Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Going undercover


       From the title of this post you may get visions that I'm going to talk about going undercover, as in being a double agent, or my secret spy life. Not quite that fun or glamorous. I'm going to address a topic that will step on toes, make some outright angry, and probably open me up to the firing squad. Honestly, I’m ok with that. What could cause so much trouble among Christians as this? The idea of head covering. I can hear the gasps already.
       The first time I came across the passages in 1 Corinthians 11, I was a young teen. The verses intrigued me. It seemed such a simple, straight forward command, that I began to ask questions. First, I inquired of my parents. They did their best to explain why we don't practice head covering today, but suggested I speak to the minister of our congregation. This minister very simply explained that this was written to the people of Corinth, and it was not meant for us. So I asked, why this principal didn't apply to other scriptures.  For example, why are women not to have authority over a man (1 Timothy 2:11-12). Did this mean I could be a song leader, minister, elder? Couldn't the same idea he used to explain head covering be used to explain away similar things? If this was true, why did we still obey the other commands and not this one.  He was quick to point out that in 1 Timothy 2:13-14, it referred to the "creation order", a timeless principle that validated this command in his opinion.
       It just didn't make sense to me. It seemed so simple when I read it. I was reminded that I was young and still learning, and to leave the explanations to the leaders. Defeated, and confused I took their word for it. Still, it poked at me from the corner of my mind.
      Through the years I heard several explanations, ranging from your hair being a covering, to it was because the priestesses of Aphrodite in Corinth would shave their heads. I also got a lot of people that told me that in 1 Corinthians 11:16, Paul dismissed the practice of head covering if it caused contention. That was one of the hardest walls for me. Why would Paul spend so much time explaining all of this to just dismiss it. It didn't seem logical. I had so many questions. Why do men still uncover their head before a prayer? I felt like we were being luke warm and obeying half of a command.
         I was also told on a few occasions that covering my head would make me look Islamic and that would be a sin, because I was to "abstain from the very appearance of evil".  Really? This was possibly one of the silliest explanations I received. Muslims also pray, does this mean I would be following Islam if I prayed?
         There was also the ever popular, “it only applied to the culture of the time.” Since when did God ever command his people to conform to the culture? That didn’t make sense either.
        No matter the explanation I got, when I tried to use their logic for not obeying head covering on any other topic (such as baptism, authority, worship.....etc.) they wouldn't stand for it. How interesting.
        Finally, awhile back I decided I was going to study 1 Corinthians 11 along with my husband and we would have to come to a conclusion using only the word of God.

So we began.

        First we looked at verses 2-3. Right here it referred to that " creation order"  that I'd been told wasn't there. So, if the lack of creation order was an argument, it was now void.  Then we came to verses 4-6 and noticed some versions used the words 'wife' and 'husband' and some used 'woman' and 'man'. So we looked up what these Greek words meant and it turns out that it can mean woman or wife, and the other can mean man or husband. So, it would seem that it didn’t matter if someone was married or not. Verse 9 seemed pretty straight forward. Verse 10 we found interesting. We never really came to a solid conclusion after days of research on what this verse means, other than I don't need to know WHY I need to have a symbol of authority on my head because of the angels, but I do. Though I did find lots of interesting theories on this matter, nothing was concrete. Verses 11+12 were a comfort to me. Men and women can't exist without each other. I have a role. Verses 13-14 seemed pretty straight forward as well. They seemed to be rhetorical in nature. Then we got to verse 15. Does this mean my hair is a covering? It didn't quite make sense when we looked at the verses together. So we looked back at verse 6 and replaced  "cover" with "hair".  It did not work. So we investigated the original text and discovered that they were 2 different words meaning two different things. Hair was no longer an explanation.   Then we got to verse 16. It really did seem like Paul was dismissing everything he had just said. We read it over and over. We studied it inside out and upside down. Then we decided to read it as though we had no preconceived ideas on what it meant. Suddenly, it made more sense than ever. "If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God." Wait.... What if Paul is saying we don't participate in acting contentious? What if, in fact, we have been taking this verse out of context this whole time?  Whoa. Even if this weren’t true many versions read “we have no other practice “. Check it out for yourself.
This study had taken us several weeks, picking things apart, and questioning everything.
        We had arrived at the conclusion that I should, in fact, be covering my head. Now that I had reached this conclusion, I didn't know if I liked it. I didn't WANT to cover my head. I wanted to do cool things with my hair and get complimented. I wanted to hear how pretty my hair was, and make it just so to make me look ‘good’. I had to face the harsh reality that my hair was a big source of pride and vanity for me. Ouch. Pride is such a bitter pill. I loved my sassy hair. I liked looking like I was punky and full of sass. Realizing that I was now facing this reality, I was a little hesitant. What?! I tried to go through and prove all the things I'd been told before about these verses as right. What strange creatures, we humans. Yet, I could not prove anything right other than the conclusion that I should obey the command and cover my head.

So I did.

       Since I've started covering my head, I have had a few interesting discussions with fellow Christians. Most of them are vehemently against it. I am not here to judge others and how they choose to do things. I have chosen this as my way to honor God. Many tell me that it was cultural and doesn't apply today. Yet, I'd like to know, where do they draw the line? When is it OK to say something was cultural and when is it not? We need to be consistent in how we interpret scriptures. I've had some well meaning friends ask if I was trying to get ready for my work with the Muslims by covering my head. Never mind the fact that I had been doing it long before we decided to enter this ministry. I have also been asked if I know what those verses "really mean".  Let me assure all who stumble upon this lowly blog, that I am fully aware of what I'm doing. I've tested all the possibilities. I don't cover my head to make others feel bad, or to make myself better than others. I only do it because I believe that it is what God has commanded me to do. It is terribly unpopular in our culture.
      As I conclude this, know that I realize many will disagree with me. My intent is not to argue. I quite simply wanted to give my reasoning. My heart has never been as free as when I realized I was obeying God. This is not oppression. This is freedom. Freedom in Christ and his commands. It hasn't been easy, and I don't like doing what's unpopular, but I do love doing what is commanded of me. We are never once called to be happy (not to be mistaken for joy), comfortable, or to understand God's ways. His ways are higher than ours and his thoughts higher than ours, are they not? More than anything, I hope you'll be curious and explore for yourself.

14 comments:

  1. I felt like I could have written this post! I too, as a young Christian, felt as if this passage was really quite simple. But, all of my spiritual mentors rejected it being anything other than "not relevant for today". I accepted that for years until, in God's providence, a family began to attend my church who practiced head covering. It took me a year to muster up the courage to inquire and study subsequently study it myself. But, my heart was always pulled toward it being a timeless, trans-cultural ordinance relavent for all those who call themselves children of the Most High. I have been covering for a year and a half now, you're right... It is freeing. I can't say that I've not been met with much contempt during my time covering, and often felt that there was more disdain for my wearing a covering than there was for immodest dresses being worn by some of our young ladies. Additionally, I often wonder why the Lord would open this up to me to obey it, and yet cloud the eyes of my very respected and highly educated leaders. At those times of wonder, however, I remember that the Lord is pleased to reveal things to "babes" and hide them from the wise.

    Thank you for your post!

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    1. Thank you so much for sharing! I often feel alone in this, so it's so encouraging to hear from others. God bless you, sister. :-)

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    2. I feel the very same way as your blog post. How inspiring. Thanks so much for it.

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    3. Beautifully written post, that is very close to my heart in my beliefs on the subject also. Thank you sister.

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  2. Excellent post, especially for the young women/girls who are seeking the Scriptures in leading their lives. Shalom!

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    1. Thank you for your kind words. God is so good. Let us pray for all those out there seeking, that they may find. Peace upon you, sister.

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  3. I've written similar blog posts. I cannot understand why we don't follow the very obvious (to me) instruction in these verses. But I'm not as brave as you and only cover my head sporadically. I ALWAYS feel better when I cover my head, and guilty when I think about it.

    At the park the other day there was a group of Mennonite women, and my foster daughter asked why they were dressed "like that". I told her that they dressed modestly and covered their heads because the Bible says to, and that I would show her the verses later (we were walking at the time). I forgot about it, but a couple days later she brought me her Bible and asked me to show her the verses. It again but me how obvious these verses are. I cannot understand why we dismiss them. I'm going to work on being brave and covering my head, otherwise what kind of example am I being too my children?

    I was also pretty happy it takes about the fact that girls should have long hair because my oldest foster daughter often talks about wanting to cut her hair short, so now she sees a Biblical reason not to!

    Thanks for the (re)convicting post! I found you from a reblog by The Headcovering Movement.

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    1. I hear stories like yours often. I often wonder why we are so afraid to do what we know is right. I know for a long time I was, and have days where I still am. Isn't it sad?! I'll keep you in prayer for courage. I'm glad you enjoyed the article!

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  4. Thank you for your honest story! It moved me! I believe this is one corner of ubelief in christianity that is keeping christians from fullness in Christ. It is a silent damper on growth and spiritual prosperity. I grew up in a Mennonite church with women covering their heads as the norm. It was a good thing but too few of my peers actually learned why. I went through an intense period of reexamining everything I believed and its stories liked this that helped to prick my conscience of my unwillingness to study Gods well. I think many people pass off this passage as irrelevant because they don't employ good study techniques, since they really don't want to obey it anyways. Thank you again for this post! It is excellent!

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  5. Thank you so much for reading, and your encouraging words. I totally agree, it is something that keeps us from our full potential. Let's encourage our sisters to study the scriptures deeply, and see for themselves.

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  6. Love this.. Do you have a FB group?

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    1. No, I don't. But I'm part of one. You can find me on FB under 'Andrew N Sarah Sprow' :-)

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