A gracEmail subscriber asks about Paul's instruction to the Corinthians that women be veiled in public worship (1 Cor. 11:2-16). * * * When I was growing up in the Churches of Christ in North Alabama in the1950's, many preachers taught and many women believed that this text required the sisters to wear a hat or veil on their head whenever they were "in church." If asked why, these Christian women would explain that it was a symbol of their submission to men, or at least to their husband if they had one. On the other hand, these particular sisters never said a word aloud "in church" (except … [Read more...]

A Christian sister asks, "Please explain the passage which says, a woman should have 'authority on her head because of the angels'" (1 Cor. 11:9). * * * This passage in 1 Corinthians 11 has always held a special fascination for me because I grew up among churches whose women wore hats or veils of some sort whenever they "went to church," based on this text. What is Paul saying here? Numerous interpretations have been offered, but the following one makes the most sense to me. 1. Paul writes to a largely messianic-Jewish audience which assumes that women are subordinate to men (at least … [Read more...]

A gracEmail subscriber asks whether I think church "boards" should include only elders and deacons, or also chairpersons and ministry leaders. Elders and deacons only, in his church, would mean an all-male board. He prefers that because he believes it "God's will that men should run the church," and because he thinks "men are more capable of making the decisions without getting too cluttered with our emotions." * * * I suspect that Jesus and his apostles would be far more concerned about our notions of "running" things than with the gender of those who do it (Mk. 10:42-45; 1 Pet. 5:1-4). The … [Read more...]