for his life lesson this past Sunday somebody complimented on his new dew. Got it cut real short!! But hey, CrossPoint women have nice hair!
May 9th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Like I said, I’m getting nervous.
May 17th, 2008 at 1:27 am
Hey … I resemble that remark!
We clever shavers all have our bad reasons for why we do what we do with our hair don’ts.