4

Paul.

Paul wrote a whole lot of letters and sermons and some of them are a little difficult. I'm pretty sure that if I sat down with Paul today, he would have quite a few things to say to me and I don't know if they would start with "I give thanks for you". I'm currently watching a series of lectures from Yale on New Testament history and literature and I'm hoping to get to know the historical Paul a bit better so that I can understand why he says some of the things he says. But I digress.

This is what Paul says about head covering.

1 Corinthians 11

I think that I've already explained that my choice to cover has more to do with it being a physical expression of faith than because I think that it is a necessity passed down from scripture. I don't think that this passage tells us that all women should cover today. I don't think that you (readers who identify as female) have to go cover, unless you want to.

Why? Well Paul is speaking to a group of people living in Corinth (Greece) in the first century. In that time and place, women wore head coverings or long hair as a sign of submission to men and to show that they behaved 'properly'. Paul places a lot of importance on female submission in this passage and the head covering is a symbol of submission for married women in that culture. Head covering does not carry the same symbolism in our culture (it really just seems to confuse people) so it is not considered necessary to most Western Christians today.

There is also some evidence that women who worked as temple prostitutes may have had short hair as did some Jewish women who were in mourning. A woman covering her head (with long cloth or long hair) was set-apart from these groups. 'In' but not 'of' the world, if you will. Again, with the change of culture (we don't assume that every woman with short hair has sex at a temple or that every woman with a shaved head is Jewish and in mourning), this is no longer seen as necessary.

So I'm not covering my head because Paul says to. But that doesn't mean that I think there is no value in this passage. There is always value.

What is timeless in this passage? Many things. One of which is the reference to praying and prophesying. Praying and prophesying didn't end with the first century church. There are prophets among us today and each of us may be called at any time to open ourselves to receive from the Holy Spirit.

One of the reasons that I have chosen to cover for most of my waking hours (and not just in church or worship) is because I don't think there is ever a time when we are cut off from God. Therefor my covering is a constant reminder to bless God, to commune with God and to witness God in all aspects of my life.

There is also the line; "because of the angels". But we'll save that for another time.

3

I don't come from a head-covering tradition.

I am an elder in the Presbyterian church in Canada. No head covering here.

My family background is Scottish Presbyterian, Anglican and French-Canadian Catholic but I hardly ever went to church as a child so I cannot claim any of these traditions as essential to my current faith journey. Perhaps they are hidden in my DNA... my belief that scripture and biblical learning are for all people, my love of sensual worship involving light and scent and my connection to the Saints all lead me to wonder if our spiritual selves might be inherited like blue eyes, freckles and brown hair.

At work (in a Presbyterian Church) people have asked if I've become a Mennonite, a Mormon, a gypsy or a Doukhobor. It's all tongue in cheek but I find interesting that each person relates head covering to a very specific group of people.

Yet many women practice head covering. Some Muslim women cover. They come from all over the world, not from one specific ethnic group. The same with Roman Catholic women who cover and evangelical women who cover. There are Pagan women who cover as a response to a deity (eg. Hera) or as a rite of passage into womanhood. Some Orthodox and Jewish women also cover, adding to the diversity of head covering sisters.

To me, head covering has less to do with a specific religion and more to do with a personal response to spiritual calling.

This past weekend I went camping with the church and covered the whole time. It was terribly handy as my hair would have looked a mess otherwise. No one seemed to care, which was nice because I'm still not sure how to explain this in a proper, Presbyterian context. Mostly because there isn't a "proper" Presbyterian context for head covering.

All covered up for camping. 

2

Google "head covering". The first page that comes up is The Head Covering Movement. The website is pretty modern looking. The pictures are of women with soft features who look like they are in their 20's. My picture could fit in on their page of testimonies.

But wait. I'm reading the testimonies of women who attend independent Baptist churches who are careful to mention that they uphold "traditional marriage" and believe in the bible better than "skewed" liberals do.

I don't fit in here after all.

The Head Covering Movement believes this:

"We believe that 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 teaches that for Christians in every age and culture:men are to keep their hair short (1 Cor 11:14) and not wear something artificial on their head (hat, scarf etc.) when “praying or prophesying” (1 Cor 11:4.)women are to keep their hair longer then men’s (1 Cor 11:15) and cover their head with something artificial when “praying or prophesying” (1 Cor 11:5-6.)that the husband is called to lead his wife and the wife is called to submit to her husband’s leadership (1 Cor 11:3,Eph 5:22-33.)"

The movement was founded by a young man from Alberta (who, according to his bio, sells Christian E-books and likes energy drinks). His wife (who covers at religious gatherings) has the title of "Pinterest Manager". Why would a man have started a movement that has to do with women's expressions of spirituality?

I've built up walls now. I am judging these people. That is not at all helpful.

Let's begin again. Let's look for common ground in the testimonies of head-covering women. 
Carlie loves seeing God's creativity in nature. She is vegan and she helps people live healthy lives. She says, "Even without the Biblical passage (1 Cor 11) I have so many reasons why this is right for me. I could easily tell an atheist or non-Christian why I cover without ever mentioning a Bible verse."
That makes sense. 

Donna has a Masters of Education and runs a dance ministry at her church. She says, " In dance, you have to work hard to minister through movement of your body, without letting your body become the focus of what people see. With head covering, you do not want the focus to be on the covering- style/fashion." 
That is a beautiful sentiment. 

When I'm not being self-righteous, it's easy to remember that each of these women are sisters. We may disagree on matters of theology and doctrine but we worship the same God. We understand God in different ways. And although we understand God in different ways, we don't disagree about everything. 


I may not be a part of or even welcome in The Head Covering Movement but I am a member of the weird, wonderful and universal capital "C" Church. We sisters have that in common. 

The Head Covering Movement offers a whole page of quotes and images to share with your friends. Like trading cards. 

1

From a Dutch painting c. 1697

When I was a teenager I used to wear scarves on my head. I had frizzy hair with terrible cowlicks. It always looked un-brushed unless I spent a long time with my head upside down over a diffuser blowing hot air over thick mousse that dried my hair in curly clumps. I wore scarves that matched my chosen 'hippie' persona and easily covered my mess of hair.

As an adult I cut off all my hair and wore a pixie cut for a few years. But eventually I stopped getting it cut once a month and it all came back.

But that's not really why I'm here.

I am interested in the hyper-sexualization of even modest women's fashions. I am interested in the cultural contexts that lead women to take the paths that they take. I am interested in the way that women express faiths that have been written and taught by men for thousands of years.

But that's not really why I'm here either.

I think that I am here because there is a Creator who leads us each to creative expressions of faith. About a year ago, a thought was conceived and grew into an interest with no context at all.

Some mornings, I would put a scarf over my hair and feel like a hand rested gently on my head. It was not a patronizing hand. Just comforting.

Sometimes when I was feeling irritable or exasperated I would put that scarf on to remind me of a presence that is higher than my trifling troubles. That presence reminds me to be a peacemaker. Sometimes.

When I was to lead worship or write prayers, I would don that scarf as though it would shield me from distraction and filter in the holy.

I am here to be still and contemplate why this expression of faith seems to suit my current needs.

I am here to learn more about the experiences of those whose different needs are also met by similar pieces of cloth.

I am here to question my own religious and spiritual, feminist and feminine journey and how that journey is illustrated in my life.

Let's try four months of consistently covering, for better or for worse.