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Ademiluka, “Prohibition of Cross-Dressing,” OTE 26/1 (2013): 9-19 9 The Prohibition of Cross-Dressing in Deuteronomy 22:5 as a Basis for the Controversy among Churches in Nigeria on Female Wearing of Trousers SOLOMON OLUSOLA ADEMILUKA (K OGI STATE UNIVERSITY , ANYIGBA ) ABSTRACT The research 1 which this writer conducted recently reveals that one major controversy among churches in Nigeria is on wearing of trousers by women, particularly female Christians. While the majority of the mainline churches still teach that women are not allowed to wear trousers, some of the neo-pentecostals claim that the text is being misapplied; hence many of their female members wear trousers even to church on Sundays. The present study there- fore critically examines the Deuteronomic text vis-à-vis this contro- versy with a view to ascertaining what relevance it has for wearing of trousers by women in contemporary Africa, particularly Nigeria. A INTRODUCTION Reading the text literally, Deut 22:5 appears to condemn cross-dressing, that is, males wearing female clothes and vice versa . In Nigeria, as in other African countries, this text had been given a literal interpretation by all mainline churches since the advent of Christianity in Africa. In recent times, however, there has been a challenge to this interpretation, particularly among some neo- pentecostal churches who claim that the text is being misapplied. It is therefore common these days to see many female members of these denominations not only wearing trousers as part of their casual dressing but, in fact, going to church in them on Sundays. The aim of this article is not to accept or reject female wearing of trous- ers but to examine Deut 22:5 to determine its possible intended meaning with a view to ascertaining whether or not its common application to this subject is correct. The essay begins with a report of the defense of the proponents of the practice as contained in a research which the author conducted recently. 2 This 1 Solomon O. Ademiluka, Issues at Stake in the Contemporary Nigerian Church (Ilorin: Nathadex Publishers, 2007). 2 Interviews were conducted only among Christians who were in favour of women wearing trousers in view of the fact that the reason why members of the mainline churches condemn the practice is clear to everyone namely that the injunction in Deut 22:5 prohibits it; hence what needs to be shown is the defense of the proponents of the practice against the biblical injunction. 10 Ademiluka, “Prohibition of Cross-Dressing,” OTE 26/1 (2013): 9-19 is followed by a historical-critical examination of the text in relation to the Deuteronomistic Source (D) and Deuteronomic Code. Finally, a textual approach is used to ascertain its possible original meaning. 2 THE CONTROVERSY ON WEARING OF TROUSERS BY WOMEN In Africa the practice of women wearing trousers is relatively new and unusual; hence the practice of wearing them to the church naturally aroused curiosity when it started because it is at the same time un-African. To this end, the issue of whether women should wear trousers or not was not one of the challenges the early missionaries had to contend with. Most early African Christians rea- dily accepted the injunction in Deut 22:5 that women should not put on what pertains to men and vice versa as applying to all ages and cultures. Hence, the same text is usually quoted against women who wear trousers, not even to the church but as part of their casual dressing. It is therefore not surprising that when the practice of women wearing trousers to the church started in Nigeria in the 1990s among some neo-pente- costals, the proponents faced much criticism. In the course of the research mentioned earlier this writer interviewed some pastors of churches which wel- come the practice as well as some of their female members who use trousers in and out of church. Pastor Seyi Adekunle of Winners’ Chapel was of the opi- nion that Deut 22:5 does not apply to contemporary times. 3 His premise is the book of Galatians (5:1-14) where Paul makes it clear that the death of Jesus freed us from bondage to the laws of the Old Testament (OT). The pastor believed that because the world keeps changing, there might be the need to review certain standards, especially those that do not really matter for the gos- pel. Adekunle’s view therefore is not that the text does not forbid women to wear trousers but that it is not relevant to our time. Bose Ojo, a female pastor of Christ Embassy, was most of the time in trousers. In my interview with her, her spontaneous reaction to the question of wearing trousers was that she was not under the law but under grace. 4 She then went on to give her own understanding of Deut 22:5. In the first place, there are other laws in that same chapter that are not practicable, and logically when you break one law you break all. The text says a woman shall not put on “what pertaineth” to man and vice versa . In her own opinion, what pertains to man means what a man has put on, and not the type of fashion that belongs to men. If it is a statement about fashion we do not know what men wore different from those of women in ancient Israel; so we cannot apply to our time what we are not sure of. Concerning trousers specifically the pastor said women’s trousers are sewn differently from those of men, so we cannot say women are putting on 3 Ademiluka, Issues at Stake , 49. 4 Ademiluka, Issues at Stake , 49. Ademiluka, “Prohibition of Cross-Dressing,” OTE 26/1 (2013): 9-19 11 what pertains to men. She explained further that fashion differs from culture to culture. For example, in Chile and Fiji Island skirts are men’s wear. She had once watched a programme by Revd. Benny Hinn from Fiji Island in which he appeared in skirts. Consequently she asserted that the Gospel of Christ is not localised; it is the same everywhere, whether in Nigeria or Fiji Island. Hence, according to this female pastor, apart from having been freed by grace from the laws of the OT, we cannot apply the prohibition in our own time because we do not really know what it forbids. Similarly, Miss Olivia Idoko of Salem Chapel was of the opinion that the Deuteronomy text is not talking about trousers because Israelites were not using trousers then, otherwise it would have been mentioned in the Bible. 5 She also said that what pertains to men or women depends on the culture of the place; for example, in Scotland men wear skirts. Idoko was concerned that people were leaving the basics of the Gospel to address immaterial doctrines. On the question of dressing what churches should emphasise is decency, and not the type of dress. Like the other female pastor, Idoko is of the opinion that we do not know what type of dress Deut 22:5 is talking about as we do not have evidence that the Israelites used to wear trousers. The main purpose of the foregoing discussion is to establish the fact that in Nigeria, as in many parts of Africa, there is currently a controversy on whether women may wear trousers or not. Next, we shall examine the Deutero- nomic text to ascertain its relevance to female wearing of trousers in Africa. 3 DEUTERONOMY 22:5 IN THE CONTEXT OF THE DEUTERONOMISTIC SOURCE (D) In the Documentary Hypothesis the book of Deuteronomy is one of the four major sources of which the Pentateuch is composed; it is called the Deutero- nomistic Source (D). The book takes its name from the Greek translation of a phrase in 17:18 which prescribes that the king should have “a copy of the law” written for him by the Levitical priests. The Greek expression deuteros nomos means rather “a second law” after the one given in Exodus. The Hebrew name hadd evarim (the words) is taken from the opening phrase. 6 Deuteronomy is pre- sented as the farewell address of Moses in the wilderness before the Israelites crossed the Jordan to the Promised Land. Moses recalls the giving of the law on the mountain of revelation which in Deuteronomy is consistently called Horeb. Collins identifies four major literary units in Deuteronomy namely motivation speeches, including some recollection of Israel’s history (1-11); the laws – the Deuteronomic Code (12-26); curses and blessings (27-28); and concluding 5 Ademiluka, Issues at Stake , 50 6 John J. Collins, Introduction to the Hebrew Bible (Minneapolis: Augsburg For- tress, 2004), 159. 12 Ademiluka, “Prohibition of Cross-Dressing,” OTE 26/1 (2013): 9-19 materials, some of which have the character of appendices (29-34). 7 The focus of this research, however, is on the Deuteronomic Code. 1 The Emergence of Deuteronomy Contrary to the traditional approach which ascribes the authorship of the whole of the Pentateuch to Moses, critical scholarship dates the book of Deuteronomy to late seventh century B.C.E.. The parallels with the Assyrian vassal treaties of seventh century B.C.E. constitute a powerful argument that the book of Deute- ronomy was not formulated in the time of Moses but in the seventh century. In fact, the date of Deuteronomy had become apparent long before the vassal treaties were discovered in 1956. According to Collins, in 1805, the German scholar, Wilhelm M. L. de Wette, revolutionised scholarship by pointing out the correspondence between Deuteronomy and the “book of the law” that was allegedly found in the temple in 621/622 B.C.E.

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