Christian leaders and influencers are speaking out about the dress that megachurch Pastor Jamal Bryant bought for his wife to wear to a gala event last month, sparking debate about how Christians should present themselves in public.
Bryant, an outspoken progressive activist who leads the New Birth Missionary Baptist church in Georgia, defended the dress in a New Year's Eve sermon.
But during his sermon on Sunday, Bishop Patrick Wooden, who leads the Upper Room Church of God in Christ in Raleigh, North Carolina, weighed in on the debate over the dress Karri Bryant wore at the 42nd Annual United Negro College Fund Mayor's Masked Ball on Dec. 20 and Bryant's unapologetic response.
A video and photo montage of the gala that Karri Bryant shared on her Instagram on Dec. 21 shows her wearing a flesh-colored gown with a black lace overlay, which critics argue gave the illusion that the pastor’s wife was nearly nude.
Wooden began by thanking the Lord for his wife, Pamela Wooden, adding that she dresses like a “first lady [of the church].” The pastor declared that the “lowering of standards is amazing."
“A preacher presented his wife the other day, in what you could call a flesh-colored dress,” Wooden said during his sermon. “It’s a black dress and flesh-colored. It gives the illusion that she’s not wearing anything underneath.”
“I heard the preacher when he defended her dress by saying, first of all, he bought the dress. And then he said, ‘I want to address people who don’t know anything, who haven’t been anywhere, who don’t know anything,’” the Upper Room Church leader stated.
“So I guess our objection to a man of the cloth presenting his wife in public looking like a two-dollar whore … two, at least two,” the bishop added.
Wooden clarified that his statement was not about Karri Bryant, but about Jamal Bryant’s claim that he had purchased the gown for his wife. Jamal Bryant made the statement about buying the gown for his wife during a Dec. 31 service at the New Birth.
Jamal Bryant said his wife's dress "was not see-through" but rather "flesh color."
"But insecure, jealous, petty, small-minded people got in their feelings and set up a false barometer of holiness based off of a dress," Jamal Bryant declared.
"I bought the dress, and I like it," Bryant added. "I don't care whether you like it or not. She ain't married to you all. She married to me."
Wooden, however, argues that he does not know of a greater way to demean one’s wife than buying an outfit for her like the one that Karri Bryant wore to the fundraising gala.
“You get a husband, the husband don't want his wife to look like she's on display,” the bishop declared. “No, he wants his wife to be … respected.”
Rock Leach, a Bible teacher and host of the Social Fire eChurch YouTube channel, discussed the issue on his channel earlier this week, emphasizing that “optics” are important, especially for a pastor and his wife.
“Because whether we like it or not, people watch before they listen. That hasn't changed. People going to watch you before they listen,” Leach stated. “Scripture tells us to be above reproach. And that doesn't stop at the pulpit or the platform. It extends to presentation, posture, and how you dress.”
“Modesty isn't about being outdated or boring. It's about not distracting from the message with the messenger,” he continued.
Leach asserts that a pastor’s wife wearing a dress like Karri Bryant's could shift attention “from Christ to the flesh.” He warned that such a distraction not only undermines the credibility of a pastor’s wife but also that of the ministry.
“When you represent the Gospel publicly, how you show up visually should point people to holiness, not confusion,” Leach argued.
Sherri Shepherd, the host of the daytime talk show “SHERRI,” also devoted time to discussing the controversy during an episode of her show. While the host noted that Karri Bryant’s dress at the gala was flesh-colored, not see-through, she questioned whether the outfit was appropriate for a pastor’s wife.
Shepherd complimented Karri Bryant, calling her “brilliant,” and noted that she follows the pastor’s wife on social media.
“I just don't know where the illusion of nudity fits in with being a first lady,” the talk show host said. “I mean, I, you know, for me, I feel like there's certain things that you don't expect from certain people.”
Shepherd said she would expect to see celebrities like Cardi B, Jennifer Lawrence or Lizzo wear a dress like Bryant's, not a pastor’s wife.
The host likened the situation to a time when she went “everywhere braless” after having undergone a breast reduction, which she stopped after friends reminded her that, as a daytime talk show host, she shouldn’t appear in public like that.
“And when I thought about it, … I have a responsibility,” Shepherd explained. “I'm a talk show host. I got it.”
