Twenty years ago, I wore a sport coat and tie to work every day even in the heat of the Oklahoma summer.

When I got my first professional job – a sports reporter for the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise in 1977 – I wore a suit or sport coat to work every day regardless of the weather.

It was brutal to go from an air-conditioned office into blistering heat while wearing a sport coat and a tie. But I got used to it and it really didn’t bother me.

Around the year 2000, men continued to wear sport coats but more and more stopped wearing neckties. And instead of wearing suits, men wore sport coats along with jeans.

When I was in high school, it was unthinkable to wear anything but dress slacks with a sport coat. There were a lot of fashion rules back then that are now obsolete.

Now, very few men wear coats in the summer and no one wears a tie.

Church has gotten more casual. Our pastor not only doesn’t wear a coat or tie but he doesn’t tuck his shirttail in when he preaches from the stage. This actually bothers some of the older folks but it doesn’t really bother me. He is almost 30 years younger than me and I’m sure he dresses that way to relate to a younger crowd.

I don’t wear a sport coat to church in the summer anymore. (Actually, I don’t go to the church now because I watch the sermon online due to the coronavirus. And our Sunday School class meets on Zoom each Sunday). I will wear a sport coat in the fall and winter for warmth – but many times, I wear a jacket to church. A jacket kinds of goes against my grain but as I look around at church, very few men wear sport coats anymore. Some wear suits and ties every Sunday but they are in the minority.

Are there any standards left for work or church?

It’s interesting that most college basketball coaches were sport coats (and some wear ties) but football coaches wear sport shirts.

My office is in my home and I rarely dress up unless I am going to an event or interviewing some “big wig.”

The Bible doesn’t really teach that you have to get dressed up to go to church. In fact, the Book of James warns against making judgments in church about how people are dressed. Don’t treat someone in fancy clothing better than a poor person.

Comfort is a consideration. When I grew up, women would never wear slacks to church. Oral Roberts University used to require coeds to wear dresses or skirts in class. That standard is long gone.

Here’s where I draw a line.

When I go to a funeral, I put on a coat and tie. Usually, I wear a black sport coat. I currently don’t own a black suit but if I did, that’s what I would wear to a funeral.

I do this out of respect for the person who passed and for his or her family.

I will get dressed up for a funeral even in the July heat because it’s the right thing to do. I would expect people from a funeral home to wear black suits and ties.

It’s not my place to tell others how to dress but frankly, I am appalled at how some dress for a funeral. I have seen people wear T-shirts to a funeral. I have seen mothers dress their kids in shorts and flip flops.

I don’t have a problem if a man doesn’t wear a tie or even if he doesn’t wear a sport coat. These days, some men may not own a sport coat. But hey, how about wearing a shirt with a collar on it and slacks? Is that too much to ask?

­ I don’t think so.

Summer weddings are always hot. I don’t particularly like to get up on a Saturday morning, put on a suit and then go to wedding in 100-degree heat. But that’s what I do because that is how I was raised and it’s a good thing.

A wedding is a special event and you should put on you “Sunday go to meeting” duds. Again, it shows regard for the bride and groom and their families.

My daughter got married a three years ago and I rented a tuxedo for her wedding. That’s what the father of the bride is supposed to do.

I hated this tuxedo. First, it cost $200 to rent. I thought I could have purchased one for that much money. But the tux had to match groomsmen, so I had no choice.

Secondly, it didn’t fit well. I went in for a fitting a week before the wedding and when I went in two days before the wedding, the tuxedo didn’t fit right. The rental place didn’t have it in stock and had to order it. They had a replacement tuxedo shipped in overnight and it was better but not by much.

I would have been better off just wearing a black suit (or finding a different tuxedo rental place).

Again, when you see people dressed shoddily at a wedding, you have to wonder about their manners. The standards have dropped.

 And I understand that weddings are so expensive, a young couple (or the bride’s) family might want to save money by not renting tuxedos and not having really expensive bridesmaids’ dresses.

We are not called on to get dressed up much these days and part of that is practical and good. But weddings and funerals are special and we should dress appropriately.

I am glad I don’t have to wear a coat and tie to work. But I still want to look nice at church and other special occasions – even in the blistering heat.