Baby with blanket on head, portrait
By PhotoAlto
Table of Contents
- 1. Introduction
- 2. The Christian Headship Ordinance (CHO) was Delivered
- 3. The Economic Headship of the Trinity and Mankind is Principial
- 4. Men Should Take off Their Hats in Church
- 5. Women Should Put on a Head Covering in Church
- 6. Uncovered Women in Church Should be Head Shaven
- 7. The Woman is the Glory of the Man
- 8. Man was First in Creation Order
- 9. The Creation Purpose of Women was to Help
- 10. Creation AND Angels Warrant a Symbol of Authority
- 11. Christ is the Common Savior for Mankind
- 12. We are Created Ontologically Equal by God
- 13. Propriety Suggests the Ordinance
- 14. Nature Teaches Generality’s, it Doesn’t Mandate Specifics
- 15. But Long Hair Generally Looks Good on Women
- 16. Universal Church Practice Defuses the Cultural Argument
- 17. Women Should Keep Silent During the Sermon, but Pray or Prophecy Audibly
- 18 Conclusion: The Headship Custom Teaches Economy and Honors God
- 19. Addendum: The CHO in Scripture
- 20. Addendum. The CHO Precludes Homosexuality
1. Introduction
This is a longer treatment. It should at least touch all the scripture in verses 2-16. Click on the blue links for related information.
The KJV is good for memory and terminology. Its other study resources are hard to beat. Other versions are easier to read. The only version not recommended for this passage is the ESV. In 2016 Wayne Grudem wrongly changed the translation of the Greek “aner” from man to husband and “gune” from woman to wife.
But the CHO is a symbol of the Father’s authority, not an indicator of marital status. Christ is the head of every man, not just every husband. Unmarried men and women are not excluded from God’s economy either. Peter continued to fence the church in Rome for compliance by all singles and married. And Tertullian later wrote about the veiling of virgins. (See further details at Chapter 5 below.) The church was not wrong about this translation before 2016.
Should We Be Sensitive or Regulatve?
As a result of our non-practice, for the past 50 years, we are unfamiliar with the 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 passage. And pastors rarely exegete this scripture. So our knowledge of God’s revelation is worse than Eve, adding, “You shall not touch it” to God’s Genesis prohibition.
Most people think the headship ordinance only affects the female sex. They call the subject “head coverings”. They focus on the woman rather than Father. And they forget the man. They think the ritual is either a matter of culture or personal preference. They do not recognize Paul places this matter as the first ordinance in chapter 11 of his epistle back to the Corinthians. They forget, he praises them for keeping the headship tradition but did not praise them for keeping the New Testament-infused Seder custom.
When to be Sensitive
“Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth, not himself in that thing which he alloweth. And he that doubteth is damned if he eats, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” Romans 14:22-23 KJV
Paul wrote this epistle to the Romans in the winter of 57 AD. One year earlier, Paul wrote the Corinthians about the same issue,
“For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol’s temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols; and through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.” 1 Corinthians 8:10-13 KJV
So eating meat offered to idols was OK by someone strong in the faith. It didn’t mean anything but to a weak brother who feared this practice, it did. Accordingly, the stronger believer should abstain as so, not to offend the weaker.
And no one knew Christian freedom better than Paul. He had formally been a legalistic, Jew, persecuting members of “The Way”. But on the road to Damascus, he received the gospel of faith in an instant. 15 years later he witnessed Gentiles receive the Holy Spirit. They had no knowledge of the Jewish laws. So in Jerusalem, he lobbied for their relief. In 49 A.D., the Jewish council of apostles voted to dismiss circumcision and the kosher dietary and festival Jewish laws. Later he rebuked Peter in Antioch for lapsing into the old legalistic ways.
When to be Regulative
Paul went on, however, to regulate the worship ordinances in chapters 11 through 14. He talked about a few contentious to the headship ordinance, cliques in the mew supper tradition, and disorder in the assembly regarding ordered prophecy, and other worship matters. These protocols were all the commandments of God.
“What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 14:36-37 KJV
Accordingly, just after the section on Christian freedom to eat meat, Paul launches into the commands regarding New Testament worship. Churches practiced the headship authority ordinance and the NT infused Seder. They are both important, symbolic customs of the New Testament church.
The headship ordinance defines the new authority concatenation. The Father inserted the incarnate Son as mediator to him and king of mankind. Christ restored the creation order and relationship with the Father. This is the gospel. We ought symbolize headship in worship again.
Praying and prophesying and everything should be done in good order. Paul was regulating that city’s practices to conform with the practices everywhere. These were the command of God and the universal practices. It was not a matter of being sensitive to personal preference on these. It was a matter of conforming to universal church practice.
Jesus was Unpopular too
People may quote the Roman’s letter on eating meat and object, “Society is changing and it’s a slippery slope and I see the danger, not the belief but mandating conformity. It runs the risk of alienating people from the church and religion.”
But there is no risk of alienating believers from the few church ordinances. Being baptized in water, doffing or donning a hat, and consuming the elements of bread and wine, are not onerous worshipv commands . Believers will want to keep the ordinances and nonbelievers will leave. This happened to Jesus.
“For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.” John 6:55-56, 65-66 KJV
Conclusion on Paul’s Regulation
The few church ordinances were all probably delivered to believers at Pentecost before they were disbursed after the Jewish holiday. They would have been taught originally to the disciples through the 40 days after his resurrection (Acts 1) and repeated to Paul on the road to Damascus (Galatians 1:12). Paul wasn’t even at the last supper, and yet he is one of the best witnesses we have. (1 Corinthians 11:23.) At the Jerusalem council of A.D. 49 (Acts 15) the apostles unburdened, rather than added a mandated ordinance. There is no record of anything ever being added after initial worship of the first Jewish believers.
So be Christians should be sensitive to the weaker in matters of conscience, but be regulative regarding the ordinances of baptism, headship, and communion. If a believer is not willing to keep these 3 basic ordinances in church, there may be a problem with his life. Jesus is our Savior and our Lord. If he is not our Lord, he may not be our Savior. By his authority, we mark ourselves weekly in church. We are created men or women and restored to a relationship with the apex of all authority, our Father.
2. The Christian Headship Ordinance was Delivered
“Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.” 1 Corinthians 11:2 KJV
Church Ordinances are Applicable in the Assembly
One of the first things identifiable from 1 Corinthians 11:2 is that it parallels verse 17. Both practices, the headship ordinance, and communion are in the same chapter and worship context. Only the praise, or lack of it, is changed.
Paul is not silent. He corrects the contentiousness of one ordinance and then does not praise the cliques forming on the other. He corrects the sheep where they are going astray. He addresses the problems head-on and makes arguments for them. He regulates worship.
The Synecdoche For Worship
‘Praying or prophesying’ is a synecdoche for worship. You can woodenly translate the phrase into just two activities. But which two? Do you advocate praying in the common language and future foretelling in the vernacular as the two? Or does this mean speaking in tongues and reading scripture? Or something else?
To illustrate a synecdoche, I might tell you I had ‘pancakes and eggs’ for breakfast. But I had coffee, creamer, a small glass of orange juice, eggs, salt and pepper, toast, butter, jelly, sausage, and pancakes, and syrup topping. It would be laborious and unnatural for me to spell that all out and list everything. And ‘prayer or prophesy’ has to be multiple things.
One can take his hat off in private whenever they prefer. But it is not required by the scriptural ordinance. When riding a bicycle or cutting down a tree men taking off a helmet would be problematic. So anyone who wants to uncover or cover in praying is not prohibited at any time.
Baptism can be done with only two, one marked in the water by the Holy Spirit and one administering the , but it is more edifying when there are many witnesses. And it is not done privately or alone. Communion likewise can be eaten alone but it is impossible to proclaim Christ’s death without others. And it is mentioned specifically in 1 Corinthians 11:17 as a ritual of the gathering. Church ordinances lose their significance outside of the worship assembly.
Commentators Comments
The below commentaries consider 1 Corinthians 11 to be in the assembly context. The words indicating public worship have been bolded. Men can wear helmets outside of worship and women can take their hats off. No one should feel guilty for praying outside the worship assembly. But if you prefer to uncover or cover when you pray in private, there is no prohibition in Scripture.
Calvin commented, “Now I praise you. He passes on now to another subject to instruct the Corinthians, what decorum ought to be observed in the sacred assemblies.”
Benson Commentary: 1 Corinthians 11:2-3. Now I praise you, brethren — That you observe the rules of public worship in most points;
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary: I Corinthians 11:2-16 Here begin particulars respecting the public assemblies.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary: The reference here is mainly to ceremonies.”
Geneva Study Bible: The fifth treatise of this epistle concerning the right ordering of public assemblies, containing three points, that is of the comely apparel of men and women, of the order of the Lord’s supper, and of the right use of spiritual gifts.
Expositor’s Greek Testament: 1 Corinthians 11:2-6. First, in respect of a matter whose underlying principles his readers had not grasped: he hears that some women speak in Church–meetings,
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges: 1 Corinthians 11:2–16. The Conduct and Dress of Women at the Public Services of the Church
Pulpit Commentary: Verses 2-16. – Rules and principles respecting the covering of the head by women in Church assemblies.
Beginning Church History
Peter and Linus would not let anyone into the church who did not practice the tradition. Listen to this quote about Linus, who followed the apostle Peter, from the Book of the Popes.
“He, by direction of the blessed Peter, decreed that a woman must veil her head to come into the church.”
This argues that the assembly context was adopted for this symbol originally. It may have been confused with sensual modesty by some or extrapolated to personal use, but the New Testament ordinance had the uncovering or covering primarily symbolize the covering of the whole body (verse 10). Some wanted just the woman’s cover to be sensually modest. And later the Muslims transformed the symbol into an actual physical covering of the entire female body.
”It was clearly not St. Paul’s explicit intention to mandate continual veiling of women. St. Paul was never timid when it came to worship regulation, and we may safely assume that had he meant that women must be veiled at all times, he would have said so. Instead, he mandated only that they be covered at the time of praying, referring to the law of nature itself to justify his command.” Donald P. Goodman III.
Prophesy Requires a Witness and Maybe an Interpreter
Almost everyone sees this passage as primarily dealing with church meetings. Why? Because praying and prophesying are mentioned in verses 4-5, and praying might be private at times, but prophesying is designed for the assembled body (1 Cor 14:3). Chapter 14 requires three and contemplates more for prophesying.
Moreover, a man cannot prophesy alone, so this cannot be given to a private context. It can be informal but needs another person. Words like dishonor, shame, and glory all indicate a group too. And “church” in verse 16 appears to indicate the assembled gatherings as we.
Paul Received Direct Revelation
The worship instructions extend from 1 Corinthians 11 to 14 in this epistle. And at chapter 14 Paul says,
“If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 14:37 KJV
Paul received the Gospel and traditions directly from Christ. This was the second time after the resurrection, and Paul had persecuted the church for a couple of years.
“For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Galatians 1:12 KJV
“For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.” 1 Corinthians 11:6 KJV
And in 36 AD Paul met for 15 days with Peter and James and confirmed he had not ‘run in vain’.
“Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.”Galatians 1:18 KJV
The gospel and church ordinances he divinely received (Galatians 1:12) were the same as that which the original apostles have been teaching. Of course, Jesus was with them too for 40 days after his resurrection (Acts 2:1-4). But Paul was not even at the last supper, yet he is one of the best witnesses we have (1 Corinthians 11:23). There is no difference between the missionary instructions of the original apostles in the south versus Paul and the others in the North.
Paul wrote Corinth in this epistle about six years after he first walked into their town in 50 AD. But these were not his commands alone. They were delivered by all the apostles. And they were breathed out by God.
Divine Traditions Should be Kept
Whether you believe special spiritual gifts continue or cease, these worship rules given to Corinth still apply. We still pray and sing and share scripture in church. No one can confess Christ as Lord and follow him except by the Holy Spirit. We can have different experiences of speaking in tongues, but that is less important anyway. Edification occurs most when speech is understood.
Since we still pray in church, not only the instructions in chapter 14 apply but also ‘praying or prophesying’ in chapter 11. We should have communion in an orderly fashion, and we should uncover and cover when worshiping. We may not meet in first-century houses, eat first-century bread and wine, nor wear first-century shawls, but we keep the traditions.
Parádosis is from 3844 /pará, “from close-beside” and 1325 /dídōmi, “give over”. It means to give or hand over referring to tradition as passed on from one generation to the next.
“Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions [paradosis] which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.” 2 Thessalonians 2:15 KJV
The Greek “paradosis” is used for BOTH divine and man-made traditions. But this headship tradition is Divine. And the Divine traditions should be kept per 2 Thessalonians 2:15 and Mark 7:8; Colossians 2:8. This is opposed to precepts received from the church fathers, whether handed down in the O. T. books or orally, Galatians 1:14, especially if they contradict scripture.
The Delivery Men Included Paul
Paul and the other apostles were mailmen. They delivered the gospel and traditions wherever they went. In all their missionary travels they constantly spread not what they invented, but the same message given by Christ.
3860 paradídōmi (from 3844 /pará, “from close-beside” and 1325 /dídōmi, “give”) – properly, to give (turn) over; “hand over from,” i.e. to deliver over with a sense of close (personal) involvement.
This was also true of the symbolism of Christ death added to the Seder custom (1 Corinthians 11:23) and the gospel.
“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.” 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 KJV
There was one time in 49 AD when the apostles met in Jerusalem to vote on an important change. They recognized the full Jewish laws did not apply to Gentiles. And Paul took this new freedom when he went on his 2nd missionary journey that stopped in Corinth in 50 AD. The Apostle James ruled,
“Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.” Acts 15:19-20 KJV
So not only did Paul deliver this existing ordinance in 50 AD but there was more freedom then than ever in the church. In fact, God had planned this NT custom before in eternity. As explained later, even nature (God’s creation) teaches it.
3. The Economic Headship of the Trinity and Mankind is Principial
“But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.” 1 Corinthians 11:3 KJV
The Trinity
The Trinity is one of the most complex concepts in the Bible and is nearly inexplicable. Understanding the Trinity is hard enough. Because it is so easy to fall into a variety of heresies (modalism, tritheism, Arianism, etc.), one must be careful with the language they use. In his commentary on the Gospel of John, Dr. RC Sproul clarifies what we mean when we speak of the Ontological Trinity and the Economic Trinity. The good folks at Ligonier have posted it on their website.
The above is one attempt, not to illustrate the Trinity per se, but rather to capture in a diagram some of the truths related to the persons of the Godhead.
The Economic Trinity Indicates the Father is the Apex
Similarly, the origin of the English word “economy” can be traced back to the Greek word “oikonomia”, which in turn is composed of two words: “oikos”, which is usually translated as “household”; and “nemein”, which is best translated as “management and dispensation.” Thus, the cursory story usually goes, the term “oikonomia” referred to “household management”.
To be clear, oikonomia is never used about the Trinity in Scripture. We refer to the “economic Trinity” when we discuss the unique relationships among the Three Persons of the Trinity. The term “economic Trinity” focuses on what God does; He is different Persons and has different roles. In this respect, the Trinity is distinct economically.
We know that God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4), and we know that he exists in three persons (Matthew 28:19). It is a paradox, but that is the reality of who God is. Theologians in 2nd-century history developed terms and definitions that parse out various aspects of the Trinity. The term “economic Trinity” is one of these.
That there are distinctions among the three persons of the Trinity is clear from Scripture. For example, each individual person has a slightly different role in the salvation of mankind. Our salvation is based on the Father’s power and love (John 3:16; 10:29), the Son’s death and resurrection (1 John 2:2; Ephesians 2:6), and the Spirit’s regeneration and seal (Ephesians 4:30; Titus 3:5). The different tasks the Father, Son, and Spirit perform help inform our understanding of the economic Trinity.
There is also a voluntary subordination among the Trinity, in that the Father “sent” the Son (John 6:47), the Father and the Son “send” the Spirit (John 15:26), and the Spirit will “speak only what he hears” (John 16:13). The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are ontologically equal, but they are economically distinct. That is, they have different roles, and those roles involve relationships that can best be described as superordinate and subordinate.
And this is not a modern concept. The “economic Trinity” refers to the relationship of the triune God to the world and was already formulated by Irenaeus of Lyon and Tertullian. Tertullian (155 AD – 220 AD) is perhaps most famous for being the first writer in Latin known to use the term Trinity (Latin: Trinitas). And Irenaeus (135 – 200), compiled the products of the Early Church’s theological work in the 2nd century. Orthodox Christianity accepts that the Son is subordinate to the Father in terms of relations, namely that the Son was begotten by the Father and that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and/or the Son.
The Economic Headship Indicates the Man is Head of the Woman
“If this concatenation be disturbed in any of its parts, ruin must be the result.”
This warning was given by Charles Hodge, a Reformed Presbyterian theologian and principal of Princeton Theological Seminary between 1851 and 1878. He was a leading exponent of Princeton Theology, an orthodox Calvinist theological tradition in America. This concatenation includes the Father. He is the apex of the headship authority. He is no one’s direct economic head but Christ.
This lays out what I would like to call the “economic headship”. It delineates four levels of this economic headship. Father, Son, man, and woman. Each is voluntarily superordinate over the subsequent, and voluntarily subordinate to the prior. The Father is the apex of this economic headship. He is the one to whom each directs their prayer.
“Head Covering” only describes the female 1/2 of the ordinance. And it is mandated after the uncovering by men. The entire ordinance requires both men and women to complete it.
The wife, like the Son submits to the Father, voluntarily submits to the man. And the man, like the Father, loves his wife well. Humans are not divine, but they are divinely inspired. Thus economic headship only works when it is voluntary and reciprocal. It takes two to tango.
The perfect relationships within the economic Trinity are difficult to understand, yet they are what all humanity is drawn toward. Perfect love and perfect fellowship exist within the economic Trinity. The opposite sex will never be perfect on this side of eternity, but the divine economy always will.
4. Men Should Take off Their Hats in Church
“Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.” 1 Corinthians 11:4 KJV
Every Man has the Right to Pray or Prophesy
EVERY man, not alone every married man, is headed by Christ. And married men continue to be men after the wedding ceremony. Headship is based on the XY chromosome, not on earthly marital status.
Here Grudem justifies his change, “Some translations render the Greek word gune in this passage as “woman” rather than “wife,” and both meanings are possible for this word.” This historic translation of “woman” would of course destroy most of Grudem’s current changes below. And only by continuing to translate “aner” as husband and “gune” as the woman does the passage even make sense. By “some” translations Grudem means “all” other translations. He changes the historical understanding of the economic Trinity and headship with these translations of these two words. Here are some examples from the Bible hub.
GRK: πᾶσα δὲ γυνὴ προσευχομένη ἢ
NAS: But every woman who has her head
KJV: But every woman that prayeth or
INT: every moreover woman praying or
As you can see above, “wife” is never used here.
Since this is the assembly context, a man can wear a hat outside the church. Outside, baptism water becomes an opportunity to swim or bathe, and Christ’s body eaten becomes just a normal, unsymbolic piece of bread.
Etiquette Requires Men Uncover for the Flag Too
For men, this head uncovering corresponds with indoor etiquette. We still take hats off for the passing of the flag, but regardless of the origin of the symbolism, this is an NT ordinance planned and taught with creation hair lengths.
So why else is the ordinance for men delivered to take their hats off? Cutting a man’s hair short generally keeps him from dishonor to himself by looking generally effeminate (there are exceptions like Nazarites, muscular heroes, and bald men), but wearing a covering in the assembly dishonors his head, Christ. In the assembly one is required, uncovering. Symbolizing God’s hierarchy by the headship custom is one way we are reminded that the Son is subordinate to, but not inferior to, the Father. And with women in the assembly, the full 4 person concatenation is present: Father, Son, man, and woman. Thus, the headship symbolism is complete.
5. Women Should Put on a Head Covering in Church
“But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. 1 Corinthians 11:5 KJV
Every Woman has the Right to Pray or Prophesy Also
And what did founder Western theology say about audible women’s prayer or prophecy? From the grave, Tertullian gives his input on this riddle. And in the Tertullian project, at “Adversus Marcionem (Against Marcion), in (English: Holmes, 1870) Book V, Tertullian proves, that the letters to Corinth and Timothy were in perfect unison with the prophecy of the Old Testament.
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:” Joel 2:28 KJV
The Apostle Peter recognized this in the NT too.
“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;” Acts 2:1-4, 15-16 KJV
In 4-6, we are not talking about the hair directly. We are talking about the cover. The whole man is the glory of God. This is because the whole man was created by God, not just his hair. It may be one of his positive attributes, but it only teaches the headship custom. It is not a part of it.
Two centuries later, in Part VIII of his book Tertullian says,
Tertullian said a woman had been given the right of prophecy. This was necessarily audible and therefore includes prayer and implies singing, reciting creeds, and the like. As a noun, right is defined as 1. That which is morally correct, just, or honorable. Or, 2. a moral or legal entitlement to have or obtain something or to act in a certain way. Furthermore, Tertullian says,
“In precisely the same manner, when enjoining on women silence in the church, that they speak not for the mere sake of learning 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 (although that even they have the right of prophesying, he has already shown when he covers the woman that prophesies with a veil), he goes to the law for his sanction that woman should be under obedience.”
“Let Marcion then exhibit, as gifts of his god, some prophets, such as have not spoken by human sense, but with the Spirit of God, such as have both predicted things to come, and have made manifest the secrets of the heart; let him produce a psalm, a vision, a prayer —-only let it be by the Spirit, in an ecstasy, that is, in a rapture, whenever an interpretation of tongues has occurred to him; let him show to me also, that any woman of boastful tongue in his community has ever prophesied from amongst those specially holy sisters of his. Now all these signs (of spiritual gifts) are forthcoming from my side without any difficulty, and they agree, too, with the rules, and the dispensations, and the instructions of the Creator; therefore without doubt the Christ, and the Spirit, and the apostle, belong severally to my God. Here, then, is my frank avowal for any one who cares to require it.”
So women were given the right to prophesy, the false women of Marconian were challenged, and Tertullian’s were the evidence. John Chrysostom (c. 347 AD – c. 407 AD) confirmed the practice in the fourth century. She may not look bad or embarrassing in secular culture, but she breaks the NT ordinance.
Other Instructions On Prophesy
All believers have the Spirit necessarily, but God determines who gets what gifts. You can attend church and you can babble loudly but you can’t manufacture the gift of speaking in a foreign language. That is a divine decision.
And the proper protocol commanded is to have an interpreter. As Paul instructed 26 years after Pentecost :
“I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all; however, in the church, I desire to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.” 1 Corinthians 14:18-19 NASB1995
Did he say he couldn’t speak in tongues? No. Did he say he would rather speak in the common language? Yes.
Our theological position on the matter of tongues is for scholars. The layman need only exercise his God-given gifts. And he should focus on being understood. This is the only way to edify the church and love others.
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.” 1 Corinthians 13:1 KJV
And,
“For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.” 1 Corinthians 14:2-3 KJV
In other words, tongues may be give according to scripture, but they’re not our focus. They’re not what we should desire. And in the assembly context, and making the above common speech, men should off their hats, and women should put something on their heads.
Women are Prohibited to Teach Men
Teaching also falls under the synecdoche of praying or prophesying. Women are encouraged to teach younger women (Titus 2:4-5) and do teach children. But they are prohibited from teaching men or usurping their authority.
“But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.”
1 Timothy 2:12-14 KJV
She Embarrasses Herself and Dishonors Her Husband Uncovered in Church
“The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.” Proverbs 16:31 KJV
And the woman is the glory of the man. The whole woman. Most husbands like their wife’s hair. But their hair was probably not the only thing that attracted their husbands. Consider these words from the Song of Solomon.
“Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast do’ eyes. Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green .” Song of Solomon 1:15-16 KJV
Uncovered Women in Church are the Same as Shaven
The Christian women did just the opposite of the men. And Paul wrote that if they didn’t wear a covering on the head that they might as well also shave their heads. Notice two things are going on here, men uncover AND women cover.
In verse 5 she dishonors herself and men. Then for emphasis, Paul states sarcastically in verse 6 she also should cut he hair short. Again, prostitution cannot be exigeited here. But in 6 he also appeals to the woman hair shaving. And this was against nature too (see 14). Female prisoners were cleansed in this way. It was humiliating.
“Then thou shalt bring her home to thine house; and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails;” Deuteronomy 21:12 KJV
6. Uncovered Women in Church Should be Head Shaven
Short-Haired Women are Not Uncovered
Like substituting husband for man, and wife for woman, “long hair” is not THE covering either. She may not have her given “parabolaioul, but she can easily wear her “kata kephales”. It makes no sense for a long-haired woman to have her hair cut short, but if long hair is THE covering, this also mandates long hair for women. This is because short-haired women would be uncovered. This is another proof that nature generalizes, not requires.
“For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to [wear short hair], let her be covered [wear long hair].” 1 Corinthians 11:6 KJV
“Also” is in the Greek
Why is one little word so important? Especially a little word like “also”? That’s only four letters in English, and 3 in Greek.
This word is not in every English translation separately, but it is there in the original Greek. It is a conjunction. And it is in a conditional sentence. Whether “also” is translated as a separate word or not, it shows that something should be done in addition to something else, if the original ordinance is not.
Consider the Strongs definition. 2532 kaí (the most common NT conjunction, used over 9,000 times) – and (also), very often, moreover, even, indeed (the context determines the exact sense). In English, the word is “Also.” as an adverb it means: in addition; too.
Let her ALSO be shorn. So, if she refuses to wear the headship custom cloth, let her ALSO have her long hair cut short. Such a little word that tells so much.
The word “also” shows that Paul is talking about two coverings—the veil and the hair. If a woman does not cover her head with a removable cloth veil, then she ALSO might just as well cut off her hair or shave her head. Let her head be in all respects like a man’s.
Accordingly. One BOCO (Book of Church Order) says, “Also, out of a desire to show forth her submission to God’s appointed order of headship, a woman ought to wear a type of head covering (e.g., a veil, scarf, shawl, or hat) whenever the church gathers specifically for worship, for prayer, for baptism, for the Lord’s Supper, or the teaching of God’s Word (1 Cor.11:2-16). (Note: A woman’s hair is not the cover.)”
Women Shorn are Shameful or Rebellious
Moreover, it is a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, to have her hair more than short and almost bald. This was a punishment issued to a woman in World War II. It showed their collaboration with the enemy. And more recently Sinead O’Connor and others have shaved their heads in rebellion.
Sinead O’Connor recorded Prince’s song ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ YouTube
7. The Woman is the Glory of the Man
“For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.” 1 Corinthians 11:7 KJV
In this Verse, Glory is Economic
In what sense is the woman a glory of the man? In what sense is the man not the glory of the woman? Not in being the image of God, both are.
“Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.”
Genesis 5:2 KJV
So women are the glory of men only in an economic sense. Only in protology, purpose, and economic headship was man created superordinately. A woman is a man’s economic glory because she was fashioned from his rib. Man and woman are equal and soteriologically they can accept Christ’s imputation of righteousness.
A kids’ church song echoes this truth. Jody Killingsworth of My Soul Among Lions fame adds a brief essay encouraging us to sing this fun, a catechistic song in your home and put it to work in your church’s children’s ministries. Remember, the woman is the glory of the man BECAUSE she was created from him and for him.
8. Man was First in Creation Order
“For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.” 1 Corinthians 11:8 KJV
Protology Indicates Headship
These verses say nothing about the woman. So God did not create a husband. He created a man. A single individual.
And so the man is the head of a woman. But marriage is a subordinate truth to one’s given sex. Male and female come first. Some believers remain single their entire life. And a woman must cover during prayer or prophesy whether she is single or married. And it is the opposite for man.
9. The Creation Purpose of Women was to Help
“Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.” 1 Corinthians 11:9 KJV
Without Woman Man could not be Fruitful and Multiply
“And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.” Genesis 2:18-20 KJV
So the animals all had males and females but not mankind. Adam was unable to complete his mission without a helper. He could not reproduce alone. He could not be fruitful and multiply. God could not even make that mission till the woman was created.
“And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.” Genesis 1:22 KJV
“After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. So Adam lived a total of 930 years; then he died.” Genesis 5:4-5 ERV
Only Women Can Deliver Children
The man can’t finish his mission without the woman. He can’t dominate and subdue the earth, and he sure can’t be fruitful and multiply alone. Some men are called to a single life, but most aren’t. And a woman’s help is specially designed. God employed the Virgin Mary to bear the incarnation.
“Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.” 1 Timothy 2:15 KJV
10. Creation AND Angels Warrant a Symbol of Authority
“For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head [and] because of the angels.” 1 Corinthians 11:10 KJV
There are Two Arguments in the Greek Original
The Greek has two arguments here. 1) Because of the forgoing creation, and 2) because of the angels. In the Easy to Read Version (ERV), it says,
“So that is why a woman should have her head covered with something that shows she is under authority. Also, she should do this because of the angels.” 1 Corinthians 11:10 ERV
Spurgeon devoted an entire sermon to this one topic. Loyd-Jones also covers angels well. No one knows exactly what Paul’s argument about angels is. Along with the creation purpose, method, order, natural hair lengths, and transcultural practice, this is one of the timeless reasons given for the tradition in 1 Corinthians 11:2-16.
In his 1862 “Another and A Nobler Exhibition”, Charles Spurgeon speaks on a particular scripture text. The International Exhibition of 1862, or the Great London Exposition, was a world’s fair. This exhibition, where crowds are gathering— is not of mortals, but of immortal spirits. He explains,
“His [God’s] purpose was that all the rulers and powers in the heavenly places will now know the many different ways he shows his wisdom. They will know this because of the church.” Ephesians 3:10 ERV
Adam was created before Eve. Read Genesis 2:7-25. God formed Adam out of the dust and breathed into him. Adam became a living soul. God took the man and placed him in the garden. He commanded the man not to eat of a tree.
Spurgeon goes on to say angels observe, record, and report.
“The reason why our sisters appear in the House of God with their heads covered is ‘because of the angels.’ The apostle says that a woman is to have a covering upon her head because of the angels, since the angels are present in the assembly and they mark every act of indecorum (impoliteness, indecent behavior), and therefore everything is to be conducted with decency and order in the presence of the angelic spirits.”
Spurgeon also convicts parishioners,
“I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality.”
And this conviction is according to the Bible at 1 Timothy 5:21. Spurgeon says we should think about this tradition in our verbal conversation. Moreover, he continues,
“Since they [angels] cannot eat our bread and sit at our table to partake of our good cheer, let us talk of subjects which will delight them, in a manner with which they shall be gratified, and let their presence be to us a motive why we should so conduct ourselves that to angels and principalities may be made known by us the wisdom of God.”
So the tradition in the church is not only witnessed by angels there but should season our later conversation with family and friends. It displays the restored concatenation, and it tells who restored us.
11. Christ is the Common Savior for Mankind
“Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 11:11 KJV
Soteriology is Indicates Christ Saves
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:28-29 KJV
So Abraham’s seed is figurative. Family membership is based on imputed righteousness from Christ. It is for both men and women, Gentiles who are not descendants of Abraham, and Jews who are. The Bible says it many times.
“For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.” 1 Corinthians 15:21 KJV
No one is saved androgynously, but both sexes are saved. There is no marriage in heaven, but Christ did not rise castrated. No longer is circumcision a sign, but the headship ordinance will be practiced until Christ returns.
12. We are Created Ontologically Equal by God
“For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.”
1 Corinthians 11:12 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/1co.11.12.KJV
Ontology Indicates God Created Mankind
The Ontological Trinity
This is the ultimate equality verse. God is all of one essence. The Son is begotten eternally of the Father. And they are equal. Likewise, since the woman was created from Adams’s rib, they are ontologically equal. They are of the same essence. They are both earthy man and earthy woman.
Ontology is the branch of philosophy that studies concepts such as existence, being, becoming, and reality. Ontology is sometimes referred to as the science of being, and it belongs to the major branch of philosophy known as metaphysics. In their discussion of the Trinity, theologians have developed several terms to help explain, as precisely as possible, what God is like. The ontological Trinity is also sometimes called the “essential Trinity,” or “immanent Trinity. When someone speaks of the “ontological Trinity,” it is about the nature of God.
In nature, essence, and attributes, each Person of the Trinity is equal. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit share the same divine nature and thus comprise an ontological Trinity. The teaching of the ontological Trinity says that all three Persons of the Godhead are equal in power, glory, wisdom, etc. The term ontological Trinity focuses on who God is; the term economic Trinity focuses on what God does.
The ontological Trinity is basic Christian doctrine and is foundational to all Christian beliefs. John 10:30 says that Jesus and the Father are one, which it is meant that they are of one nature. In Matthew 28:19 Jesus tells us to baptize “in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit,” clearly equating the three Persons of the Godhead.
This balances the economic difference with what, because of mankind’s divine creation, I call the “ontological headship”. It shows there is no difference between men and women ontologically. The woman is created from man, and this does show an economic difference. But this also shows they are of the same essence. The rib of Adam was fashioned differently by God, but it is of the same nature.
Likewise, there is no difference in the ontological nature of God. The Father eternally generates the Son, but the Son is God. So Father and Son are equal, as are man and woman. Here there is no superordination nor subordination. The Father and Son (and Holy Spirit) are equally God, and man and woman are equally created to compose mankind.
Man and woman are ontologically the same. Both should worship their creator God. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are also equal. We may exist because we think in time, but our creator exists in eternity.
13. Propriety Suggests the Ordinance
“Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?” 1 Corinthians 11:13 KJV
The Propriety of Tradition is No Longer Rhetorical
This appears today as an invitation to question. We are further from the practice than ever before. But after more than two decades of tradition (though Paul had been at Corinth just 6 years before) this would have been rhetorical. But nowadays, 50 years after our rebellion, there is no notion that women should cover in church.
And prayer itself is a further synecdoche for praying in worship too. There is no one else in the prayer closet. You can argue about this, but private prayer is not the appeal to propriety. Someone has to witness this in the worship assembly for it to be proper or improper.
Covered men in the worship assembly would be just as improper. Even chapter 14 is not a complete list of everything that would be subject to propriety. And here at 11:13, we have just one activity mentioned for which assembly covering applies. But the answer is, nevertheless, “no”, a woman praying uncovered would be improper.
What God Considers An Abomination
John Chrysostom was an early church father. He gave a homily explaining the connection between Deuteronomy 22:5 and first Corinthians 11:2-16. The OT says God does not like cross-dressing.
“A woman must not dress like a man, nor a man like a woman; anyone who does this is detestable to Yahweh your God.” Deuteronomy 22:5
The cross-dressing prohibition was stated in the Old Testament but was refreshed by this tradition in the New Testament. In the 4th century, Chrysostom delivered Homily 26. Chrysostom said,
“Symbols many and diverse have been given both to man and woman; to him of rule, to her of subjection: and among them this also, that she should be covered, while he has his head bare.”
Chrysostom also said,
“For if exchange of garments be not lawful, so that neither she should be clad with a cloak [pertaining to a man], nor he with a mantle or a veil [pertaining to a woman]: (“for the woman,” says He, “shall not wear that which pertains to a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garments:”) much more is it unseemly for these Deuteronomy 22:5things to be interchanged. For the former indeed were ordained by men, even although God afterwards ratified them: but this by nature, I mean the being covered or uncovered. But when I say Nature, I mean God. For He it is Who created Nature. When therefore you overturn these boundaries, see how great injuries ensue.”
In other words, Chrysostom recognized long ago that cross-covering is cross-dressing and a very bad thing. It was a abomination.
If we see cross-covering by either gender in the worship assembly, it is an abomination. If men wear sock caps or backward baseball caps or women don’t wear hats or veils, the ordinance is broken. The offender is appearing as a transvestite. It is revolting to God. It dishonors Him.
14. Nature Teaches Generalities, it Doesn’t Mandate Specifics
“Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?” 1 Corinthians 11:14 KJV
Nature teaches men don’t live as long either. But there are exceptions, and it is not a law.
Long Hair Generally Looks Bad on Men
First of all a man must uncover in worship. In the assembly, men must take off their hats.
Some think the scripture establishes a mandate for men to have shorter hair. They do generally incur shame and forgo glory. But extrapolation makes scripture establish a commandment for their holiness. A law within a tradition has been created. They think men must always have shorter hair unless there is a good reason, or they fall into sin. This position equates wrong hair length with sin.
But this is merely an appeal to nature for the uncovering and covering tradition in 1 Corinthians 11:2-16. This is a general observation of the population that models the NT ordinance. Nature does teach men are shamed by having a haircut which does not reflect their nature. The biological tendency to have shorter hair means take off your hat in the tradition. Longer hair means put something on.
So men uncover BECAUSE men generally have shorter hair. Men go bald sometimes due to having more testosterone too. Nature teaches women generally live longer too. But not always and this is not a mandate either.
Exceptions do Not Weaken a Generalization
Exceptions like Samson do not destroy this generalized appeal. Sampson’s mother was instructed by a good angel to make a Nazarite vow.
“For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.” Judges 13:5 KJV
He kept his hair uncut and was blessed with great strength. He had long hair, and this strength was conditioned on his vow. He was a military hero for 20 years, and his greatest error was telling Delilah his secret.
“That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.” Judges 16:17 KJV
Paul’s Nazarite Vow
And even Paul had longer hair when he gave Corinth the ordinance. He was on a Nazarite vow and did not cut his hair until he got to the next town. He did not violate the custom, however, because the ordinance required something covering, the “kata kephales”, to be removed from men’s heads or put on a woman’s.
“And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow.”
Acts 18:18 KJV
Generally Shame Embarrasses, But Ought Mandates Every Time
So there is a difference between looking bad, or shameful and violating a scriptural command. One is a general truth, the other is imperative for all. You may wear mismatched garments to the church, but nature teaches most people which colors and patterns are complementary. You may feel like a fool then, but you are not breaking biblical law.
If your hair is sloppy long, that may be the sin of sloth. Too fancily braided may indicate the sin of pride. And if a man wears long hair and is effeminate, it is his heart which causes the sin, not the hair length alone. Nature does teach long hair is generally shameful for men. But like Samson, there are exceptions.
There is No “Holy Ruler Stick”
Also consider the fact that headship is based on gender, not marital status. Therefore if long hair were the covering of the ordinance, a single woman would need longer hair than the population’s average male length. So an absolute standard would have to be set. The “holy ruler stick” would be instituted.
15. But Long Hair Generally Looks Good on Women
A “covering” is the same word in English as for the material of the symbolic ordinance itself. And scripture does not explicitly say that at creation women had long hair. She was given a “parabolaiou”, a wrapping, a tendency for better hair.
“But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.” 1 Corinthians 11:15 KJV
Women Should Not Worship Hatless
It should come as a relief that long hair is not a mandate for women. What nature teaches is not another command to be maintained. It is just a general example of the NT church ordinance. Whether either sex has hair that does not conform to generalities, the lack of or wearing of a hat in the assembly identifies each.
There is nothing wrong with a Christian man wearing a hat out of the church. David wore a helmet in battle, a crown on the throne, and a shawl when he mourned (2 Samuel 15:30 ). So did Mordecai (Esther 6:12) and other men in the Bible. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego even had hats in the fire (2 Samuel 15:30 ). But the NT ordinance is for women to put something on their heads, in church.
16. Universal Church Practice Defuses the Cultural Argument
“But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.” 1 Corinthians 11:16 KJV
It could not have been just a local ordinance. Paul did not even go to Asia until after he was ordained in 44 A.D. (Acts 13:1). And he did not reach Europe (Corinth) until 50 A.D. He never retraced all of his missionary steps or ever visited the churches south of Jerusalem. Yet when he regulated both the headship ordinance and the NT-infused Seder for Ephesus in 56 A.D. he could say that the apostles taught no other custom and all the believer churches practiced it. This must have been practiced by the Jewish followers of The Way from day one.
In 49 A.D. Paul met with the other apostles at the Jerusalem Council. They decided to unburden gentiles of circumcision and most other Jewish laws. Nevertheless, when he left and 50 A.D. the next year for his second missionary journey, he delivered the ordinances of baptism, headship, and communion everywhere.
And the first century worship symbols given by the apostles, commanded by Jesus, and universally practiced by everyone are transcultural. We keep the communion custom for example. We may not eat first century matzo, but we keep the bread symbol. Likewise, in baptism, we may not throw ourselves in the river Jordan. Instead, we may use a tub at the front of the sanctuary. These are cultural changes, but they evidence keeping the tradition keeping the symbol transculturally.
And you have to remember that different cultures exist in different countries. Paul traveled from Antioch in the Middle East to the Gentile churches in Turkey, and even to some of the churches in Greece. And the southern churches were in Jerusalem, and further into Egypt and Africa. These are several different cultures.
Furthermore, the first 100 years is a long time. Culture changes more often than in each century. The last 50 years have witnessed much cultural change in America. Transcultural symbols unify the church throughout time and a crow various countries.
17. Women Should Keep Silent During the Sermon, but Pray or Prophecy Audibly
“Silence” Defined
◄ 4601. σιγάω (sigaó) or phonetically see-gah’-o. There are 10 occurrences of this Greek word for “silence” in the NT: became silent (1), keep silent (3), kept secret (1), kept silent (2), quiet (1), silent (1), stopped speaking (1).
To keep silent, or hold your peace used as a verb is different in meaning than silence used as a noun. Wikipedia says silence as a noun is the absence of ambient audible sound. On the other hand silence we as a verb applies to the cessation or absence of any form of communication, whether through speech or another medium. And “to keep silence” is the verb used above 1 Corinthians 14:34.
Interpreting the Greek Scripture
We see interpreters and prophets have the ability to speak, but they are instructed not to. Both men and women are instructed to keep silent at various times. And self control is orderly.
“But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God. Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.”
1 Corinthians 14:28-35 KJV
Paul says something very similar to Timothy. About a half dozen years after his first letter to Corinth he writes.
“Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.”
1 Timothy 2:11-12 KJV
Of course, women are not literally or silent in the assembly. They sing, speak quietly to children, and talk before the service. They must not teach men in the church, nor speak during a man’s teaching. So “be in silence” must be used here in church as a verb.
And, women are not limited from prayer in the assembly. Even the churches that allow women only to pray silently, still allow them to pray in some fashion. But how can women prophesy silently at all to others in the assembly? They can’t! So praying or prophesying must be either audibly permitted in the assembly (as is singing) or prophesy there is the only thing eliminated. Prophesy is forced out of the assembly for women by such a translation.
There is nothing in the Corinthians 11 passage about silent prayer nor excluding women from prophesy in the assembly. Likewise, neither scripture at Joel, Pentecost, Anna, nor Phillip’s daughters specify such a prohibition or particular context.
So, ‘be in silence’ is a verb or action, and women can pray or prophesy. There is no conflict between women keeping silence during man’s judgment of that prophecy (1 Corinthians 14:34), teaching (1 Timothy 2:11), or praying or prophesying (1 Corinthians 11:5) for which the headship ordinance operates, in the assembly. Praying, prophesying, and song should be sounds made in the assembly by both men and women.
18 Conclusion: The Headship Custom Teaches Economy and Honors God
In 56 AD Paul wrote back to Corinth. He reinforced their tradition. This was more than 25 years after Christ died. The church kept this tradition for nearly 2000 years. However, we in the West have dismissed it. Current American evangelicals disown it. We ought to honor God and restore it. We would be much less confused.
The Easter Bonnet Rebellion
The event that marked the dismiss of the ordinance in the USA was the 1969 Ester Bonnet Rebellion. Feminism achieved victory. NOW focused on ability over economy. No more would we submit completely to His authority.
Prophetically, in his 1914 writings, Dr. Henry Allan “Harry” Ironside said, ”I suspect there are some women in our modern day who would resent that, they would like to make the head of the man the woman. They resent the thought that God has given to woman anything that looks like a subject or inferior place. Let us put aside any thought of inferiority. The point is that it is the responsibility of the husband to care for and to protect the wife.”
Ironside wrote just 6 years before the 19th amendment was ratified. For nearly 150 years since the founding of the USA, men had voted for their families. But this was about to change. Voting was not an option for 1st-century Jews. But the principle of headship is everlasting.
And in his notes on 1 Corinthians 11:1-16, Dr. H.A. Ironside asks, “What is the real importance of this? It is the test of whether our wills are subject to God or whether we are going to be subject to the fashions and order of the day in which we live.“ Finally, Ironside concludes his remarks about keeping the tradition and passing the test. “The Christian is one who has forsaken the world for Christ’s sake, has turned his back on the fashion of this world that passeth away in order that he may subject himself to Another, even the Lord from heaven.” Most modern Adams and Eves fail the test.
Lia Thomas is a Recent Problem
Thomas isn’t the first famous case of a male athlete turned female. Bruce Jenner the decathlete hero transitioned in 2015. He didn’t compete as a woman, but he did capture magazine covers. This degradation of society from chasity to promiscuous heterosexuality, to homosexuality next, then to transgenderism, and finally to an androgynous spectrum has occurred.
Not that this perversion is anything new in the world. But it was not so ubiquitous in the USA. This rapid change may have been facilitated by the internet. And Darwinism may have been squelched in its German extreme, but most Americans still buy into it. And we were warned.
First, there were quotas for female church officers. Then there were female pastors. Then homosexual pastors. We have a transgender government official now Dr. Rachel Levine, an admiral of the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (assumed office March 26, 2021). As late as 1917 Catholics passed a canon law requiring men to uncover in worship and women to wear mantillas. But after the rebellion, now we have Lia. In the UK, it is a criminal offense to speak against a person who has made a transgmder change. Speech control and therefore mind control may be coming here.
Conclusion
We can never undo the sin of Adam and Eve on this side of heaven. Their rebellion sealed our imputation of sin. We can however re-institute the economic headship symbol in worship. We can follow 1 Corinthians 11:2-16. Men can uncover and women cover. This is a biblical and historical move in the right direction.
19. Addendum: The Christian Headship Ordinance (CHO) in Scripture
“Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you. But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered. For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man. For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels. Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God. Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered? Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering. But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.” 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 KJV
20. The CHO Precludes Homosexuality
Ostensibly, the 1 Corinthians 11 headship tradition is about the authority of the economic Trinity. But the headship ordinance and the arguments for it preclude homosexuality. It is a quite an obvious scriptural prohibition. I’m not sure why it isn’t referenced more often.
The very nature of the ordinance identifies men who uncover and women who cover. It symbolizes the authority of the economic trinity and reinforces the creation order, purpose, and method. This passage acknowledges interdependent reproduction. A man and a woman are required to have a baby and are ontologically equal. They are different, but both are necessary to multiply.
Other Bible verses commonly quoted to condemn unnatural relationships include Genesis 19:1-11, Leviticus 20:13, Judges 19:16-24, 1 Kings 14:24, 1 Kings 15:12, 2 Kings 23:7, Romans 1:18-32, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, 1 Timothy 1:8-10, and Jude 7.
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The Ninevite 