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Why A Head Covering Doesn’t Cover The Face

You may view/download a PDF version of this article here

Periodically, the Head Covering Movement comes across men or women who believe that “face covering” is included in the practice of “head covering.”

Why is this? They usually believe that the practice of face covering is supported by Scripture, or by historic Christian practices, or by their own theological concepts, or by certain writings outside of the Bible.

They are sometimes even referring to “full face” coverage provided by styles like the burqa/burka. And yes, they identify as “Christian” and are not promoting Islam.

Of course, it’s true that some women have covered their faces in certain cultures, in specific situations, at various points in history, and for a variety of reasons. This includes women among several religions, some ladies in the Old Testament, and even some sisters in Christ (often many centuries ago).

Obviously, face-veiling is not the normal practice within most of Christianity today, including among those who practice head covering.

However, there’s something more important than simply identifying which practices are “normal” among Christians of various locations and periods of time. Instead, we look to the authority of God’s Word to identify His direction for Christians of all times and locations.

So let’s do that now. Read more

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Our Response to “Uncovering The Head Covering Movement” Part 2: From the Heart of a Head Covering Woman

Adam McIntosh, pastor at St. David’s Reformed Church in Houston, and writing for Kuyperian Commentary, published an intriguing three-part series attempting to “uncover the head covering movement.” In Part One of the series, he introduced “10 vital questions which must be answered” in order to understand what the Bible really teaches about head covering. In Part Two, he attempted to answer these 10 questions. Part Three addressed the “dangers to be avoided” when head covering.

Since Head Covering Movement Co-Director David Phillips already did an excellent job of addressing the theological assumptions and objections brought up in this series, my goal is simply to respond as a head covering woman to some of the ideas put forth in McIntosh’s series. I agreed with some of his ideas. Others I found to be inaccurate. And I felt that some of them were a bit offensive. I will be addressing this from a “heart” perspective. Read more

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Our Response to “Uncovering The Head Covering Movement” Part 1: The Theology

AGAINST THE HEAD COVERING MOVEMENT?

I was recently surprised to see that a Reformed pastor has taken the time to produce a carefully written 3-part series about his disapproval of The Head Covering Movement.

Of course, a number of Christians (mostly in the last century) have written commentaries, studies, and sermons that disagree with the modern day practice of head covering. But this is the first time I’ve seen someone write against the Movement. He even picked a creative title: “Uncovering the Head Covering Movement.”

After the initial feeling of surprise, my next response was gratitude. The Head Covering Movement must be making a splash that’s big enough to be noticed by those who haven’t yet embraced the practice. Whether that splash is happening due to the “Movement” itself or due to God’s overall work in returning His people to 1 Corinthians 11, praise the Lord! Read more

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HCM Update: Second Quarter of 2024

Greetings to the worldwide members of the Head Covering Movement!

We hope this year has been going well for you!

We’d like to provide an update about what the HCM Team members have been working on lately, and today seems like an appropriate day to do that.  So without further ado…

 

David (Co-Director):  By popular demand, David has decided to take a leave of absence in order to start the Head Uncovering Movement for men, especially aimed at male worship leaders who wear ball caps or beanies while singing to the Lord. He’ll also be focusing on the spiritual issues (non-legalistically, of course) behind men wearing skinny jeans and/or pink ties, but is still searching for proof-text passages to use for that.

 

Jennifer (Facebook Moderator):  At her own invitation, Jennifer has graciously accepted the position of “HCM Matchmaker” for our HCM Facebook Group.  Her focus will be on the women and men who just “happen” to casually note that they’re single, usually mentioned somewhere within their first (and second and third) post. Her services are free for the first 3 months, but matches that end in marriage will require a mandatory freewill donation. Read more

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Church-Only Covering: Re-Evaluating the Best Arguments

This is the second article in a three-part series seeking to biblically answer the question, “When and where am I supposed to wear a head covering?”

Here are the titles of all 3 articles (links will be added when each is published)…

  1. “Covering Beyond Sunday Morning?”
  2. “Church-Only Covering: Re-Evaluating The Best Arguments”
  3. “Covering While Praying or Prophesying: So, Exactly When Is That?”

 

You may view/download a PDF version of this article here.

 

INTRODUCTION

In the eleventh chapter of First Corinthians, the Apostle Paul explained the Christian practice of head covering. The first article in our 3-part series considered the context for when that head covering practice was to occur. It found that Paul taught Christian women to use a covering while praying or prophesying (in other words, while communicating to God or from God). Christian men were to uncover their heads during the same activities.

The article pointed out that Paul did not mention the Sunday morning church service during his instructions about head covering, nor state that the local church gathering was the only location where coverings were to be worn. Instead, he gave clear indications that head coverings were also intended for use beyond the congregational church assembly. Further, Paul’s specific reasons for covering did not exclusively relate to church gatherings. Instead, his reasons for covering applied wherever prayer and prophecy occur.

The article concluded that the Bible provides an open door for the use of coverings beyond the Sunday morning assembly. After all, Christian women often pray outside of church services! However, there is more to this discussion that’s worth examining. Those who advocate for “church-only” covering often base their position on four main arguments. The previous article in this series did not consider or respond to those arguments. It’s only proper that we carefully consider other perspectives, and that’s what this article is all about. Read more

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Covering Beyond Sunday Morning?

This is the first article in a three-part series seeking to biblically answer the question, “When and where am I supposed to wear a head covering?”

Here are the titles of all 3 articles (links will be added when each is published)…

  1. “Covering Beyond Sunday Morning?”
  2. “Church-Only Covering: Re-Evaluating The Best Arguments”
  3. “Covering While Praying or Prophesying: So, Exactly When Is That?”


You may view/download a PDF version of this article here.

 

HUMAN QUESTIONS & BIBLICAL ANSWERS1) The main goal of this article is not to outline the full range of situations where a head covering is biblically required. Instead, this article simply argues that the Scripturally intended range of situations includes more than the local church assembly. A future article in this series will further discuss the exact contexts that the Apostle Paul had in mind. The purpose of this article is only to see that although Paul’s instructions about covering are certainly applicable to the Sunday church service, they are not limited to it.

Both the Apostle Paul and the First Century churches promoted the standard use of head coverings by Christian women (1 Corinthians 11:16). However, in our modern era, a follow-up set of practical questions is often asked: “During what times and in what situations does God intend for a head covering to be worn?”2) And similarly: “When and where does God want Christian men to take off their hats?” I believe that there are two primary reasons why these questions often prompt curiosity and confusion.
Read more

References

1.
↑ The main goal of this article is not to outline the full range of situations where a head covering is biblically required. Instead, this article simply argues that the Scripturally intended range of situations includes more than the local church assembly. A future article in this series will further discuss the exact contexts that the Apostle Paul had in mind. The purpose of this article is only to see that although Paul’s instructions about covering are certainly applicable to the Sunday church service, they are not limited to it.
2.
↑ And similarly: “When and where does God want Christian men to take off their hats?”
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Is Head Covering Related to Spiritual Gifts? A Response to Barry York

“On Headcoverings” is the title of an article published on the reformed blog Gentle Reformation. The essay was written by Barry York, who serves as the General Editor of the blog and president of Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He introduces the question that the article seeks to answer:

From colonial times even up to our fathers’ generation, our culture, which was undeniably influenced greatly by Biblical Christianity, saw women regularly don caps, bonnets, hats, and veils in the church. So it raises the question. Are head coverings necessary attire for the Christian woman?

He answers the question by sharing that his wife does not wear a head covering “because she is not a prophetess.”1) York, Barry. “Why My Wife Does Not Wear a Headcovering.” Gentle Reformation, 29 Apr. 2019, https://gentlereformation.com/2019/04/29/why-my-wife-does-not-wear-a-headcovering/ This is a view that connects head covering to the use of miraculous spiritual gifts, rather than to common prayer or worship. In this article, I provide a response to argue that the context of the head covering passage (1 Cor. 11:2-16) is not related to miraculous gifts but to corporate worship. Read more

References

1.
↑ York, Barry. “Why My Wife Does Not Wear a Headcovering.” Gentle Reformation, 29 Apr. 2019, https://gentlereformation.com/2019/04/29/why-my-wife-does-not-wear-a-headcovering/
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