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How to Find a Head Covering Church

How to Find a Head Covering Church

When a person is convinced of the necessity of head covering they often desire to be in a church that shares those same convictions. It is a good thing when biblical gender roles and the symbol of head covering are celebrated and encouraged. I personally, as the founder of the Head Covering Movement made the conscience choice to join a non head covering church (and I don’t regret it). However, for those who do desire to be in a church that practices this symbol, I’d like to offer help on how to find those churches and some advice if you’re currently a member of another assembly.

The first thing you need to know about finding a head covering church is that this practice will vary assembly-to-assembly. There are a few denominations where this practice is a part of their faith statement but for most it will still be on a church-by-church basis. Read more

Should Women Wear Head Coverings?: A Response to Benjamin L. Merkle regarding Inconsistency

Response to Benjamin L. Merkle
The following article is a response to Benjamin L. Merkle’s paper entitled “Paul’s Arguments from Creation in 1 Corinthians 11:8-9 and 1 Timothy 2:13-14: An Apparent Inconsistency Answered“. It was published by ETS in 2006. Later in 2015 the Gospel Coalition published an abridged version entitled “Should Women Wear Head Coverings?”

In 1 Timothy 2:13-14 and 1 Corinthians 11:7-9, the Apostle Paul appeals to the creation order to explain and defend his teaching on gender roles in the church. Here’s what he says in each passage:

But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. (1 Tim 2:13-14 NASB)

For a man ought not to have his head covered, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man; for indeed man was not created for the woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake. Therefore the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head… (1 Cor 11:7-10a)

Since both passages appeal to the creation order, consistent treatment is needed. This means Complementarians should affirm that both practices and teachings are trans-cultural.

Dr. Benjamin Merkle (Professor, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) believes in complementarian roles and affirms the truths taught in 1 Timothy 2. However, he believes that head covering was a cultural practice that women do not need to implement today. His paper is a defense for why holding to these two positions is not inconsistent treatment. Read more

Head Covering and the Holy Kiss

Headcovering & The Holy Kiss

The holy kiss is commanded in the New Testament five times by two different authors. 1) See Rom 16:16, 1 Cor 16:20, 2 Cor. 13:12, 1 Thess. 5:26, 1 Pet 5:14 This is the greeting we’re told to give one another in Christ. Much like head covering, the holy kiss is a rare sight in the North American church since it’s culturally out of step. We are accustomed to greeting with handshakes and hugs instead. Some object that this is inconsistent treatment of two New Testament practices. How can we insist on head covering yet leave behind the kiss? After all, both are commanded in the New Testament. In this article we’d like to address this objection.

The Difference

While it is true that both practices are commanded in the New Testament, there is a significant difference between them. In his book “Knowing Scripture” R.C. Sproul teaches us when it’s appropriate to fill in the gaps with our cultural knowledge. He says:

“If Paul merely told women in Corinth to cover their heads and gave no rationale for such instruction, we would be strongly inclined to supply it via our cultural knowledge. In this case, however, Paul provides a rationale that is based on an appeal to creation, not to the custom of Corinthian harlots.”  2) Quote taken from http://www.headcoveringmovement.com/articles/head-covering-and-hermeneutics-an-excerpt-from-knowing-scripture-by-r-c-sproul

Sproul tells us that if something in Scripture has no explanation then cultural knowledge can aid us in understanding why it is mentioned. What he warns against is doing this when the author explains the practice himself. This brings us to the major difference between head covering and the holy kiss. When it comes to head covering, the apostle Paul explains the practice in depth. He appeals to the creation order, nature’s witness and angels, all which transcend culture. In contrast, the holy kiss is never explained, never defended, and has no theological underpinning. Now this doesn’t mean one of theses practices is valid today and the other is not, that’s not the question we’re trying to answer right now. What I am saying is, it isn’t inconsistent to treat them differently because only one of these practices is explained to us with a transcultural foundation. So headcovering can’t be cultural whereas the holy kiss may or may not. Read more

References

1.
↑ See Rom 16:16, 1 Cor 16:20, 2 Cor. 13:12, 1 Thess. 5:26, 1 Pet 5:14
2.
↑ Quote taken from http://www.headcoveringmovement.com/articles/head-covering-and-hermeneutics-an-excerpt-from-knowing-scripture-by-r-c-sproul

Total Heart Change

Total Heart Change

[Guest Author: This article was written by April Cassidy. If you’re interested in guest writing for the Head Covering Movement please contact us.]

Externals are easy. It’s easy to kneel in a position of prayer physically for a few minutes and read a chapter of the Bible each day. It’s easy to go to church every Sunday and sit in a pew. It’s a simple thing to eat a little chunk of bread and drink a sip of wine or grape juice at church during the Lord’s Supper. It’s not even hard to put on a hat or scarf.

Some people think that the externals are all that really matters. If you look like you are doing the right thing, that is enough.

God does want us to obey Him outwardly – but He is even more concerned with the inward motives of the heart. God desires me to obey Him outwardly, yes! Absolutely. But He wants me to obey Him for the right reasons and with the right heart. I can go to church three times per week, read my Bible daily, pray, dress modestly, and even cover my head. These are very good things. In fact, they are commands of God for believing women. But why am I doing these things?  It is sobering to consider that it is actually possible to do all of these things and to be far from God or to not even know Him. Read more

Should Christian Women Wear the Hijab?

Should Christian Women Wear the Hijab?

The dictionary definition of the Hijab is “a traditional scarf worn by Muslim women to cover the hair and neck and sometimes the face.” 1) hijab. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hijab (accessed: December 18, 2015). The definition itself identifies this as Islamic dress. So the question is, should Christian women use a Hijab to cover their heads when praying and prophesying (1 Cor 11:5-6)?

As we’ve covered already, the passage in 1 Corinthians 11 doesn’t identify any particular style for covering the head. Paul uses a verb to command an action (cover her head) rather than using a noun to indicate a particular style (e.g, put on a hijab). This means the style of covering falls into the category of Christian liberty. So if the question is, “is it biblically permissible to wear a Hijab?”, the answer is yes. However, a second question that should be asked is, “is it wise to do so?” Before we give our opinion, I think it’s important to understand the ​two main views in this debate. Read more

References

1.
↑ hijab. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hijab (accessed: December 18, 2015).

Head Covering Advice from Long-time Head Covering Women

Head Covering Advice from Long-time Head Covering Women

Have you ever wished that you could sit at the feet of a woman that has covered for a long time and listen to their experiences with head covering? What kind of questions would you ask? What advice would they give?

We surveyed seven women that have been covering for 10+ years and found so much wisdom that we just had to share it with other head covering women. Though their stories are different in many ways, we wanted to share the similarities in order to encourage you in your walk with head covering.

First Memories of Head Covering

Choosing to obey the Lord’s call to cover your head is only half the head covering battle. Many women faced internal and external opposition from themselves, friends and family during their first moments as a head covering Christian woman.

“I will never forget the utter fear I felt taking a step outside my front door the first day I wore one. Every time I went to a new place, or seen someone who hadn’t seen me cover before it was hard. I knew I would have to have the explanations ready,” Eleanor, who has covered since 2001, says.

Carolyn, a head coverer of 23 years, says a friend asked her if she was cleaning her house the first time she saw her wearing a simple bandana over her head.

Sometimes beginning head covering can be heartbreaking, especially when the opposition comes from family. Mrs. Robinson has covered for 13 years, remembers a conversation between her and her grandmother, a pastor’s wife.

“My grandmother hated it. [She said], ‘Why can’t you let everyone see your amazing hair? You look ridiculous.'”

Despite the obstacles in head covering, there is some time-honored advice for other head covering ladies. Read more

The Peaceful Wife: A Mainstream Book That Promotes Headcovering

The Peaceful Wife

April Cassidy runs a blog called “Peaceful Wife” where she writes encouragement to women on biblical womanhood. She’s also practices headcovering and shared her testimony with us here. I got an e-mail from April in August 2014 telling me that she had been picked up by a Christian literary agent . Shortly after I heard the great news that her book was going to be published through Kregel Publications. It’s almost a year later now, and her book “The Peaceful Wife” is about to release on January 27th.

Here’s the book description and cover:

The Peaceful Wife

What happens when a woman becomes the wife God desires her to be?

In today’s world, women are often rewarded for having type A personalities. Driven, demanding women achieve higher positions, better salaries, and praise for their ambition. They learn to be confident, take-charge leaders who can handle anything on their own. Yet when it comes to their marriages, those same traits can backfire. After all, no one goes into marriage hoping for a promotion. What is a wife to do?

April Cassidy knows this struggle firsthand. She thought she was a great Christian wife and begged God to make her passive husband into a more loving, involved, godly leader. Instead, God opened her eyes to changes that she needed to make, such as laying down her desire for control and offering genuine, unconditional respect–not just love–to her husband. The Peaceful Wife focuses on Cassidy’s experience and its life-changing properties, providing a template for others to follow.

Cassidy’s conclusions may be as shocking to readers as they were to her, but she backs up her own tale with stories from her blog readers, and also includes recommendations for further study. She walks through baby steps on how to change, addressing questions such as:

  • What is respect?
  • How can you show respect?
  • How is being respectful different from being loving?

In the end, The Peaceful Wife is a powerful path to God’s design for women to live in full submission to Christ as Lord.

One of the things we’re really excited about is that on page 171 she gives positive attestation to head covering. Here’s what she says: Read more

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