Submission & Obedience

INITIALLY WRITTEN ON SEPT. 19, 2010 and posted on Facebook.

Received this question from a dear friend who asked it to be made into a note. SO FINALLY...Here's my reply to this question: How do you rationalize wearing a head covering to show your submission to God and to your future husband with being a pastor and leading men at a church?

I honestly appreciate when people ask me questions about my head covering as a Christian woman. To answer this question, I do not choose to wear a cover to show submission. I suppose one could say that I cover in obedience to God, but not in the way that submission would take effect. I cover in obedience to His Word (1 Corinthians 11) and in obedience to the Spirit’s nudges to take this Scripture literally. As much as I respect any future husband I may be blessed with, I do not and will not cover in submission to him. I believe in a woman submitting to her husband as in Scripture via Ephesians 5 (and others), but I do not believe that I need to cover my head in submission to any man on this earth (whether it be my father now, or my husband later). With that being said, head covering is something between God and I that we work out daily as a step closer to perfection.

Okay. Because I do not wear my head covering for submission, the next part of the question does not make much sense with leading men within a church as a pastor. However, I have had quite a few people ask me about pastoral ministry with my head covering. Here are my thoughts: Obviously there were women leaders within the early church according to the Apostle Paul’s writings. These women covered their head when praying or prophesying which they would have generally done in a church. I also feel like covering my head “equalizes” me with a man because it gives me a “symbol of authority.” The Scriptures say that man and woman are equal in the Lord. Also, why would the Apostle Paul ask women to cover their heads when praying or prophesying if they weren’t allowed to do so during worship?!

SCRIPTURE:

“For this reason a woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man or man independent of woman. For just as woman came from man, so man comes through woman; but all things come from God.” (1 Corinthians 11:10-12, NRSV)

“There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28, NRSV).

So, I do not wear my head covering as a sign of submission, but I wear it in obedience to His Word and as a sign of authority for the angels (1 Cor. 11:10). I wear it as a reminder to pray continuously (1 Thess. 5:17). I wear it for God. I do not wear it for people.