1 Corinthians 11:10-12

That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; 12 for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God.

Men have a strong inclination to be corrupted by power and authority. This tendency can easily lead an authority figure to take advantage of those under his leadership. Caring more for his personal comfort than the wellbeing of those he leads a boss, government official, pastor, or husband can think of himself as important and others as unimportant—after all he is the one who makes the decisions. God makes it clear in these verses that we are equal before Him.

Though women were made for men, men would not be around without women. We need each other. The man who thinks himself better than women because of what the Bible says about men and women in not treating Scripture properly. God made us so that we needed each other and more importantly He made us so that we need Him. God is the superior one. He is the creator and sustainer.

1 Corinthians 11:7-9

"For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man."

We need to acknowledge the truth and give heed to it, even if it flies in the face of our culture. Husband and wife are equals before God, our culture accepts this, and later verses testify to this truth. But these verses show us that equal does not necessarily mean the same. God had different reasons for creating men and women, and because of God’s design, men and women have different roles and find deeper fulfillment in doing what each was designed for.

Recognizing man’s need, God created woman for man. She was designed to complement or complete him. In a marriage relationship a woman who supports her husband publicly and privately does bring glory to her husband. The husband also has a responsibility to make the wife better by leading her in the right direction, but man’s primary responsibility is to glorify God. This is the wife’s responsibility too, but one of the main ways she does this by honoring her husband.

The wife wearing a head covering is a symbol of her recognition of this relationship. The symbol is important, but the underlying relationship and heart attitude is far more important.

1 Corinthians 11:4-6

"Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven. For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head."

Men should never wear head coverings in worship, to do so dishonors Christ. But when women worship publicly, they should wear a head coverings to honor their husbands. The head covering is not the hair itself but some form of covering that goes over the hair—this much textually is indisputable. What is fairly disputed, however, is if the practice is still normative today. I believe that it is, and I will consider the scriptural reasoning further as I work through the next several verses.

This passage of scripture seems so clear to me, but not everyone has come to the same conclusion. In fact, I am in the minority among today's conservative Bible believers. Therefore, it is important for me to note that disagreement on this issue is not a source contention. It is also important to note that the external form, while important, is not as important as the underlying imperative for the husband and wife to be properly related to one another before God.