Lately I have been really burdened by 1 Corinthians 11. It talks about how a woman should cover her head. Some commentaries say that this is a cultural thing--and yes, it is. But the problem with our culture is that we have thrown submission out the window (and therefore lost the symbol for it). Have any of you ever felt convicted about this Scripture? Do you cover your head (with more than just hair )? Does anyone know of churches in the Birmingham (Alabama) area that practice this? I'm feeling convicted, but I'm struggling with the issue of "what will people think?" Shame . I'm on the edge of hesitant submission on this one. Pray that I will have the courage to obey!

haley

A few years ago I asked my mother to crochet a shawl for me. I use this shawl to throw over my head when I am in a time of deep prayer. I don't think that God answers the prayers because I have covered my head in prayer, but it does make me awesomely aware of Who He Is and His Presence as I pray.

Haley, Hey!

I know that there are some people who practice a literal covering over their head. But please note in verse 15 of that chapter the Word says...

But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.

It is awesome that you are studying this. I have strong convictions on this subject.

Praying for you, Norma

Here's something that is kind of neat. As I've told you all before, my mom is Catholic and for many, many years it was appropriate for a woman to wear some type of covering over her head in church. A veil, a scarf, a hat...something anyway that is no longer practiced but my mom still had a drawer full of veils. When she started to lose her hair from the radiation, she said she was excited to finally have a reason to wear her "coverings" again.

Now that her hair is completely gone, she is wearing a special type of turbon with a small bang in the front. But it's still a covering for her to wear in church.



~~Trust will lie down in the boat, but faith will speak to the storms, winds and mountains of life.~~

Norma,

What do you do with the verse that says "If she does not cover her head, let her cut her hair off, but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her cover her head" (vs. 6)? I know that vs. 15 says that our hair is our natural covering, but it would not make sense to make vs. 6 say "if she does not have long hair, let her cut her hair off" because she wouldn't have to cut her hair off if she already had short hair! Does that make sense? (Please don't think I am trying to argue with you, I have just analyzed this text a LOT, and I'm trying to see it from all angles). Also in the original Greek, a different word is used for what we translate as "covering" in vs. 6 and 15. It seems to me that Paul is just using the nature of long hair on women and short hair on men to support his assertion that women should cover their heads. In other words, women should have long hair AND cover it. Augh! I'm scared to look like a weirdo! Thanks, Norma, for praying for me. I need to care more about what God thinks and less about what other people think!

Good Morning Haley,

I would like to share a neat bible study tool on the web.
www.biblegateway.com
It allows you to do an advanced search on scriptures and be able to choose whichever translation you like as well as compare translations.
I looked up 1Cor.11:1-16 using NIV as well as The Amplified Bible and The Message. Even checked out the commentaries. Here's the cliff notes what how it made sense to me.

Christ is the head of or authority of man.
Mans head neads no covering other than Christ.

Man is the head of or authority of woman.
Womans head needs to be covered in respect for her husband.

We also have to look at the church of Corinth and see why Paul had written this letter in the first place. I haven't had time to check into that yet but I seem to remember that the church in Corinth was having a major problem with authority in the church and who had the authority. Seems to me the womans lib movement is nothing new but has been going on for centuries. Anyway, I think these scriptures are all about finding ones place in the order of the church.

I'm and old episcopalian at heart and love the ceremony of the Eucharist. I remember my mother crocheted doilies to put on our heads when we were little. Funny thing is that we stopped going to the episcopal church and when I grew up and wanted to go back I was petrified at first because I didn't have a covering and didn't know if that tradition still rang true. It didn't.

Blessings,
Barbara


The blood of Jesus washes me clean.

The cultural setting of Corinthians is very important in understanding a lot of what Paul says in those letters... something that might help you is that, in those days, women of "shame", like prostitutes and slaves, would have short hair. It was a shameful thing.

Grace and peace,
MaltaGirl.

Please pray for Malta! http://www.peopleteams.org/malta

Dear Haley,

I am not sure I want to answer you on the forum here. The way I feel and the way others feel about this topic are obvoiusly two different things. I don't want to start an argument or debate. So when I get time, (HA!) I will email you on what I feel this chapter and verse are saying.

Norma, you are doing a great job explaining. Feel free to do more!!!! LOL!!!

~~~Sara/SonSeeker~~~


Ps. 46:1
"God is our refuge and strength...."

I believe the cultural aspects play a huge role in the covering of the head in 1 Cor. Read on to verse 16 and following. Paul is saying if the covering or not covering is causing division in the church, then do what you must to prevent the division. Basically, Unity is the important factor. Unity is a major theme to Paul, b/c it is thru Unity that we impact the world...get their attention. (more on unity see Eph 4)
I think you have to look at 1 Peter 3 in conjunction with this. If covering the head is done for the wrong reason (to glorify self, or to make one seem holy), then it falls into outward adornment category. Is it putting oneself above others thereby causing division?

The point is not what is outward!!!!!! THe important thing is the heart!!!!!!!! How's the heart condition? Are we praying with the full realization of our status before the Savior? Are we coming humbly before The Throne of Grace? 1 Peter 3 is all about the heart condition. 1 Cor 11 is all about motives of the heart.

God puts different convictions on each of us. We have to wait to see what He would have us do in response to that conviction. We cannot assume what His desired response to the conviction is until we have spent some earnest time in prayer. For me the response to these verses is... I have to make sure my heart is pure and ready to worship... that I have spent more time getting my heart ready than my hair, clothes and makeup ready!!!!!!

By the way... our pastor preached on this this AM... I missed it b/c I was in the nursery!!!! My dh said he "preached it good"!!!!

Serving, hiahcent <))><<

Sara...NO, You go ahead!!

Maltagirl, good point.

Haley, Sara is right. There are a lot of different views. And I am not going to debate this. I am not here to convince you. I just want to answer your question.

Just like Malta said, to understand what Paul is saying in this chapter, History is needed. In this chapter, Paul was actually replying to a question that the Corinthian Church had asked him.
That is where verse 16 comes in...we have no such custom. The custom Paul was talking about is the sacrificing of hair. In worship to the goddess Diana, the women would cut their hair, making it short, and offer it to her. They would also prostitute themselves. That is how the men would recognize them, by their cut hair. NOW, when these women were becoming Christains, they thought they still needed to do that as a form of Worship, since that is what they were use to doing. That is why Paul said...We have no such custom.
Now, to the point of covering. The hair is the covering. If it were just talking about an outward cloth, then why would it be a shame for a man to have one? The men wore cloth coverings. I pointed out verse 15 because, Paul says the hair is the covering. Verse 6, Paul is showing that it is a shame for a woman to be shaven or shorn (different types of cutting). He is saying that she should be covered, meaning uncut. NO types of cutting to her hair.
He goes on to say, if a man be covered, meaning uncut, that is a shame to a man. He ought to be uncovered, meaning cut. And Paul reaffirms that he is talking
about hair covering and not cloth covering when he says in verse 14...Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?

Haley, there is a lot more on this subject. And I would rather go through the Word together on a subject like this. When you just type, and there is not verbal communication, interpretation can get confusing. I surely don't want to confuse you. And I am not trying to convince you, just offering you what I know.
I hope this has helped you. I myself use to think these scriptures were talking about something else, but when I read the history and prayed about it, it became more clear. SO, keep praying. When we knock, He will open.

Sometimes when talking about this chapter and if it is pionted out that the hair should be long, then some might ask, WELL, HOW LONG? Or I can't grow long hair?!~~~ It's not about the 'LONG' as much as it is about UNCUT. No types of cutting to the hair. BUT all in all, Let the HOLY SPIRIT guide you. HE will lead you,and in ALL the details too.

Well, I hope I haven't confused you.
Keep searching! The deeper we go the more AMAZING IT GETS!!!

Norma

I have been having similar thoughts lately. I have been deeply convicted/thoughtful/prayerful about this.

And I do think there is something there. I looked at the modesty/worthiness issue plagueing our women, especially our teens. I think as Satan increases his attacks on our temples(bodies) God will remind us of our modesty and worth and ways to protect it.

But, until I really hear from God about the manifestation of this edict. I wear my hair in upstyles, or braided and tucked styles. And I have begun making hats. I love hats anyway.

I dont know if there is a hard fast rule that we can apply to this. If the cover is our husbands, if the cover is a physical cover, if its the hair on our heads. I really dont know. But I dont want to offend God. And I know that growing up in a COGIC church, the women wore hats. Some for fashion, some because they believed a woman's head should be covered.

So, I am choosing whimsical modesty. I wear cool head wraps, barrettes, hats, etc. And if I hear clearly that I being ludicrous, then maybe I'll let if flow once again. But, I feel a sense of peace when I at least pull it up, that I dont feel when I let it go. (I've got a head full of hair that gets all over the place, so it could be part a comfort issue as well.*laugh)

"I hold on to the promise that you will pull me through, if I can't, let me fall upon the grace that first brought me to you." Jars of Clay

Don't you think that if Paul was talking about an actual physical covering he would have used the term cloth or shaw? Instead he used the word hair.

~~~Sara/SonSeeker~~~


Ps. 46:1
"God is our refuge and strength...."

I am sorry if I confused anyone with my statement. Whether it says in the Greek, veil or not, it never does say to use a veil for covering. It says the hair is to be used as a veil. Throughout all of chapter 11 it talks about the head being God, then man, then woman. It never says anything about hair until verse 14. I believe that Paul was under the assumption that everyone knew what he was talking about when in the beginning of the chapter he was talking about having the head covered with hair. So he made it clear in verse 14.

*grin* I laugh sometimes reading it. I can picture Paul thinking, "Duh, nature can basically tell you what to do." But that is the way I think sometimes. I like to think about things in the present, what would Paul have said using terms we use today. And Paul was such a blunt and bold prophet. Just wear your hair long, don't cut it, cover your heads with glory and power. Very simple.

I am sure I have really messed everything up. I said I wasn't going to get into this didn't I? Ok, so I'm not. Not much anyway.

~~~Sara/SonSeeker~~~


Ps. 46:1
"God is our refuge and strength...."

Sara, I just wanted you to know that I have found it interesting to read your and Norma's thoughts on this subject. You didn't mess it up at all...you explained yourself rather well.




~~Behold the turtle. He only makes progress when he sticks his neck out.~~

- James Bryant Conant

Thanks Sara! "Get into it" all you want. Even if I sound like I'm debating sometimes, please know that I'm not. I'm just trying to figure all this out, so I ask lots of questions. Hope you don't think I'm trying to argue with you. You know I love you girl!

Haley,

I think you are awesome!!! Study Study Study!! Open your heart. God will do the rest! I love you too!!!

~~~Sara/SonSeeker~~~


Ps. 46:1
"God is our refuge and strength...."