Editing Church of the Brethren (section)

=== Simplicity ===
Brethren have been urged (and in earlier times compelled) to live a relatively simple lifestyle. At various points in their history, Brethren have been prohibited or discouraged from attending fairs and carnivals, swearing oaths, driving motorized vehicles, attending secular colleges, joining [[secret societies]], filing lawsuits, gambling, and using tobacco or alcoholic beverages.

Simplicity, or nonconformity as it was called until the early 20th century, was once very noticeable in Brethren dress and grooming. Men wore black coats with no collar, and hooks instead of buttons (often referred to as Brethren garb or dressing "in the order"). They would wear beards, but no mustaches. The mustache was seen as a sign of the saloon or the military. Also, the beards were cut in a manner to avoid interference with the [[kiss of peace]]. In addition, they wore broad-brimmed black hats.

Women wore long dresses in dark colors, and a  white [[kapp (headcovering)|kapp]]—a [[Christian head covering|prayer covering]]. Today, Brethren garb is still worn in the most conservative congregations, although some men dress in a simple style by wearing a collared shirt in a single color without a tie, while women in these congregations may continue to practice the use of a prayer covering.<ref name="Bronner2015">{{cite book |last1=Bronner |first1=Simon J. |title=Encyclopedia of American Folklife |date=4 March 2015 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-1-317-47194-3 |language=en |quote=Only a tiny minority within the Church of the Brethren continues some vestigates of plain dress, such as the prayer covering for women. The Old German Baptist Brethren and the Dunkard Brethren, however, have maintained standards of traditional plain dress.}}</ref> The traditional Brethren [[plain dress]] is very similar to the clothing of the present-day [[Amish]]. The [[Dunkard Brethren Church]], formed in 1926 by conservative members of Church of the Brethren, continues to preserve the traditional Brethren practice of plain dress<ref name="Bronner2015"/> as do the Old German Baptist Brethren who withdrew during the 1880s.

Most Brethren were well-acculturated by the second half of the 20th century. Today, many members of the church take simplicity to mean living a more ecologically friendly lifestyle by consuming less and being aware of the effect of their choices on the earth and other people (see [[simple living]]).  In many respects, twenty-first century Brethren lifestyles mirror the lifestyles of their non-Brethren neighbors.