Uniforms

You see it in many organizations. Join the Marines and the first thing they do, after the “buzz-cut” is issue a uniform. Go to prison and one of the first things that they do is . . . issue you a uniform. Ever stop to ask why? What’s going on with the uniforms? Well, uniforms give you an identity. In fact, many public schools are going to uniforms, and for good reasons.

In 1995, in Long Beach, Calif., decided that putting schoolkids in matching clothes would steer the classroom focus away from sporting the right shoes and hack to learning. The numbers agreed: Since they mandated uniforms five years ago, overall crime in the school district has dropped by a startling 91%. Suspensions are down 90%, sex offenses have been reduced by 96% and vandalism has gone down 69%. Arnold Goldstein, Ph.D., head of the Center for Research on Aggression at Syracuse University, believes uniforms work by promoting a sense of community,, allowing troubled students to feel part of a supportive whole. Says Goldstein: "There is a sense of belonging."

The Apostle Peter doesn’t give these Christians a physical uniform, but he does given them a sense of belonging and identity when he tells them that they are “obedient children.”