Correcting Popular Misconceptions About a Problematic Passage

Among the many passages in the New Testament that often strike the modern-day reader as culturally odd, I Corinthians 11:2-16 may be the best-known. For the majority of Western readers, these verses (about women covering their heads) are likely to inspire images of sisters in a separated, Amish community or wives in a far-off, Islamic nation. But that's not the only challenge with this text. One obstacle to addressing this cultural disconnect, to helping modern readers understand the relevance of these words, is the complexity of Paul's argument in this passage. So how might we make sense of these Spirit-inspired words? Though this short post cannot tackle every difficulty presented by this passage (and there are many), let me offer three corrections to some popular misconceptions, corrections that I believe help us understand the main thrust of Paul's counsel.

First of all, it's important to note that the context of 1 Corinthians 11 is not everyday life throughout the week, but conduct in the church gathering. Both halves of chapter 11 (vs. 2-16 and vs. 17-34) address issues related to this weekly time of fellowship and worship. Whether or not a woman covered her head in public at all times, in regard to 11:2-16, the focus is specifically addressing when a Christian sister "prays or prophesies" (v. 5; cf. v. 13) in the midst of the gathered church. These instructions regarding propriety in corporate worship anticipate the additional instructions of chapter 14 (instructions concerning what takes place "in church" (14:19, 28, 35), when the body "comes together" (14:23, 26)). 

It's also clear from 11:2-16 that Paul is not addressing women in general here, but specifically wives. The Greek word used throughout this passage can be translated as either "woman" or "wife" (as is the case in many other New Testament passages). But when the issue is introduced in verse 3, it is introduced in the context of headship (i.e., like the head of a human body, that is, in an overseeing, leadership position--cf. Christ as "head" of the body in Ephesians 4:15 and Colossians 2:19). While God and Christ are certainly over every man (v. 3), Scripture does not teach that every man is in a position over every woman. But as Paul makes clear in his other letters, wives are in fact called to submit to their husbands, "For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church" (Ephesians 5:23). Therefore, 1 Corinthians 11:3 makes much better sense when understood as Paul's words specifically to wives.

What is also clear from this passage is that Paul's main concern is not with head coverings per se, but the upholding of God's design for gender and sexuality. It's hard to miss how many times (eight verses out of fifteen) in this short passage the Apostle refers to the order or design of things in our God-ordained reality. There is the 'headship order' provided in verse 3. There is the Genesis-informed language about humanity's creation and "image" in verses 7-9 (with a follow-up in verses 11-12). Finally, there is a consideration in verses 14-15 of what "nature itself teach[es]" us about men and women. But how do these passages relate to wives covering their heads when praying or speaking in public worship? First-century writers like Philo, Plutarch, as well as many rabbinic sources, confirm that in both Jewish and Greco-Roman cultures, women often covered their heads as a "symbol of modesty" (Philo), of chastity, or if married, as an indication that they were sexually/spousally unavailable. If wives in Corinth were using the popular "all things are lawful" motto (6:12; 10:23) to justify not wearing some kind of headscarf when praying or prophesying, they were forgetting how this cultural practice connected to God's supracultural (or transcultural) design for gender and sexuality. 

So what might this mean for us today? Though men and women have a beautiful mutuality (i.e., a God-designed need for one another)(vs. 11-12), it is a complementary mutuality, since there really are meaningful differences between the genders. These differences, especially in light of the reality of sexual temptation, need to be respected according to God's design in marriage. The wife who, in the gathering of God's people, is not concerned about these issues, not only "dishonors her head" (v. 5)(i.e., her husband; her covenant-connected, sexual partner), but also ignores what is "proper" (v. 13) when it comes to her brothers and sisters in Christ. Though other cultures (like our own today) may not use head coverings as a mark of modesty or chastity or sexual unavailability (i.e., a married status), it is still very important to be sensitive to such things when we gather together as God's people. While this letter reminds us of the wonderful ways in which male and female disciples can and should participate in corporate worship (11:5; 14:26-33), it also calls us (in that worship) to maintain modesty (especially in the midst of sexually-permissive culture), to recognize gender distinctions (especially in the midst of a gender-confused culture), and to honor marriage as God's good design (especially in the midst of a culture that imposes its own designs on marriage). As the reference to "the angels" in verse 10 seems to direct us, let's remember that when we come together as a church, we come together in "the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels" (1 Timothy 5:21). May that awesome reality inspire in us a deep commitment to honoring God in every way, according to his gracious design, when we gather as the body in the name of our Head.