The Man in Black

PHILIP ANTHONY MITCHELL

MAN IN BLACK

Pastor Mitchell said, he has been wearing only black for 5 years now.

Initially, he began wearing black simply to reduce the number of daily clothing decisions. After his experience in Israel, however, it became a spiritual symbol.

He describes wearing black as a "daily funeral"—a reminder to die to worldly influences, selfish ambition, and sinful desires. He says he has continued the practice for years.

In a recent interview with Josh Howerton, he explained that black reminds him of two things: resisting the influence of the surrounding culture and resisting the destructive desires within himself.

I have not found anyone who questions this practice of Pastor Mitchell, him wearing black as “a reminder to die to worldly influences” He may have good intentions but I see some problems with this, he may actually draw attention to himself in the wrong way.

When self-denial becomes a public identity

Jesus warned about the danger of making our spiritual disciplines visible in ways that attract attention.

In Matthew 6:16–18, Jesus addressed people who deliberately altered their appearance while fasting so others would recognize their devotion.

His point was not that outward expressions of faith are always wrong, but that the appearance of spirituality can become more important than the spiritual reality itself.

If wearing black becomes such a distinctive feature that people continually associate it with a pastor's spirituality, we should at least ask whether the symbol is beginning to overshadow its purpose.

Are we emphasizing death more than resurrection?

This is perhaps my greater theological concern.

Paul declared:

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." — Galatians 2:20

Notice that Paul does not stop at crucifixion. He moves immediately to the life of Christ within him.

Romans 6:11 similarly instructs believers to consider themselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

The Christian life is not a perpetual attempt to achieve death to self. It is living from the reality of our union with the crucified and risen Christ.

A perpetual funeral symbol could unintentionally place greater emphasis on dying than on the new life we already possess in Christ.

The danger of creating a spiritual distinction

Colossians 2:20–23 is particularly relevant. Paul cautions believers about self-imposed religious practices that have an appearance of wisdom and humility but possess no inherent power to overcome the flesh.

I would not automatically place Mitchell's clothing practice in that category. But the passage gives us a principle worth examining.

A personal spiritual discipline must never become a measure of spiritual maturity or a substitute for the sufficiency of Christ.

We must be careful about judging his motives

Mitchell may genuinely wear black as a personal reminder. His clothing alone cannot establish that he is seeking attention or promoting himself.

Nevertheless, pastors have a responsibility to consider not only what they intend to communicate but also what their example teaches.

Paul said:

"For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord." — 2 Corinthians 4:5

That should govern everything about public ministry.

My concluding thought

The question I would raise is this:

If the purpose of wearing black is to remind a man that he has died to himself, but the practice becomes one of the most recognizable features of his public ministry, has the symbol begun to compete with the message?

a minister regularly wears black to symbolize dying to himself, we can reasonably ask whether this communicates the finished work of Christ or unintentionally portrays death to self as something continually achieved through a personal religious practice.

Paul directed attention to Christ, not religious appearances

In Galatians 6:14, Paul declared:

"May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."

Paul did not create an outward symbol of his crucifixion to the world. He proclaimed the cross of Christ.

In 2 Corinthians 4:5, he writes:

"For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord."

The center of apostolic ministry was not the preacher's distinctive identity or personal symbolism. It was Jesus Christ.

Paul's teaching on outward appearance

Another relevant passage is 1 Timothy 2:9–10, where Paul encourages modesty and good works rather than using external appearance to communicate one's spiritual standing.

The immediate context concerns women's dress, but the broader principle is relevant: godliness is demonstrated by one's life, not by a distinctive outward presentation.

There is also Romans 14:5–6, which teaches that personal convictions may be practiced before God without becoming universal obligations.

Mitchell has described his black clothing as a personal reminder rather than a command for other Christians.

MThat distinction matters.

One point I would be especially careful about

It would be too strong to say that Paul discouraged every outward symbolic practice. Paul himself participated in Jewish customs (Acts 21:23–26), and he spoke positively about bodily discipline (1 Corinthians 9:27).

His concern was not discipline itself. His concern was placing spiritual confidence in humanly devised religious practices rather than Christ.

The central issue

Colossians 3:1–3 gives us a beautiful contrast to Colossians 2:

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God."

Paul's answer to self-imposed religious rules was to direct believers toward their identity in the risen Christ.

Why should a believer need a daily funeral symbol to remind himself of a death that Scripture declares has already taken place in Christ?

A believer certainly needs to put sinful practices to death (Colossians 3:5). But Paul grounds that command in our accomplished death and resurrection with Christ, not in a self-created religious identity.

The clothing itself is not necessarily sinful. The theological meaning attached to it deserves examination, particularly when it becomes a prominent feature of a pastor's public ministry.

"In an age when everything can become a brand, even the appearance of self-denial can become a means of self-promotion. A minister may begin a practice with sincere intentions, yet over time that practice may become part of the public image through which people admire his spirituality. Jesus warned against making our religious devotion a spectacle, and Paul warned about self-imposed religion that has an appearance of humility. My concern is not whether a pastor wears black, but whether we are gradually replacing the simplicity of Christ with recognizable expressions of personal religious performance."

I would add one final thought: The strongest evidence of a Christ-centered ministry is not how dramatically a preacher demonstrates his personal sacrifice, but how clearly he proclaims the sacrifice of Christ.

In an age when everything can become a brand, even the appearance of self-denial can become a means of self-promotion. A minister may begin a practice with sincere intentions, yet over time that practice may become part of the public image through which people admire his spirituality. Jesus warned against making our religious devotion a spectacle, and Paul warned about self-imposed religion that has an appearance of humility. My concern is not whether a pastor wears black, but whether we are gradually replacing the simplicity of Christ with recognizable expressions of personal religious performance."