Some things in Paul’s teaching to the people of Corinth are downright confusing. Such as this:
“Every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head – it is just as though her head were shaved. If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off … she should cover her head.” – 1 Corinthians 11:4-6
“Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?” – 1 Corinthians 11:13
What do we do with this??
What does this even mean??
The city of Corinth was in an Eastern culture. Paul was from an Eastern culture, and he was ministering to people who lived in an Eastern culture. In the Eastern culture a woman covering her head as a sign of submission and respect was totally normal.
Even today in Eastern culture it is totally normal and expected for women to have their heads covered. This is ingrained as part of the natural fabric of society. No one thinks twice about it.
I personally live in a Western culture. It is not culturally expected for women to cover their heads in my culture.
However, the city where hubby and I live is very diverse culturally. It is totally normal for us to see women shopping at Costco with their heads covered. In fact, it is not uncommon at all for us to see ladies wearing full burqas at Costco.
Back in 2013 hubby and I and our two kids traveled to Bangladesh. Bangladesh is located just east/southeast of India. Being in an Eastern culture, it is completely normal and expected for women to cover their heads in Bangladesh.
Here you can see a typical street scene in Bangladesh … and as you might notice, the women have their heads covered.
Spending a day at the Bay of Bengal? The women have their heads covered.
Here you can see me and my daughter (center and left) walking to the local village church. We are wearing traditional Bengali outfits, and the scarf which you see draped around our front and dangling down our backs … that is what we were supposed to cover our heads with during the times of prayer during the church service.
Being an Eastern culture, the men and women do not worship together in church. They are not separated by an actual dividing partition or wall … but rather the women sit on the left side of the church, and the men sit on the right side of the church.
Every time a prayer was said during the church service, all together in unison, all the ladies swept their ornas/dupatas over their heads in reverence. Honestly, I couldn’t get the hang of it! For me, it was so hard to get that scarf, which was draped across the front and dangling down each side of my back, somehow up and over my head.
Of course I couldn’t understand anything the pastor was saying. Then suddenly, all together in unison the ladies would gracefully sweep all scarves up over their heads in a beautiful way.
And there I awkwardly sat, trying to figure out the hang of this. About the time I got mine up on top of my head the prayer was over with. Everyone’s scarves were back in place … and there I sat trying to get my scarf back down in its position again.
The head covering is ingrained in the fabric of society in Eastern culture.
Especially when it comes to worship. Women having their heads covered during prayer is extremely culturally important.
This is Eastern culture.
So, when the Apostle Paul addresses the issue of women having their heads covered during prayer or while prophesying … it is no different than a pastor addressing the issue to women in an Eastern culture today.
It would be very culturally inappropriate for a woman to have her head uncovered in certain cultural settings today. It would rattle everyone to the point that they wouldn’t be able to pay attention to the prayer which was spoken, or the prophecy which was being shared … because of the distraction.
Therefore … Paul’s admonition to make sure to follow culturally appropriate norms so as not to be a scene or a distraction from worship.
This is the point of Paul’s teaching concerning head coverings.
