Why Do You Do That?!

The Dog Collar

I recently attended a gathering of evangelical pastors in my community where the chairman of our group shared an encounter he had at a recent interdenominational pastors' prayer retreat.  He and some others were grilling an Anglican colleague about the clerical collar he unfailingly wears.  “Why do you wear the collar?  What does it represent?  Where did the tradition come from?”  These were their questions.  They are questions worth asking and symbols worth knowing.

Indeed the clerical collar is a very ancient tradition and it stems from the days of the Roman Empire when it was not uncommon for slaves to be seen wearing collars.  As barbaric and inhumane as that may sound to our sensibilities, for the clergy the collar became a symbol that we are slaves of Christ, servants of God and servants of His people.  This symbol has been traditionally worn  to remind the clergy that they are not their own, they were bought with a price and they should therefore honor God with the very members of their body (see 1 Corinthians 6.20).  In other words, it is a reminder of holiness. 

In addition, contemporary "dog collars" button at the back.  This too is symbolic.  It comes from the 19th and early 20th century when all men's shirts had separate collars that were often starched and then buttoned onto the shirt.  But for the clergy, instead of buttoning at the top of the front like a regular collar of say the average businessman's attire, they button at the back as a symbol that we have turned our back on the world in the pursuit of Christ.

That is the symbolism of the collar as far as I know it, the only other tidbit I would add is that if you ever wondered if they are uncomfortable...the answer is yes.