Please provide your bibical thoughts on the subject
I've seen so much videos/things online I can't decide
I'm going to fast for discernment because I can't seem to decide
The issue of women being pastors or wearing head covering has caused endless controversy in the church, often fuelled by cultural discrimination clouding people's interpretation of scripture. It's interesting that men seem to be the primary ones who strongly push ideas about women in church.
Firstly head coverings:
In order to establish a doctrine as scriptural, multiple passages of scripture are needed. A doctrine should not be built on one passage. Doing so leaves too much room for false interpretations. To scripturally teach head coverings, it needs to be shown as a doctrine taught in different passages. It isn't not taught in multiple passages. When something is only taught in one place and cannot be proven through multiple passages, then careful study is needed of the single passage to see why it is saying what it is saying. The passage in Corinthians that deals with head coverings is badly taught and heavily misinterpreted. In Corinthians, Paul is dealing with an issue relevant to Corinthian society and culture. Firstly, Paul is addressing married women, not all women.
This passage is not there to show us women everywhere should wear head coverings, but to teach us how to apply Christianity into local customs. There are times local customs should be followed, despite being free in Christ, because to not do so can affect the witness of the church in the community.
Briefly: in Corinth, Prostitutes did not to wear head coverings. However, people were thinking 'we are free in Christ now and don't have to follow local customs'. So, they were coming to church without head coverings. This meant men were arriving at church with women who, to the outside observer looked like a prostitute. This brought dishonour to the marriage (hence Paul says the woman dishonours her head.... i.e.: the head of the home, her husband, by not wearing a head covering). Also, men wore head coverings as a covering before God to hide their sin (much like the caps worn by Jewish men these days). Paul says that for a man to wear these head coverings it dishonours his head - i.e.: Christ. (this is not a reference to wearing any hat, but a specific covering that has a religious motive). It's is an insult to the work Christ did to feel you have to cover your own sin s before God with a head covering. Therefore, the head coverings mentioned for men and women refer to different things. For men to wear them, they dishonour Christ and the work He did by washing us from our sins. For women not to wear them, they look like prostitutes to others and dishonour their marriage.
Also, women caught in adultery were shamed by having their hair shaved off. Paul is saying, if a woman is going to shame her marriage within Corinthian culture by not wearing a head covering, then she might as well shave her hair too.... because that is the same level of shame! It shows adultery in the marriage.
Regarding women preachers, please note that the first person to preach the resurrected Christ was a woman. She, in fact, took the message of the resurrected Christ to the disciples! Also, the woman at the well (John 4) went and preached Christ to her entire city, resulting in them coming to Him. My previous comment about establishing a scriptural truth by multiple passages, not just one, applies in asking whether women should be pastors. Can it be clearly established by a multitude of passages, rather than trying to push an idea that suits a person's personal gender discrimination, using one or two badly interpreted passages of scripture?
