Head Covering for Christian Women-
A Contemporary View C E Maher

Headship
1Cornthians 11:3-10
Verse 3- But, I want you to now that the head of every man is Christ, the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
Verse 4- Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head.
Verse 5- But, every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as f her head were shaved (shorn)
Verse – for if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But, if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn, or shaved, let her be covered.
Verse7- For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God.
Verses 8-9- For man is not from woman, but woman from man; nor was man created for the woman, but woman for man.
Verse 10- For this reason, the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.

Paul taught that Christian women should wear a covering on the head. This was based on his understanding of Genesis chapter 3. The headship of man over the woman is established in verse 16 of the chapter, which reads, “Unto the woman He said,’ I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception. In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children, and thy desire shall be for thy husband, and he shall rule over thee”.
The veiled headcovering in the day of the Apostle Paul was not simply a demonstration of a woman’s modesty, as many suggest. It is an acknowledgement of a correct understanding of God’s creative order. This does not mean that a woman is of lesser importance than her husband. The Bible says in several places that in Christ all are equal.
The statement that God is the head of Christ, in no way implies that Christ is less than God the Father. It cannot. Both are God. They are equal. In the same way, the headship of the man does not imply the inferiority of the woman. Man and woman are equal before God.
However, they do have different roles. It is the matter of order that God has assigned the man to be the head of the woman. His role is to lead her and he is to protect her.
The text above clearly demonstrates that this is precisely why women should wear a covering upon the head. It is because the man is the image and glory of God, while woman is the glory of man (verses 8, 9). Verse 10 tells us that this is something that concerns even the angels, though the text does not explain why.
In the 2nd chapter of Timothy, we read the following words. (Verses 9-11) “in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls, or costly clothing, but that which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works. Let a woman learn in silence with all submission.” These verses, which address modesty, do not speak of the headcovering. That is because headcovering for women is not primarily about modesty, but is related to the acknowledgement of God’s authority and a woman’s place in creative and church order.
This is the main reason why Satan came to Eve in the Garden, and not to Adam (Verses 12-14) “And I do not permit a woman to teach or have authority over a man, but to be in silence. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And, Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.”
Our enemy, the devil, knew exactly what he was setting in motion. He did not go to the man. He went to the woman. His goal was to deceive the one person whose influence over the man would cause him to choose disobedience to God. By doing this, Satan was sure to bring humankind out of God’s creative order. This is the reason why the Church should not have women in leadership positions. And it is why the headcovering is still important for godly women today.

Questions
Isn’t long hair the covering that the Bible refers to? No, because the covering of long hair is given to women as their glory. The reason for a woman to have a head cover in prayer is because she is the glory of man. It is man’s glory which is being covered while in prayer. Modern Christian women often wear a long skirt to demonstrate modesty. Doesn’t that eliminate the need for a covering on the head?
Again, the answer is no. Modesty is not addressed in this passage of Scripture, the acknowledgement of God’s order is. Furthermore, the way that the covering is done in the first century should have a 21st century correlation. In the 1st century church, a woman covered head. In the 21st century church, it is still the head which should be covered, as with a hat, scarf, snood or bonnet.
What type of head cover should a modern woman wear in order to obey God in this?
In modern society, we do not have set standard for the woman to wear a particular type of cover on her head. There are many styles to choose from. A woman need only find a type of head covering that fits into her own sense of fashion.