Welcome to “Decoding Pentecostalism,” where we demystify Pentecostal doctrines and practices and analyze them in the light of Scripture.

Should a Woman cover her head?

1 Corinthians 11:5–6 NIV
5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved.
6 For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head.

In this article, I am going to share the answer to the question, “Should a woman cover her head?” In later articles, I’ll write on specific verses from 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 NIV

Head Covering or Veiling: A Common Practice

A common practice in a typical Pentecostal church is for women to wear a veil or cover their heads. The Apostle Paul writes about the practice of veiling or head covering in 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 NIV.

In this article, I would like to discuss whether such teaching is applicable today.

Q: Should Women cover their heads?

In the 21st Century, one distinguishing feature between Pentecostal and non-Pentecostal churches is that women cover their heads in Pentecostal churches, while they don’t in non-Pentecostal churches. If a Pentecostal member walks into a church where women don’t cover their heads, they are likely to conclude that these women are violating God’s command, in other words, they are sinning against God.

Before we draw any conclusions, we must study the passage in its context, cultural background, and historical perspective.

A Study on 1 Corinthians 11:2-16

1 Corinthians chapters 11-14 are known to be difficult passages to understand for a modern reader in the 21st century because of the cultural details and connections that may not be relevant to a reader in the 21st century.

Starting from Verse 2-16 Paul deals with the issue of whether women should cover their heads or not.

Cultural significance of Head Covering or Veil

Before we answer the question of whether or not a woman should cover her head we must understand the cultural significance of a woman coverfing or veiling her head.

The veil played an important role in the Middle Eastern world. To this day, women are often found with their heads completely covered with a long veil called the Yashmak. This resembles the burqa worn by Muslims. While it might appear that Muslims initiated this practice, it actually existed among the Arabs of the 1st Century AD.

Any respectable Middle Eastern woman would not dream of going out on the streets without a veil. If she does, she risks being misjudged or considered characterless. Women who serve as prostitutes would be identified because they walk on streets without a veil or head uncovered. Even today, in certain parts of the Middle East, the covering of the head is still enforced!

Head covering or veiling served two purposes:

1. It was a sign of inferiority

Status of Jewish Women in 1st Century.
Under the Jewish law & customs, a woman was considered to be inferior to man because she was taken from Adam’s rib and had to be created to be helper to a man (Genesis 2:18)

There was a Rabbinic piece of fanciful interpretation which said: ‘God did not form woman out of the head lest she should become proud; nor out of the eye lest she should lust; nor out of the ear lest she should be curious; nor out of the mouth lest she should be talkative; nor out of the heart lest she should be jealous; nor out of the hand lest she should be covetous; nor out of the foot lest she should be a wandering busybody; but out of a rib which was always covered; therefore modesty should be her primary quality.’

William Barclay, Commentary on NT

Under Jewish Law, a woman was not considered a human being but rather the property of her father and later the property of her husband. In the Synagogue, women had no role to play whatsoever; they were segregated from men or placed in a separate building. Even when counting the number of attendees at the synagogue, women were not included.

One may argue that if Jewish law treated women in such a manner, then God must also treat women the same way, as He is the one who gave Jewish law. This is incorrect! If we study Leviticus and other books, we often find explanations that God’s laws were intended to protect women, not treat them as inferior. However, the Jewish laws that were later developed by the rabbis resulted in women being treated as inferior. This is why the ministry of Jesus was different; it involved women. The first to testify about the resurrection was a woman, something that could never have happened in the first century AD.

Interestingly, I often find parallels between the Jewish rabbinic law and the Pentecostal doctrines. We will explore more in another article.

In summary, Jews treated women as inferior and Arabs also treated women in similar ways. Hence it was common for women to cover her head because it symbolised inferiority.

Second,

2. It was a sign of protection

A Veil or head covering was a sign of protection.

In those days, it was considered improper or bad manners to stare at a woman wearing a veil. Wearing a veil or covering the head was seen as a sign of the woman’s power, honor, and dignity. A woman with a veil could go anywhere with security and profound respect, as she was considered invisible in public. For a veiled woman, she was non-existent in public and the public was non-existent to her. Without a veil, she could become an object of casual teasing or insults.

“In the middle east, the veil is all-important. It does not only mark the inferior status of a woman, it is the inviolable protection of her modesty and chastity.”

William Barclay

The issue in the Church at Corinth

A problem arose in the church at Corinth, where women were preaching and prophesying with their head uncovered.

A Local Problem

Now, the issue in question was: Can a woman participate in a church service with her head uncovered? It’s important to note that this was a local issue. Respectable women traditionally covered their heads everywhere. However, some women who had converted to Christianity felt liberated and believed this covering was no longer necessary.

Women who were saved, and experienced the gift of God’s salvation seem to have taken advantage of the freedom where they overlooked the local customs of the land that was prevalent both among the greeks, arabs and jews..i.e, a woman should always have her head covered. This brought in a new problem, i.e., church was perceived to be a place where certain societal morals were relaxed and norms were let loose.

Like many other issues in the church at Corinth, this issue was reported by the household of Chloe to Paul. (1 Corinthians 1:11 NIV)

A Local Solution

Paul provides a solution that aligns with local traditions and customs. Societal norms that were in line with scriptural principles were accepted in the church, and those that were not, were rejected. This is the case with many other issues that Paul addresses in the church at Corinth.

When the issue of head covering or veiling was brought to Paul’s attention, he wrote to the church instructing them to cover their heads in the church. As part of his instruction, he introduced scriptural truths to establish the reason for covering their heads.

1. Don’t go against traditions or societal norms unless they violate God’s command.

• The tradition of wearing a veil or covering heads in public wasn’t against God’s systems or laws. It gave much-needed protection for women in a hostile society. Hence it was welcomed.
• In Contrast, the practice of Sati in India was opposed by William Carey because it demanded that if the husband died the wife also must die by being thrown into the fire. Such cruel practices were opposed by missionaries and activists alike.

2. Head Covering establishes a hierarchy of leadership in the Christian home and church

• In the first century AD, women who covered their heads demonstrated submissiveness to the male leadership. This can either be the father or husband. (1 Corinthians 11:3-6 NIV)
• Paul establishes his leadership hierarchy in 1 Corinthians 11:7-8. There are some who confuse this with the idea that males are superior and females are inferior but that’s not point. It is purely limited to the hierarchy of leadership in the Christian home and church.
• While establishing a hierarchy of leadership, Paul carefully rejects the idea of female inferiority and male superiority. He does this by stating in 1 Corinthians 11:11-12 NIV that neither is independent of the other.
• In summary, first-century society viewed women as inferior; head covering was a sign of this perceived inferiority. Although this was not the Christian view, it was the societal belief. Paul recommended that women wear head coverings, but at the same time, he refuted the idea of female inferiority and male superiority. (1 Corinthians 11:11-12 NIV)

Remember this was a local problem that required a local solution.

The church is not a place to abandon societal norms.

Another key reason Paul insists on head coverings is to prevent outsiders from perceiving the church as a place where societal norms are disregarded and women are allowed to do as they please. This is one of the reasons he prohibited women from speaking in public.

Q: Can this applied today?

Most scholars agree that this instruction cannot be applied today. These include the likes of William Barclay, and Leon Morris (Tyndale NT Commentary). It is based on the following points:

1. In the past, women were perceived as inferior within society. While this is no longer the norm, it still remains in some parts of the world
2. In the past, women with uncovered heads were often perceived as prostitutes. An unveiled woman was seen as ready for business, effectively inviting customers. However, this is no longer the prevailing perception of prostitutes today.
3. In the past, a woman’s respect and dignity were often measured by how well she covered herself and how little she spoke. However, this is not the current perception of a woman’s worth. An unveiled woman isn’t perceived as immoral, nor is a fully veiled woman considered inherently more dignified and respectable.

The application of this instruction was limited to the church in the 1st Century AD and is not required to be applied universally to all churches of all ages.

Conclusion

In Conclusion, the matter of head covering (1 Corinthians 11:2-16 NIV) was a local solution given to solve a local problem and should not be in the universal sense because of change in perception of the world today.

At this point, super spiritual ninjas will argue that if something is written in the Bible, it must be followed. I say by all means, follow it, but do so in the way it was done in the 1st Century, i.e., wear a burqa that covers you from top to bottom, leaving only a small opening for the eyes because that’s how it was done, not your fancy little head coverings, or the pure white sarees with nice embroidery or the little transparent piece of cloth sold in the convention stalls. Go do it.

Perhaps you see the practical difficulty of applying this verse. Why is that? It is practically difficult because it had its application in the 1st Century, not the 21st Century.

More Later. God bless.