In today’s culture, most Christian men remove their hats as a sign of reverence and respect when they pray. For the same reason, most women in past generations wore head coverings when praying. We need not look further than scripture to discover where, when, and why these practices began.
Where Does the Bible Talk about Head Coverings?
The topic of head covering is seen throughout the Old Testament but is emphasized at length in Paul’s first scriptural letter to the church at Corinth. After spending 18 months training the new Corinthian believers, Paul left them to continue his missionary journey and undoubtedly had high hopes for their spiritual success in his absence. But four years later, in Ephesus, Paul received a disturbing report that his brothers and sisters in Corinth had fallen into serious disunity (1 Corinthians 1:11-12).
Deeply concerned for their spiritual well-being and the health of the overall Church, Paul penned a lengthy letter to remind the believers about the foundational truths from which they had strayed. He addressed various specific issues in his letter, including head covering, which can be found in 1 Corinthians 11:1-16.
“But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved. 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. A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man.” (1 Corinthians 11:2-7)
What’s The Context of Bible Verses about Head Coverings?
Our Bible breaks Paul’s first (scriptural) letter to the Corinthians into 16 chapters. The first chapter includes his greeting, which extends to the Corinthian believers and to “all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:2).
In his letter, Paul urges the church to stop trying to distinguish themselves from each other by relying on flawed worldly wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:20-31). He encourages them to unite with one another under true wisdom that can only be found in Christ Jesus.
Acting as a loving spiritual father, Paul painstakingly addresses each issue plaguing the believers and perpetuating their division. As he begins his instruction about head coverings, he reminds the church about God’s order of governance under the New Covenant. “But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God” (1 Corinthians 11:3).
During Paul’s period, Jewish women—and men—commonly covered their heads during prayer. Greek men and women had no such tradition. Paul reminds the mixed congregation that they must unite by forsaking their old customs and exercising new practices that set them apart as one Body, with Christ as the head.
When read in context with Paul’s entire letter, his instruction about head covering aligns with everything he tells the church about unity and the new covenant way of life. He describes the practice of women covering their heads (while praying or prophesying) and men abstaining from the practice as a physical representation of their internal submission to God’s governing order (1 Corinthians 11:11-12). He explains creation itself affirms this symbolism and that even the angels observe this mysterious practice (1 Corinthians 11:10).
Throughout his letter, themes of submission and authority arise as Paul calls the believers—as one—back under the headship of Christ, their Lord.
In his article “Hierarchy: God’s Chain Of Command,” Dr. Tony Evans explains, “No person who names the name of Jesus Christ can claim autonomy. No man may say, ‘Because I am a man, I can do whatever I want.’ No, Christ is your head, your covering. You are answerable to Him. Each of us is under authority.”
Does What the Bible Says about Head Coverings Apply Today?
From the early church until the mid-20th century, many Western churches accepted and practiced Paul’s instruction about head covering.
Writings throughout Christianity’s first centuries show the early church considered Paul’s teaching about head covering essential. Writers like Tertullian (150-220 A.D.), Clement of Alexandria (150-215 A.D.), Hippolytus of Rome (170-236 A.D.), John Chrysostom (347-407 A.D.) Jerome (347-420 A.D.), and Augustine of Hippo (354-430 A.D.) reveal the early church holding fast to the symbolic act of head covering prescribed in Paul’s epistle.
Further down the line in church history, we see that John Calvin, Matthew Henry, John Wesley, and Martin Luther believed that Paul’s teaching about head covering was just as applicable in their day as it was in Paul’s day.
Today, many Western Christian men still remove their hats while praying or attending church. However, it is no longer customary for Christian women in the West to wear head coverings during prayer or worship. The practice began to decline after the 1920s and fell completely out of favor by the 1960s. When it continues today, it’s usually practiced by groups like the Amish or the Mennonites.
Modern interpretations of Paul’s first letter to Corinth began to surface in the 1960s, around the same time as the rise of feminism. In 1968, a U.S.-based feminist group called The National Organization for Women (NOW) released the following resolution on head coverings:
“WHEREAS, the wearing of a head covering by women at religious services is a custom in many churches and whereas it is a symbol of subjection within these churches, NOW recommends that all chapters undertake an effort to have all women participate in a “national unveiling” by sending their head coverings to the task force chairman immediately … these veils will then publicly be burned to protest the second-class status of women in all churches.”
(As quoted in Faithful and Fearless: Moving Feminist Protest Inside the Church and Military by Mary Fainsod Katzenstein)
Many well-respected modern theologians and Bible scholars believe that Paul’s instruction about head covering does not apply to Christians today. Some of these teachers feel that the 1 Corinthians 11 passage applies only to Paul’s culture. Ssome dispute the interpretation of the words used for veil and hair in the passage. Others assert that a more modern symbol, like a wedding ring or a general attitude of submission, is a permissible substitute for head-covering.
What Does This Mean for Christians Today?
In today’s polarized world, the last thing Christians need is another issue to be divided over. Just like in Paul’s day, we have an adversary who seeks to divide and conquer the church at every turn. As we consider the ways and will of the Lord, according to scripture, the Holy Spirit is our unifier and our teacher. The wisdom of this age will always come to nothing, but the Spirit, who lives in us, searches the deep things of God so that we can fully comprehend the truths He has freely given us (1 Corinthians 2:10-16).
If we follow Paul’s advice and “do not go beyond what is written,” we will be able to rightly discern God’s Word (1 Corinthians 2:13-14), and we won’t be puffed up in the following one teaching or one teacher versus another (1 Corinthians 4:6).
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Roberto Jimenez
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