The Scout Law: Clean

November 17, 2025

As we near the end of our twelve-part series on the Scout Law, we come to the eleventh point: A Scout is Clean. When I joined Troop 315 at eleven, the Scout Law became a guide for living with integrity. I try to teach scouts that living with integrity includes mind, body, soul, and spirit. We have all heard the phrase “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.” It is believed that John Wesley, co-founder of the Methodist Church, was the first to use this phrase in a sermon around 1778.

Though not from the Bible, the theological idea is implied over and over in the Bible. In Psalm 51:10, David prays, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Jesus taught that true cleanliness comes from within, saying, “What comes out of a person is what defiles them” (Mark 7:20). God calls us to be clean, not for show, but to reflect His holiness, keeping our lives and environment pure as an act of worship.

My father apparently thought cleanliness was important, as I found out at the age of six. I was sitting in the backseat of the car enjoying a candy bar while dad was driving. As I finished the taste treat I thought nothing of rolling down the window, and throwing the wrapper out the window. Dad slammed on the brakes, fishtailing on the gravel on the road, as he brought the car to an abrupt halt. He spun around from the front seat and glared at me with a look I don’t remember ever seeing again, pointed his finger at me, and demanded I exit the car, find the wrapper, and never do that again. Filled with shock and fear I found that wrapper in no time, and from the age of six I have never thought about throwing even the smallest piece of trash on the ground again. Dad definitely turned that into a teachable moment.

One of the ways that we live this out in scouting is to set up a pack line. The scouts make a line across one edge of the campground, and each scout walks straight ahead, picking up all litter in their path. If I notice they are getting lazy I tell them the above story. I would never yell and point like Dad did, but I don’t tell them that.

Cleanliness also includes physical hygiene, especially when we are helping boys become men. Along that road, I have had to have many conversations with boys about deodorant and showers. They are not fun, and they are embarrassing, but I get my reward when the boys tell me about a girlfriend. I smile remembering how I helped protect their reputation by helping them escape their own stink.

Most important to me is cleanliness of the mind. If you spend much time in Troop 200 you will notice that the talk is amazingly clean for a group of boys and men. I coined a phrase many years ago whenever I heard a scout using foul language. I would simply say, “Nice talk, Scout!” There were no lectures or public ridicule. Dad’s caught on quickly and would do the same. I especially enjoy hearing the scouts use the phrase with one another.

I am glad anytime I can get a scout to think about his language, and decide to use “clean” language, at least around me. Even better would be to impress upon a scout that he wants to use clean language all the time. Whether with other boys or in the privacy of a chat room or phone texting, I try to help them decide to make cleanliness a lifestyle. The scout who wants to live by all the twelve points of the scout law will have enough integrity to choose to use “clean” language all the time.

Have you considered what cleanliness looks like in your life? Maybe it’s speaking kindly, protecting your mind from dirty or harmful media, or recycling diligently, even when it’s inconvenient.

Is there someone you think of that embodies being clean in their life? Do you see yourself as clean in mind, body, soul, and spirit? When did you last choose purity, even when it was hard? Reflect on a time when being clean made a difference. How did it affect you or your community?

How might more cleanliness strengthen our nation?

I like the phrase “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.” When I live this way, my life seems to point to God more clearly. That is always a good thing as we strive to live our lives glorifying God in all we think, say, and do! (To learn more about Al Earley or read previous articles, see www.lagrangepres.org. You can purchase my book, My Faith Journal, at Amazon.com, a compilation of 366 articles as a daily devotional. Check out my podcast on YouTube, called “My Faith Journey”).