Why I Will Never Breastfeed Uncovered in Public: The Biblical Importance of Cultural Sensitivity

But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. -1 Corinthians 8:9

Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. -Romans 14:13

To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 1 Corinthians 9:20

I'm a breastfeeding mom. I think it's beautiful and sweet; a God-given way to nourish your baby and bond with them at the same time. I've read the numerous articles and facebook posts about situations here in America where a mother was breastfeeding uncovered in public and was asked to leave or cover up. It usually sparks outrage and sympathy, and  the facebook comments begin to ignite. Remarks like, "It's natural, it shouldn't offend people", " "In Africa, women don't even wear shirts and they breastfeed in public all the time!" and promises from moms everywhere to go out of their way to breastfeed publicly or post pictures of themselves breastfeeding on facebook begin to pop up. However, I can't imagine a scenario where it would ever be appropriate for me to breastfeed in public and here's why.

Biblically speaking, I see an overwhelming evidence from scripture that there is a principle that Christians are to follow. This principle has helped me on a variety of issues, from drinking alcohol, to tattoos, to the legalization of drugs, to child-rearing, to dress codes, etc. and I think it is so important to know these texts, especially if you ever consider cross-cultural work. The principle is this: if something you do causes someone to stumble, you are to yield to that person and not do it. As long as it's not a foundational Gospel or moral issue,  you are to count that person(s) more significant than yourself and refrain.

"To stumble" means it stirs someone's conscience, and thus may incite someone to walk out of step with the Gospel, rather in attitude or action, and may even hinder them from receiving the Gospel message from you because you've offended them. It stems from the precedent of the second greatest commandment: love your neighbor as yourself. We see this in three different places in scripture: Romans 14, 1 Corinthians 8, and 1 Corinthians 9. There may be other places that I'm not aware of but these are the "big" and explicit texts on this issue. Paul talks about how there are times when 1) we are to be sensitive to the culture we are in and 2) even if someone is wrong about their conviction, we need to yield to them so that they will not stumble.

I lived in Africa and the Middle East for three months. Where I was, it was appropriate for women to dress very conservatively. Was it hot? Yes. Was it uncomfortable? Yes, at times. I would have much rather have worn my American type dress (which is still very modest!). But the fact was, I was yielding to the culture so that I could have a witness for Christ. I didn't want to give them any reason not to listen to me. I didn't want to offend anyone. I wanted to, out of love for them, count them more significant than myself. As Paul said, "To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews". To the Africans and Middle Eastern people, I became as the African and Middle Eastern people so that I might win them to Christ. Who is to say that their dress code was right or wrong anyway? There really is no objective dress code; there's a biblical precedent that believers should be modest, but even modesty is determined mostly by culture. In fact, when Adam and Eve were naked and asked God to provide covering for them, it doesn't say whether she covered her breasts or not. 

In America, bottom line is, it bothers a lot of people when you breastfeed in public. It may not bother them in 50 years but it does now. Personally, I find it distracting. And if a man looks upon a woman doing it, it really may cause him to lust or at the very least, he may feel guilty for seeing another woman's breasts that's not his wife. It may make him feel like he's sinned, and thus cause him to stumble. Maybe not an African man, but an American man it does. And this is because my culture has influenced the way we think, but that's the point Paul is making. Rather right or wrong, it's not a Gospel or moral issue, so therefore, yield to the weaker person, even if they're wrong.  Is it really a hill worth dying on? Maybe you have a good argument for why something should be okay, but again, the point stands. Especially if that person is a believer. Paul makes a heavy statement: "And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died.  Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ" (1 Corinthians 8:11-12). Ouch!

I will also add, I would never ever embarrass or say anything to a woman if I saw her breastfeeding uncovered in public. And you shouldn't either. It's hurtful, and not helpful in any way. It's simply not our place.

So how do we determine if something is a foundational gospel issue or a secondary/tertiary issue in which we would apply these scriptures? If scripture doesn't explicitly or implicitly discuss it, then it's probably not a foundational Gospel issue. Otherwise, if scripture does mention it, scripture transcends culture because it's objective truth. For example,  you can't say it's ok to divorce because you're tired of your spouse, even if your culture says that's ok, because God's word clearly says it's wrong to do that. If you're unsure, it's usually better to err on the side of caution. 

I wonder how many battles could've been avoided had we only applied the biblical wisdom God gave us for cultural issues. We could love each other so much better.