The Head Covering Saga - PART 1

For two #millennia, different sects of #Christianity have disagreed on a myriad different things with different levels of efficacy. The #head #covering was a custom and teaching that survived most of these changes until recently. Even the dawn of #protestantism didn't alter the understanding of the head covering, what then changed in the past century that we have increasingly grown an aversion to Christian head covering ? Well I, for one hadn't given it too much thought or study and I believe the vast majority of Christian "believers" would also fall in the same category. I stumbled onto this study because of a friend and worship leader who asked me what the #Bible really says and I am glad I did. In the following post/posts I will try to share what I found people understood and what I understand the #Paul may have said.

At the very outset, let me tell you that most people who reject the need for head covering allude to it being related some #cultural situation/practice in the first century that mandated proper #modesty to be attested by head covering (Speak of culture and context from centuries ago and you have an #aura of being #academic/not #gullible etc. I guess). Though this is the most common answer I have got (for and against included), the variety of answers I got ranges from the existence of #Nephilim (of Genesis 6 fame) to the test of #jealousy in the Old Testament. (Yeah.. don't choke).

If it was really cultural (excuse me for not delving into the likes of the Nephilim and the jealousy arguments) I wondered why did no one from #Tertullian to #Luther to #Spurgeon to almost every leader of centuries gone by never uncover this error? Why is it that this understanding of head covering as not being a necessity almost #catapult to main stream in the nineteenth century ? Why is it that this "#cambrian explosion" period was the same period that saw the rise of the Christian Music industry, the first wave of Feminism and the #Charismatic movement ? What were the cultural influences on the custom of head covering ?

To answer all such questions satisfactorily would involve too much time and resources. For example, the cultural practices from Semitic overtures to #Grecian and #Roman contexts to what is done in cultures like that of #India would be far beyond the scope of a series of posts on a blog. This series will primarily deal with what the Bible says and if and to what extent the Biblical text allows for a cultural interpolation on the matter. Since Paul devotes a good part of the chapter that also includes teaching on the Lord's supper, this is not a fringe/debatable chapter as to authenticity or significance. Secondly since Paul isn't confining it to a verse or two in passing reference we certainly have enough text to communicate to us even without reaching for extra biblical material. So then we come to the questions.

1. Was this practice seen only in the Corinthian church ?
Paul says that "we have no other practice, nor do the churches of God" (1 Corinthians 11:16) Paul says that this is not about just one church in Corinth but the Churches of God in general. Just to address the context, the church of Corinth being in a Roman colony with considerable surrounding Grecian influence, not to mention other gentile and Jewish customs had different customs in vogue about the head covering. Paul makes it clear that a woman must cover her head and a man must not and that's the custom to follow.

2. Does Paul draw his argument solely using things unique to Corinth ?
He draws upon the creation narrative, angelic and nature itself to present his argument. None of these were exclusive to the Corinthian culture.

3. Does the head covering fly in the face of gender equality between man and woman ?
Paul mentions that there is neither male nor female in Christ (Gal 3:28). To think Paul would advocate something that demeans a woman and is inconsistent with his own line of thought on the matter would be a real long stretch and would raise multiple problems. Still, let's go with the passage itself. If Paul said man is the head of woman, Christ in the head of man without saying God is the head of Christ, then it would mean man and woman are not equal. However bringing in the case of God as head of Christ, he brings in two persons of the eternal God head who are co-equal. This shows that this is not a hierarchy of superiority or inferiority. If God can be the head of Christ while Christ is equal to God, man being the head of the woman does not negate her equality to man

Part 2: Is this just a custom or is there a spiritual reality behind observing head covering?
#headcovering #women #equality #customs