Keep sharing good news without ads.
No description available
Head coverings have not really been an issue for many many centuries, but lately it's becoming a bigger and bigger issue. Some controversy has been coming up on the issue of head coverings and as we're going to see author of the book a cover for glory States kind of clearly that it was not an issue until.
One two three.
Welcome to the rap report with your host andrew rapaport where we provide biblical interpretation and application. This is a ministry of striving for eternity and the christian podcast community. For more content or to request a speaker for your church Go to striving for eternity .org.
Well, welcome to another edition of the rap report. I'm your host andrew rapaport the executive director of striving for eternity and the christian podcast community of which this Podcast is a proud member.
We are here to give you biblical interpretations and applications for the christian life. I am joined today by Someone that I met when I was doing a show with dead man walking greg moore. We had not met at least that I know of before that.
But.
In the discussion we got into discussing head coverings, which Dale had written a book on and I was thoroughly interested because folks who follow this show and my apologetics live show know that. We have had several podcasters in the christian podcast community who've changed their view on head coverings including.
My co-host on apologetics live drew so he had changed his view. The guys at I think it was do theology. Were preaching through first corinthians and changed their view To a view of wearing head coverings for women.
This is based out of first corinthians chapter 11. And I was very interesting. Dale has a book out called a cover for glory Subtitled a biblical defense for head coverings. Dale partridge welcome to the rap report.
Hey brother, i'm excited to be here and have this conversation. Hopefully it's helpful for the church and he is hoping to change my mind.
We will see but you know I'm, not opposed to changing changing my view if that's what scripture says. But and that should be the case for all of us, but for dale for folks who may not know who you are.
Can you introduce yourself let folks know a little bit about yourself? And the ministry at relearn .org which folks you all go check out.
Yeah, so, uh, i'm a You know husband father. I have four kids. I live in Prescott, arizona. Which is a little bit north of arizona about an hour and a half north of phoenix. I pastor a church here with a handful of elders and faithful men called kingsway reform church Presbyterian by doctrine westminster.
Confession of faith is the the confession that we hold to.
Um.
We are uh applying to be a part of the crec. So we're in that process of of that journey. Um, I I uh operate a ministry called relearn .org, which is primarily an app that We have essentially it's you know If some people might know of canon or canon plus very similar in the sense that we we focus less on video.
Actually, in fact, we don't really do video. Ours is we want to create an incredible library of Reformed audio books for the entire family. So we have great books for moms dads, uh, teens kids and one thing that we do that's kind of unique is that we actually have sound effects and music and All around theology and and narrative biographies and stories that are really unique and well done.
Uh for the entire family, so we started that. Um. A couple years ago and it's been a really great project so far been fruitful. Um, and we just passed over a thousand subscribers. Um, which has been a big blessing for us.
And and so yeah, that's you know, we have a podcast on real christianity. Um record my sermons all the normal typical pastor stuff, but you know, yeah, my life seems to be filled with just constant teaching.
Well typical pastor stuff, oh, it's okay. A lot of teaching and a lot of other things that get in the way of teaching.
Yeah, yeah, it's amazing. I I've often been uh, you know overwhelmed with The balance of it all and you know, I I don't know if you're truly called a pastor until you've tried to quit at least once. Um, and so.
You get to a place where you go. I'm I don't know if I could do this. I'm done or you know. And then you know, you have a good conversation with your wife. You're one of your co pastors or elders comes and has a good conversation with you.
You wake up the next morning the holy spirit fire and you get at it. Um, and so.
That's been my journey for the last eight years. Well, it actually took me three times to quit my first church. I I I went to the the elders and I told them I just I i'm resigning. And I said that verbally.
They rejected it verbally. I then put it in writing. I actually have a letter of them rejecting.
My.
Resignation in in writing, uh, and then the third time I was like look there there's just Too much going on and they accepted it uh, and that same church actually just contacted me to take today to come back and uh, and Come back to the pulpit there for you know to help them out.
And so I was like Ah, okay. Do I do this? So yeah, it's it's you always have that. It's it is a ministry that is hard for people to understand. I've. We have enough pastors and people in full-time ministry in the christian podcast community that i've been talking.
I've been talking with several wanting to do a podcast of those in full-time ministry.
And.
I want I already know the first episode. The first episode. I want to start by just asking all the pastors. So you start working on your sermon saturday night, right? Yeah, okay. Like just let's deal with all the myths that people believe in the church about pastors.
Yeah, yeah. No. Yeah, if there's a moment that I have a sermon that's not. Started by saturday that is a massive problem. That means that I had the flu that week that means that you know some insane thing happened, but yeah, that is uh,.
That is the real deal. That would be a real problem for me because most of my sermons I'm usually would be working on about four sermons at once they're at different levels. But if I didn't get started months in advance.
Because some of the stuff just takes a lot more research you got to do. Yeah, for example, let's let's deal with the topic right head coverings if you're coming to first corinthians chapter 11. There's a lot more you have to read When it comes as the issue of head coverings.
I haven't preached through first corinthians yet so I I've I've tackled chapters of the book, but I haven't gone verse by verse and I haven't tackled chapter 11 to preach it. But you know if I was I I would be having to read a whole lot more.
Because that there's a lot more I think that's lost in the area of head coverings because.
Of.
Well, whether the culture we live in or culture over time and. And you actually address that in in some of the book, right? So so let's let's get into first. Why did you write this book a cover for glory a biblical defense of head coverings?
What what brought this about for you?
You know my wife and I Maybe 10 to 12 years ago. Be we joined a church and the pastor there held this position. And we were younger in our faith and he didn't give us this, you know incredible exposition of the passage but.
Uh, he made a few points that were helpful for us and we we looked at the text together. My wife actually had a conviction even before I did. But we we saw you know primarily that Men take their hats off when they pray that's been a historic practice forever and is still generally the practice even today and it's because of that particular passage of scripture and so the reason that you have the farmer that takes his hat off and When he prays or at nascar when they pray and there's 10 000 people men take their hats off.
That's really you know The fruit of this particular passage in america. And so, uh, you know, I started seeing the inconsistencies between well, why why are men? Um willing to follow this passage and women not well that makes total sense with feminism.
Um, then I started doing some history looking about some research. And this is you know years ago finding out that essentially head coverings were vast majority of church history uh women were wearing head coverings, I mean the the first chapter of my book is the history of head coverings and Most women that read this book and men.
Um say i'm already convinced by the end of chapter one just from the historical argument they continue to push through. Because they want the biblical evidence, but it's hard to fight against the historical argument when you have you know the puritans and the reformers and the pre-reformers and the catholic church and and the medieval church and and the early church and the church fathers and and you start to see like This and it's not just in their writings.
It's in their art. It's in their sculptures. It's in their In their paintings it's in their Illustrations and their engravings. It's it's everywhere. In fact, it's extremely rare to find something church related.
Uh.
From you know any previous century that you don't see a woman wearing a head covering and so. When I started to find out that that head coverings essentially disappeared in tandem with the feminist movement.
That was when it really kind of piqued my interest to go, huh? Okay, so you start to see uh, you know, it shifts over to bonnets, uh bonnets shift over to hats.
Uh hats, uh shift over to kind of Doilies and little small things and fashionable statements and when the fashion got out of trend essentially the hat went away. Um, you start to see uh bonnet burnings from feminists.
You start to see hat burnings from the early, uh in the early 1900s. You start to see groups of feminist women that specifically targeted head coverings as the means of their oppression and you start to realize.
Okay.
Uh, this is certainly sociologically compelling and um, and so I had always held that position and then when I when I Uh decided to write the book I I did a podcast my wife maybe I don't know six years ago now on this and we had.
It's still like our number one podcast i've done like 260 episodes and you know, seven million downloads on our podcast and. That podcast on head coverings is still our most popular episode. And so I thought all right.
This is certainly an important discussion to be had and we've also noticed that there's this. There's this just the real data of more and more people are coming to a position on head coverings. As you mentioned even at the start of the show.
And so I thought one day i'm going to write a book. Um, and it. It just took me a while because of the amount one. I wanted it. I didn't want to be new. I didn't want to write a book about something that was really new to our home and.
But we really had been doing this for a decade before I even started writing this. And then two. It took me like a year to study for this book. I mean I read some incredible uh historical writings. Um, there is a couple other even modern, uh theologians.
Uh in the last, you know, 100 years that have written on the topic that have done some extensive work.
I I read the books that most people wouldn't read. Read, you know. Four five hundred page six hundred page books on the topic. And tried to take all the best content out of it and sum it up into like a less than 200 page book that you can Read in like a couple hours and so, um.
It's.
So far, it's uh, i've had several pastors. Uh, write me reform pastors that are like hey you you push me over the edge. Thank you. This was helpful. I've had um, i've had several. I i've only known a handful maybe two three women that have told me they've read it and not really, uh.
Adopted the position um, and so I you know, joel webb and I talk about this and and he says I you know. This is his words, but he says I would rather debate someone on head coverings than calvinism because it's an easier argument to win.
Um in the reality, I think it's true. I think that it's I think it's easier to win the argument if we're going to use scripture and we're going to have a you know historical uh cultural grammatical hermeneutic um, you're you're it's easier to win the debate around head coverings than it would even be.
Uh, you know against a you know, a provisionist or whatever obviously i'm a calvinist. So I believe that you know calvinism is correct, but but it's it's harder. It's a harder go in terms of the exegetical work.
Than.
Than head coverings and so. Um, that's that's the story and I guess we'll we'll go with that.
Yeah, I mean it is quite interesting. You're as you mentioned the first chapter. And as I said in the opening you make the case that really this was not a debatable issue until feminism. So, you know that that's a strong argument you make in the book.
So flesh that out a bit more. For folks, I mean because and again folks the book is called a cover. A cover for glory a biblical defense of head coverings and I should mention the best place to get it.
Yes, you can get it on amazon. But why support a secular company just saying go to relearn? dot org. Glory, that'll get you to the relearn learn store. That way well they get most of the money instead of amazon because amazon's going to use that money to.
Well.
Attack christianity anyway, so but that is the way they they do things and unfortunately, you know, it's it's hard to to to do things without uh the world system that till we get a fully parallel economy, that's we're working toward it, but Uh, the best place to go is relearn .org Dot org Slash glory.
So with that let's talk about this. Why do you think?
The.
The issue of feminism came in and the reason I I think this is such an important thing is.
Many.
And then we'll get into this more detail probably later when we look into the biblical arguments. But many believe what happened in corinth was That women were shaving their heads saying look I could be like a man.
It was like the early women's rights movement was to shave your head in corinth. And that this is the issue paul's addressing is to say well women shouldn't shave their heads. They should have their heads covered with their hair and that that's what the head covering is.
Um, which would be quite interesting because If that is what he's arguing. And yet we see historically that women would cover their heads.
Hi, this is daniel minnick from the truth spresso podcast. Truth spresso is a member of the christian podcast community from striving for eternity Ministries and I encourage you to check out all that the christian podcast community has to offer.
And another great member of the community is aaron brewster who goes by the name am brewster. He actually hosts two separate podcasts. One is truth love parent. The other is the celebration of god. I highly recommend you listen to them and aaron is also a speaker for striving for eternity.
And unfortunately aaron has experienced hardship from hurricane helene. He stayed at his house in north carolina to take care of his dad and tried to combat the flooding with powered water pumps. Unfortunately when the power went out inevitably the flooding continued.
While currently living on a meager ministry salary aaron has lost much of his livelihood in the flooding from helene. Let's be practical and give to those in need. Striving for eternity has set up a give send go fund to help out aaron and his dad.
As soon as I heard about the situation I donated and I strongly urge you to give too. Just go to give send go .com forward slash sfe. That's give send go .com forward slash Sfe. Please open your hand wide for those in need.
Imagine losing your house and your car and pretty much everything you've worked for all your life. It's far easier to give to those in dire need than to be someone in dire need. Please do the easy thing and give generously and be a blessing as jesus has told us to do.
It's the biblical and christian thing to do. Once again, go to give send go .com forward slash sfe. To help out aaron brewster who has lost virtually everything in the flooding from hurricane helene. Striving for eternity ministries is a 501c3 Non-profit so your generous donations are tax deductible.
So please give generously to help out a wonderful christian minister and podcaster a member of the christian podcast community. Once again go to give send go .com forward slash sfe. And be a blessing to someone in need.
It would actually be the feminist movement That caused paul to write it in the corinth to now. Do away with the head coverings.
Which yeah, it creates it. It creates a contradictory narrative. Um in my opinion there so I I think I will address the issue is the hair the covering. And I think that honestly is the easiest argument to debunk.
And so we will hit that one. Hard in a second, but I think that when we talk about the history A few things that come to mind is one we're seeing the loss of male authority now men don't need to be uh men don't need to feel like being a man is oppressive because god has.
Given us this station we have authority in the home and the church and we're supposed to be like the ultimate patriarch christ who is a loving and gracious authority. Um, but we are the uh, the image and glory of god.
Um, it doesn't say that women are the image and glory of god. It says that women are made in the image of god. But men have a unique station in chapter 11 that we are Uh the glory of god in a way that uh, the women are the glory of man and so.
Women.
This whole issue around head covering is about the issue of authority. It's about physical symbols that demonstrate the spiritual order.
To.
Other christians and to the spiritual world. And so when you remove.
Physical elements that distinguish Authority. It shouldn't shock us that we are now confused about Who can be in authority? And so what I mean by that is that um, when we have a church that's trying to ordain women.
Um, you know when you eliminate the visual symbols of authority the qualifications of authority are forgotten. And so it's part of the kind of i'm just like you i'm the same as you. Now god gave us this beautiful.
Uh, you know um study on clothing. That clothing communicates, uh, we know that it's very important. Uh throughout history there's a there's a whole theological argument around textiles and and um and uniform, etc, etc, but but if we take away the actual uh physical elements that communicate authority we shouldn't be Confused.
Why the church is so confused? About who is in authority and so I think that was a real big. Uh, when you walk into a church full of women covering their heads. Uh, you're not going to often find women trying to be ordained.
Um, it is it is uh. It is a sign that women are really in submission to their husbands. And that is a great and helpful trait to the ecclesiastical life of the church.
One of the criticisms that folks will make is that what they see. Women wearing head coverings and I think I think what a lot of people are referring to is more. They'll see it in the the mennonite. They see it in the the amish.
Where.
It's almost like women are second-class citizens. Almost. I think for some when they think head covering they're thinking islam in first off just the the. For folks that may not even realize the. The burqas that are worn within islam.
The women wear that. But it was actually only for muhammad's wives initially. So that wasn't a practice that you could argue that because some muslims will say well, this is historically the way it's always been.
No, it isn't it. The burqa started with um with his actually his youngest wife uh, aisha, but.
The thing is that that was you know. The full covering where only see the eyes was to protect his his wives from walking around town to identify them. Uh now all the women, you know are supposed in islam are supposed to do it, but We're not talking about that when we talk head coverings.
Right. No, no, and honestly I mean the scripture commands women to do it while they are praying or prophesying now. We need to qualify those terms. Um, what is prophesying you're like, oh, well, you know women can't prophesy.
Women can't be pastors. So therefore, you know that that you know, this is just talking about something else. No, the reality is is that women do prophesy. And what is prophesy. Prophesy means that it's a proclamation of the truth of god to uh to the world.
Now when you're singing rock of ages, are you prophesying? Absolutely, when you do the lord's table, it says that you proclaim his death until his return. You are in a sense proclaiming you are prophesying.
When you are doing recitations in your liturgy and you're reading scripture aloud. Are you prophesying. Certainly you are. And so when you're partaking in spiritual activities including prayer? You are to cover your head now.
There's so many angles and pieces of this conversation to have Uh discussed before you can really grasp what's going on.
You know one is essentially at the core. Why did I call the book a cover for glory?
Uh because man is the image and glory of god. Women is the glory of man.
And the idea is that uh, because god Our man is the image of in glory of god. He is to Not cover when he is spiritually Exercising his spiritual realities and so he is not to be covered. He is god's glory.
He is to be shown.
Um now.
Woman is the glory of man.
And she is to cover that glory in the presence of god uh, because she is now i'm saying glory of mankind she is The glory she is the most beautiful part of mankind. But she is the representation of man coming out of adam.
Adam is the representation of god coming directly from god. And so there's some great deep theological realities of genesis and intertwined here and eve and adam and so many things that we We could spend more time on.
And honestly if you've ever written a book, you know that when you write a book You quickly forget everything that you've done after about a year if you're not constantly debating it. So Um, i'm not going to be able to to you know extensively remember every element.
But I remember even studying for this book going my goodness. This is phenomenal interesting fascinating.
You know theological systematics. That are very helpful to put together.
But I think the best part for us Andrew is to really sit and talk about the hair as the covering because I think that's the number one Argument in the church and and you know, I think I I can deal with that pretty easily.
Yeah, and that's I mean right from the text. You know the the argument gets made because it says I mean verse six, right? Uh for if a woman does not uh does not cover her head let her also have her hair cut off.
But it it is. But if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved Let her cover her head and so the fact is hair is directly mentioned.
So.
This.
You know, but I'm going to preface it this way and just say There's a lot here that 2 000 years removed from corinth. We don't. It's hard for us to know exactly what paul is referring to unless he says so because there's a lot in this.
As you bring out in your book, there's a lot that brings us back to genesis because later it's going to talk about you know from um the next uh, not the next verse it's um verse 10 it says therefore the woman ought to have her her.
To to have a symbol of authority on her head because of angels. Yeah, um verse nine is for indeed man was not created for the woman's sake but the woman for the man's sake. So you have a lot going on in his argumentational why.
This is the case that is not fleshed out and You know, this is Probably the only text that's really clear on this topic of head covering. But just because it appears only once does not mean that doesn't make it a doctrine.
Well, yeah, and there's there's more text on head coverings than several. There's more text on head coverings than women teaching in the church. Um, I mean, there's more there's more content on head coverings than on, you know, new testament on parenting.
Um, there there's there's a. This is a robust passage of scripture and you're like, okay, this is this isn't this is 16 verses.
Uh that you.
Half a chapter on a particular issue um, and so I think it is worthy of looking at seriously now a couple things I want to talk about is one is. You know, you know You mentioned earlier The women covering their are shaving their heads.
That argument I always it reminds me of like nt rights. Argument that you know, oh in first corinthians chapter 14 when it says the women shouldn't Be teaching. Oh, it's just talking about those loud mouth brazen women that are in corinth.
You know the ones that are in the historical records and you're like what dude you can't you one you can't import a non-biblical concept into the bible and then apply this. Reduce and reject the you know, move the biblical concept away because of a non-biblical Example and and so, you know.
It also says in in first corinthians 14 that this is the practice in all of the churches. It says that again in first corinthians 11 that this is the practice and all we have no other custom Amongst the churches.
We know that the introduction to first corinthians is not written just to corinth. But it's written to all who are in every place call upon the name of the lord. Jesus christ. And so this is a letter that has again Sure a specific but also a general Christian message and so that is something we need to think of just contextually.
Who is this written to and can we just trust that this was written to christians? Not just in corinth, but everywhere and I believe we can I think we apply that are you going to say, you know? First corinthians 13.
Now that's just for corinth. So what's really easy to just kind of take and create a.
Local.
Application for the passages that we don't like but we're not going to take the local stuff. And explain it away on the passages that everybody likes first like first corinthians 13.
Now.
When it comes to this topic around the phrase, uh for her hair is given to her for a covering. Uh again many people say look it's right there dale the hair is the covering. It says it right. Case clothes, you know.
Head coverings. They're not needed. Let's let's just move on.
But I really believe that out of all the arguments. This actually is probably the weakest argument um, and and just follow along with me for a second because in chapter 11 verse 6 Paul says. For if a woman Does not cover her head Let her also have her hair cut off.
But if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off her head or her head shaved Let her cover her head. Okay, and just you just need to i'm going to read it again because I want you to just follow along with this and i'll Do a little exegesis here with you in a second.
So for for if a woman Does not cover her head And let her also have her hair cut off. Okay, you're about to see the contradiction there. But if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off Or her head shaved let her cover her head end quote.
So in other words if the hair Is viewed as a head covering? Why would paul say for if a woman does not cover her head Let her also have her hair cut off. I want you to just slow down with me for a moment To look at this with me if her hair is the covering.
Then you have to read the text like this. For if a woman does not cover her head with hair Let her also have her hair cut off. And this interpretation of the text it creates like a logical contradiction within the passage.
And it reveals that the covering that paul is referring to Is not a woman's hair. He's talking about and actually said if you don't have that covering on then cut off your hair. Because that's disgraceful.
Furthermore the the fact that paul only commands covering for women during certain functions Like praying or prophesying is also evidence that it's instructing the use of a removable covering because if if the hair Were the covering That he has in view then they would always be covered during all the functions because women don't take their hair off.
And more importantly if the hair Is the covering that paul is calling for? Why would paul even? Have to write to tell women to cover their heads again. Some people will take the historical. Oh There's so many bald women everywhere running around.
Um, really in the church there was all these bald women running around.
Again, we don't have a we don't hardly have any. In fact, uh, in fact, I couldn't even find Any. I saw lots of like stuff that came out in like the 1600s. But nothing that was early church claiming that women were.
That were shaving their heads. This is this is an extremely uh hard to trace Uh citation that is so incredibly popular in our feministic culture and so under the view that the hair is the covering again, it would be like Paul writing women to tell women to like wear their hands because when they pray when they pray and prophesy.
Of course, they're going to wear their hands because their hands like their hair are connected to their body. The other thing is that when when um, if the hair is the covering. Uh, then then why isn't the hair covering for men?
And so you're supposed to take something off your head. Are men supposed to shave their heads when they when they uncover. Um, well, of course not. No. No, it's because they're talking about a physical covering.
And and you look at the greek words that he uses In this passage and you start to realize that those are the same greek words that people use for veil or for a shawl.
And and so you there's a lot of evidence there that really can help you. Grasp that this is not talking about. A hair is the covering it's talking about. Your hair is the physical covering for the physical world.
Your your covering is for the spiritual covering for the spiritual world. So there's two coverings. Um, and one each each of them have their their purpose. There's a sense of modesty. That is real. Uh um that you can that hair covers a woman, um, and.
That's.
Correlating with specific. You know physical realities of modesty. And then there's a spiritual reality where glory that we cannot necessarily see but angels can. Um is the spiritual covering that you would put on there and so again.
That's just a basic easy, I mean I spend like 100 pages on that in the book, but.
There it is. Well, it's because This is a. The issue we have to deal with is what is the covering. I? I've been asked for many years to to deal with the topic of head coverings and I I started studying this text there were struggles that I had with it because When you get into what is the covering that's a real issue.
Everyone agrees women should have their head covered. Now the question is with what.
Where I struggle with the text is if I take it as as hair, which was my Right my presupposition walking into it is well, this is talking about hair because it mentions hair. Where I struggled with it is how does this relate to the creation order verse 9?
And the authority because of angels in verse 10 like what however you interpret the covering. It has to fit with the rest of this Context and the broader context and and I want to hold off to later on this, but i'd rather.
Let's let's get into the creation order and angels the the symbolism there but it gets into the fact of verse 3 right this is where this is starting this and I think if You look at the the way you lay out in the book the the issue of feminism.
Why would feminism have an issue with head coverings? Well, I think from verse 3 Feminism has a problem with verse 3, but I want you to understand that christ is the head of every man. And the man is the head of a woman and god is the head of christ.
It's that middle part there that feminism has the issue with right that Man is the head of woman. They they don't understand that they misinterpret that what that what that means and then they rebel against that so Uh, let's put hold that off because I think That's the overarching thing.
You have to answer when we look at what the coverings are. But whatever the covering is, I think you have to it has to tie in with paul's argument because his argument.
Is not.
His argument is not based on The corinthian church just like much as as you mentioned. We make the argument paul's argument in first timothy for women. Teaching and having authority is not based in what happened was happening with loud women.
In that in the roman empire at that time. Because he bases it in the creation order and the sin order. Well paul makes a similar thing here. He's he's basing it back to creation. So there's something here That goes beyond.
Corinth.
And that's where I have struggled with.
How.
With what this covering is and and how this. How the layout of this goes and that's why i've yet to really tackle this on the podcast. So that's why when when we were together, I said, oh, okay. I'm gonna let you tackle it for me, right?
You've done the research. Um. And I think the book makes very compelling arguments again. The book is called a covering for glory a biblical defense of head coverings. You can get it at relearn dot org.
Slash glory but. What is your argument for how this relates to the creation order and the angels?
Yeah, so. In terms of the creation order, we know that god has given man authority even in the garden.
We know that that authority was not corrupted prior to the fall. Um, we know that uh there, you know, that's my argument why why eve didn't need a head covering is because the head coverings are. Really as a result of of the fall.
It's to demonstrate something that didn't need to be demonstrated. In fact, you know, we see that god says to Eve, you know your desires will be for your husband, but he will rule over you. Um, and so this is upheld throughout the old covenant throughout the new covenant.
And and so again, these are symbols of that authority. They're physical symbols of a spiritual authority structure. That communicates and it's very helpful. By the way, it's extremely helpful. Uh for for church communities and church cultures and it preserves order.
Uh, and we live in a casualized culture, which wants to reduce all types of.
Reasons to you know use dress as authority, I mean, um, It's really dumb because you know, if you go anywhere, you're going to see a doctor wearing a white coat. You're going to see uh, you're going to see a you know, police officer wearing, uh, you know a police uniform you're gonna.
The good news is striving for eternity would love to come to your church to spend two days with your folks. Teaching them biblical hermeneutics. That's right the art and science of interpreting scripture.
The bad news is somebody attending might be really upset to discover jeremiah 29 11 should not be their life first. To learn more go to strivingforeternity .org to host a bible interpretation. Made easy seminar in your area.
You go to on an airplane, you know exactly who to ask. Uh for help because the the stewardess is wearing a uniform, uh, you know dress communicates. I mean, no nobody's going to argue with that. In fact, I actually um had just recently came to the conviction of of wearing the clerical collar.
Um, and and for the same reason is that you know people, um, You know if I walked into a room, no one's gonna have any clue just because i'm wearing a suit. That i'm a pastor um, well.
I don't know about that anymore because I walk into plenty of churches and i'm the only guy in a suit and people think I am the pastor.
That's true.
We've casualized so much that even like Uh, you know just respectful clothing is like oh you must be someone important um and you know, so I get that but it's Uh, you know, it was a really good story that I heard from uh, yuri burrito who said he went to dinner with doug wilson and Uh, the the woman who was serving them at the end of their meal asked for prayer Uh from yuri and she didn't realize that she's sitting next to one of the most influential pastors in america.
But she turns to yuri and asked for prayer because she didn't know that doug was a pastor. But she did know that yuri was because he was wearing his collar and so, um, you know, there's just things like that that you can't argue that dress communicates and so.
The value is that the authority structure that is in place, which is a whole other argument, which I you know I actually tell people this book is not even really about head coverings. I mean, it's there it's I Exposit that passage of scripture, but it's really about male and female uh roles distinctions order stations um, it's really about structure in church.
Dr. Mcfall wrote a book called good order in the church. Uh, it's like 600 pages it's about the kind of male and female order. And I used that book extensively. Incredible hebrew scholar did excellent work on this particular topic.
And his book was extremely helpful Uh on on communicating that so I would say yes because the argument is rooted and anchored in things that don't change like creation order or angels. Then this can't be a cultural norm.
This or a cultural argument. This is anchored into.
You know, um everlasting realities. And and so that that was a big part of the argument there, which again I you know would probably do better just to read for someone to read that particular Section of the books.
I I certainly spend several, uh, you know, maybe 20 30 pages on that. Um.
It is going to be very hard for folks to in a one hour episode get all of the depth of The research that you've put into the book. So just if folks are saying well, you're not convincing me. Well, because we're touching on highlights here um, I mean I have a ton of questions that that you know, I I'd end up because I I think there's a lot of counter arguments people are going to make that I I Want to see you address all of them, but we don't have time, right?
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, exactly.
I mean it's and I want to go to your point on um on the angels.
There are and again, i'm not going to have all the scriptures here for reference, but they're they're in the book, but it's. We know that this is for the sake the the the sake of the angels well, we know that the the physical hair.
Isn't for the sake of the angels the the because the physical covering is your a woman's long beautiful hair. It's a glory to her. Um, we know that a woman with short hair is not glorious if she's shaven, um, we know that a woman with long flowing hair just culturally sociologically I mean look at in the cover of any magazine you're going to see I mean if they're not feminist and weird butch.
Stuff going on there, but generally historically you see a woman with long beautiful hair and it's gorgeous. Men are attracted. In fact, I actually did a study. Um on social media, but I got this from the original study that was done.
Uh, the first thing that men notice even before breasts and butt on the body of a woman is a woman's hair. It is so vitally important to men and so hair is is a big deal, uh for for a woman. They know that uh, look at the you know you can see even like the fronts of These beautiful ships in the 1600s and the 1500s and they'd have this like mermaid or this beautiful flowing hair.
All the disney movies all these princesses have these beautiful flowing hair. And so so um. The hair is what makes them feminine and and that is a cover. Uh to protect them, um and show their femininity the physical or the spiritual covering.
Um is for the for the sake of the angels. So we have angels that we know according to scripture are looking on us as we worship we know that angels include demons and angel fallen angels and non-fallen angels and.
This communicates a godly order in a fallen world to an angelic realm. And that that's that's again, there's so much more here but that that is the the high level discussion um is that. You have an audience um, you have a physical audience, uh, you have a spiritual audience, um, and and they're all Tied in together and there's lots of commentaries on for the sake of the angels and there's obviously going to be varying different interpretations there.
Um, but the angels don't change and so we know that if this is something for the sake of the angels. Wow, well the angels haven't changed therefore this practice hasn't changed either.
Yeah, and the the passage really for folks to look at if you're have a bible open is first corinthians chapter 11 verses 14 15. That you're referring to it says does not even nature itself teach you that a man.
Uh, if a man has long hair, it's a dishonor to him. But if a woman has long hair it is a glory to her for her hair is given to her as a covering now. This is one of the arguments that's made then. Here it says it's for the covering.
Let's let me give the the counter argument. So, you know because this is this I think I think the hair as the covering is probably the most prominent view. Of those who don't hold to head coverings. I think that'd be a fair assessment.
I I I from my study of it. Um, and that's why I think it's it's best to spend the most time on that one. There's other arguments people have against it. But I think this is a primary one. Would that be fair?
You think yeah.
Yeah, and and if you will I like I can offer you I have the book up right here and there's some notes I can take and and share with just the Reality of the greek behind it.
Yeah, that'd be good for folks.
More convincing. So, you know when it says You know, essentially we want to prove that paul is talking about an artificial covering. Okay, that's what we want to see in the covering, you know. That our passage means he wants you to have an artificial covering.
And so if you look back if um, you know, first corinthians 11 4 it says, you know every man who has Something on his head while praying or prophesying disgraces his head. Um now the phrase something on his head um, you know is kata kefalis in in the greek and The only other place in the entire bible where this exact phrase is used is esther 6 12 and it's in the subdued obviously because The old testament is in hebrew.
But you know for those, you know of you who know the story of esther and haman and The sabotage, you know, uh esther's uncle mordecai, you know. The king had become aware of his scheme and haman Was now forced To honor mordecai in the public.
And in verse 12 in that passage of scripture It says then mordecai returned to the king's gate, but haman hurried home morning with his head covered um now this phrase his head covered is kata kefalis in in this obtuagent and The question we have to ask ourselves is is was the author of esther telling us that haman hurried home with his hair on.
Um, no, uh haman was ashamed and embarrassed and grabbed a cloak or a piece of fabric. And hid himself under it. Um, and that is what we see that this the phrase, you know kata kefalis um in You know is not talking about hair as the covering but an artificial covering.
Um, another instance is found in the secular greek literature by a first century greek philosopher plutarch. We've all probably if you're if you're a pastor, you've probably read some plutarch. Um. He said in an essay on the roman general sipio he said.
And he sipio came to alexandria and and landed and he went with his head covered. And the alexandrians running about him entreated him. Uh, he would gratify them by uncovering and showing them his desirable face.
When he uncovered his head they clapped their hands with a loud acclamation again. The exact phrase there is kata kefalis and it appears. Uh, it's further evidence that the hair is not the covering but paul is referring to.
And using the language of of an artificial cloth that goes around the head and so, um, you know first corinthians 1115. You know for her hair was given to her for a covering. Again for those of you, you know who know greek?
Um, you know, you get this, uh this term, um Pair see, um, i'm reading it right now. I'm my greek is uh parabolion okay, um, and You know, I want to look at that word um parabolion, um. And it's it's the noun covering in for a covering so it's specifically dealing with that word.
And in our entire passage the the root word used for cover covering or uncovered.
Is is kata kalupto? Which means to cover?
You know, which we know is an artificial covering. Uh, but the phrase for her hair is given Uh to her for a covering. Now paul uses a completely different word here. This is interesting. There you go.
Okay. Wow, so we've been using this kata You know kalupto Word in every other spot, but then all of a sudden he uses this different word for that particular verse Uh for a covering and so I think when I started getting into the exegetical side of it and you start seeing okay.
He's talking about a physical covering a physical covering a physical covering kata kalupto, which is related to the kefalase Uh covering that we talked about earlier and then all of a sudden he says the hair is a covering.
And then he he changes the word to a different word for covering parabolion and so, uh. It gives you so this word in the greek means something thrown around one. It's like a shawl. And it's the image of a shawl being thrown around a woman's head.
And so the first five instances paul is clearly talking about an artificial covering. But when he argues that even nature demonstrates the principle of a covering he uses a new word. And it can be translated really as for her hair is given to her as a beautiful shawl.
So paul is is making the point that even nature demonstrates that long hair is a glory is glorious on a woman. And and for this reason she has been given by god this beautiful shawl of hair. This is this is essentially a vital distinction that's going to help you kind of follow along.
On the argument so that that's that's a good place to stop right there.
In fact in in uh hebrews chapter 1 verse 12 that word is translated mantle when it says and like a mantle You will roll them up like a garment They will also be changed.
At least in that case. Uh, the secondary word that you're you're using that you're pointing out.
Uh is.
One that we would clearly see referring to something other than than hair. Even even though you have your you know, the context it's saying if a woman has long hair Right for her hair is given to her as a as a mantle or a cover.
So so it is intriguing that there's two different words there for the covering.
Um, yeah, I think I think that if you're a greek-speaking first century christian, you're just not even. Like it totally makes sense to you. Um, you're just going. Oh like yeah, he's talking about a covering.
We we know those coverings as physical coverings. And then you go. Oh, yeah, he's talking about hair. Like I get that like yeah, my my. The lord's given women beautiful long hair.
It's one of the problems we have to understand when we are translating is there may be certain languages that have more precision more nuance. That a different language might not for for example eskimos have so many more precise definitions of snow that here we just call snow or maybe you know, you'll we like where i'm at.
We might refer to it as flurries snow and blizzard. But they have a whole lot more because they're dealing with it more. And a lot can get lost. Look at the passage in john where jesus comes To peter and three times says do you do you love me?
Love me.
So many people miss the meaning of that because so many pastors. I hate to do this, but when I go into churches and we do our bible interpretation made easy seminar. This is a passage I bring up because so many people preach it and it preaches so well.
Peter denied him three times. Look, he's asking. Do you love me three times? And if you just look at the english.
You lose.
What's actually being said there. Because there's two different words for love in that passage. Jesus is saying do you agape? Do you love me and peter's saying? No, I phileo. I I have a brotherly love for you.
So he asks him a second time. Do you agape and I have a brotherly love for you the third time he says do you phileo? So now the third time he's asking do you actually do you really love me at the level you're claiming.
That's why Peter was grieved that he asked him a third time. Do you phileo? It's not that he asked three times that he was grieved. It was because Jesus is saying do you have an agape love for me and he's saying I have a brotherly love for you.
And now he's even questioning that.
Sometimes like in in a case like this, we have two different words. For english we're using covered. And yet there are two different words in greek that becomes something we have to then dig into to say, okay.
Why is paul doing that? What is the author trying to get at with that? This is this is the importance of studying our the bible you can't just Come into the bible and go like i'm going to rush in and rush out and and let me just encourage folks.
While you're listening if you do want to dig in deeper into studying the word of god. Let me encourage you to look into getting bible software called lagos. Lagos bible software is Some great software in there with their newest release.
If you've heard about lagos before and said, yeah, I can't afford that I i'd have to take out a mortgage on my home. Yeah, it used to be that way, but they now have a subscription based thing. So if you want to get into digging into the scriptures, you want to say?
Well, I want to know what dale's actually saying as dale's talking i'm pulling up the greek. In just a few clicks in my lagos software. You could do that, too. Go to lagos .com Slash sfe sfe stands for striving for eternity that lets them know that you heard about them from us.
And I believe they're still giving five free books, uh when you come through striving for eternity, so it's lagos .com slash sfe to get. Uh some lagos bible software, I think it's the premium software out today for doing bible study and that will help you to dig into as.
As dale is saying because scripture does tell us we have to have our women have to have their head covers. What does it mean you got to dig into scriptures to know and that's the importance of having good bible software.
Dale with that.
I think some make the argument that the the reference to Uh creation the reference to angels is dealing with Just the authority issue not the physical wearing of something on your head.
I I said I wanted to get back to verse three. Um for the people who make that argument.
I now as we talked before i'm not someone that's convinced that women need to wear their heads. Wear something on their heads. In in church, but I could be convinced from the text. Right, but I think this is a really bad argument for people to make anyway because of verse three to try to say well that the.
To me the overarching issue is not the head coverings. It's the authority.
Yeah, it's the authority and you don't want to display it. Um, it's it's a. Especially in a feminist culture where it's new. I mean, I actually opened up the book with a story, uh of my wife. Uh, it's called like looking strange for god um, and and she you know, she had her own journey of like.
You know, this is weird putting on a head covering. It wasn't weird for anybody. In previous generations. I mean you were a child wearing a bonnet to church. Um, it's just. That's just what it is. You look at uh, you know.
Um little house in the prairie, I mean it's just normal christian life historically, but now. Um, it's a display of your femininity of your submission of your reverence. Um, and so I I would say yes women have a struggle.
Because of the fall with the structure of uh verse three. But I think that actually verse seven. Um and eight.
And nine are actually harder verses because you go. 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. So we have different indistinct glories.
We're not the same and we live in an amalgam. Amalgamized androgynous kind of culture that wants us to be egalitarian in the same. Um, and and in fact man is the glory of god and woman is the glory of man and so so, you know, there's this.
There's this kind of preeminency or superiority not in value. But in station. And that's a key understanding and and and by station, I mean authority. Um, and the esv translates this whole passage of scripture as wife instead of woman.
Um, I actually believe that the argument the whole argument is between man and woman. Uh versus husbands and wives and so, uh, that's a whole other discussion. But you can look again in the book on that but it says in verse nine.
Or at first aid it says for man does not originate from woman. But woman from man, so it's talking about god who's created first chronological argument. Uh and woman came from man, but obviously he goes back later says but all come from from woman essentially birth.
But then in verse nine it says for indeed man was not created for the woman's sake but woman for the man's sake. I mean, that's where the feminists really start getting pissed is that that women were created for men and from men.
Um, and and so that that is again this these coverings represent all of that. And it's really restoring order in. Among god's people in a chaotic. Uh society that wants to be disordered and so I I think that's really the.
Also, let me just ask you the question. Let's just say that you get to a place where you're like. This could be right and i'm kind of just 50 50 i'm on the fence. I go well, what's the downside?
Like would you rather you know go before the lord and go you know what? I I really wasn't. Completely sure but so I decided to you know, my wife decided to cover her head out of a reverence and. And by the way, like women look awesome with head coverings.
I mean, they just look more attractive. I mean like you just look at a woman wearing a shawl On her head and like there's paintings throughout church history and they're just beautiful. I mean, they're just like it's just a beautiful Uh glorious thing, but let's just say you you know, you get before the lord.
Obviously this is hypothetical. You know, hey, I I never really knew but I thought I would just essentially be safe.
You know, would you rather stand there you go? You know what? I was not sure but I didn't do it. Anyways, and you're like well god's like well, it was a command.
You know, I I think there's just an element there. You just go i'm just gonna i'm gonna err on the side of covering. Because there's no downside. In fact, there's many many upsides. Especially in our generation and again, I know that's not the the argument you want to anchor on but it's one of it's one of the many arguments.
If you're do all the exegesis and you still land on the fence.
It it is the safer position I think is what you're saying and I think that's accurate because If god is commanding women to put a covering on their head other than their hair If that is the command and you do it even if you're doing it out of ignorance.
Okay, you're you're following the command, but if it is a command and you're not doing it because well, I haven't studied or something like that. You know, well now that's You're you're disobedient so I think I think you make a really good point there of the.
As far as if you're not sure if you're on the fence We should you know, do we take the safer argument until we do the study to be convinced otherwise because The the ultimate issue I think in this passage is about the authority issue which Was an issue back then Is an issue today and has always been an issue I think ever since the fall.
And it that It's because paul's whole argument is based in creation here.
Yes. Yeah, and um. By the way, let me just go back real quick because I found this quote from r .c. Sproul. As he said, um, he said all I know is this. There might be a commandment in scripture that requires a woman to cover her head in worship.
But there is certainly not a commandment in scripture that forbids a woman from covering her head in worship. Therefore the woman who covers her head is merely taking the safer and more logical position.
End quote. And I love that from Sproul, um, there's another quote from Sproul in this in the book that I have um. He says, uh, you know. Essentially, I can't find a red this segment. He grows up. Always seen women covering his head.
He said when he was a child. Obviously, you know, that was almost you know, almost a decade or almost a century ago now, you know, and so I think that there's just again that safer position. Um I think between history the historical argument which is vital and easy to be convinced by I think the Uh exegetical argument is persuasive at the very least.
I think the kind of argument of conviction That I just shared with you right now and because all of that again is anchored in creation and angels and the unchanging authorities structure and we live in a time of feminist ideological overthrow I just think that we're going to see a massive wave of godly women.
That.
Push into head coverings. And I think the arguments the other popular argument.
Is.
You know, oh, it's just a symbol. It can be like your Wedding ring is like the equivalent of today's head covering, you know.
But I go that argument I try to deal with too is that I go where do you separate in scripture a practice? From its symbols. Never. Like, you know, I know it's saying water should be involved in baptism, but let's use wind.
Okay, let's just you know, you would never separate a practice from its symbol. Um, no, no the covering. A covering is a covering, um, and so. Um, so just say that the covering is a wedding ring, which is interesting because doug wilson.
You know who has you know been kind of a mentor to me. Um holds that position. John macarthur, uh. Holds that position too or something. They both hold something near to that and so again, I think they they just started their ministries in the midst of like the height of Throwing off the old way.
And I really see Gen z fascinatingly. You've probably seen this as a pastor. Lots of young people Coming into our church that are going back to the old paths. Basically, like the boomers parents way.
Um and.
And uh, in fact also we also sadly are seeing Thousands upon thousands of christians going to eo and to uh to rome. Yeah, and and you know, what's pulling them some of them in is head coverings. They're seeing that the women over there are actually submissive head covering wearing women.
And all these men are running over there because they're just looking for a non-feminist woman in today's. You know chaotic age and so so there is a lot going on around this particular practice.
Well, I one of the things I find so interesting and I think this was your testimony as well that you mentioned is How many men I know? Have started studying out the issue of head coverings changed their view.
But it was their wives That were first convinced before them. So so because this is the the perception I think many have is that It's some man who is lording it over the woman and saying you will do this because you will submit to me and yet what and granted just anecdotal evidence is not proof but ever for me.
Every single man I know who changed his view on this issue Had a wife who first was convinced and I I just find that fascinating. And I don't know if that's more widespread Than I know.
It certainly so women tend so one godly christian women typically, by the way, i've also learned this, uh through ministry is that women who are loved heard And cherished almost never have a problem with this passage of scripture.
I mean they read it face value. They just cover their head. It's it's women who have either been told by their husbands to not cover or women who have terrible husbands and they don't want to Demonstrate or display the authority their husband has over them um, and so.
So when I when I see women that are that are like so against head covering. Um, I I either go well, maybe they're just ignorant. They haven't studied the topic.
Uh, but if they have read it or They have studied and they are still pushing against it. Usually it's indicative of something going on at home. Um, that's just been a generalization. But like I I posted a thing on on x today and it happened to have a little bit of virality.
And it was a picture of my wife with their head covered reading the bible to our kids this morning during home school and um. You know, there's all these Left-wing libs that are quote tweeting it. I mean, I mean hundreds of them.
People, you know, christian taliban is what one says. These kids these kids look like they're terrified.
Feminine poverty. That head covering laughing my a off.
You know what in the f is this. What is on her head? This poor woman looks like a slave. Okay, so over and over and over again.
But but this is coming from women who also are saying that to prove that they have. That they're, you know have power over men. They go on only only fans and display themselves, right? Okay, it's just I mean the the first wave feminists.
We're trying to say we're not sex just sex objects. We're more we you know, we could do things. And now feminism has taught them has reverted right back where now it's the feminists saying no, we're sex objects like Yeah, you have no no knowledge of the history of femininity like first wave feminism.
Would be yelling at the modern day feminists today. Oh, yeah. Yeah, totally. Yeah, it's absolutely insane. So it's certainly Again, I think that we're about to see a whole pendulum shift starting with the reformed community.
I don't I think the the that rome and eo I I don't really think they've had much of a of a break from this um like protestantism has. But I think low church Casualized protestantism has essentially become the laughingstock of of christendom um in the sense of its its lack of seriousness, and so I think a lot of Christians young christians specifically are not looking for, you know, they're not looking for rock band christianity anymore.
They're not looking for kind of the um, you know wear shorts to church uh, you know You know again casualized christianity. Um, they're they're looking for something more serious now. I I want to stay with the regulative principle of worship.
Um, but they're looking for you know, more beautiful buildings. They're understanding architecture. They're understanding Addresses on women. They're understanding head coverings. They're understanding Uh clerical, um, you know vestments or or some of those things that might be discussed.
They're understanding they're returning to you know hymns and and piano and some of the more beautiful instruments and and Liturgy and and you know some of the deeper things that historically the church has done.
And and so I think head coverings is kind of part Of this whole kind of revival Toward you know, we've seen the trad wives and the trad life and some of those things that have been returning I think it's all good things.
I think it's great things. Um, I think it's order being restored and people are mocking it and calling it. Oh trad and blah blah blah. No, I I just think that it's just normal biblical life when you have a wife that wants to You know cover her head and homeschool her kids and read the bible.
Um, but uh, But I do think that we're going to see a resurgence Of women wearing head coverings in mass. I'm talking Potentially millions over the next like 10 years.
Yeah.
I mean you bring up something a friend of mine matt slick and i've been discussing there seems to be a resurgence of roman catholicism and eastern orthodoxy. And we've been trying to like figure out, you know, like why.
I mean we're seeing. You know guys like russell brand who go out there and everyone wants to follow him and it's like oh. He talks a lot about jesus and then you go. Oh wait, but he's talking catholicism like that's a different jesus and so that's a that's a fascinating subject that i've been matt and i've been discussing recently, but a last question that I have for you is you know, I i'm starting to see as as you're explaining a shift and I am seeing it within reformed circles of Women wanting to wear head coverings.
Then guys studying it and changing positions and I I am seeing that more and more. Do you think as someone who has studied this and and researched it Do you think that this? Shift to head coverings.
You know in response to what we've been seeing. I mean, we're seeing a response to to the feminism. That has been gone on for years. It you know, look we that not to get political but the this past election.
What would we see? We saw so much of you know. The only vote that mattered for years was the woman vote the woman vote the one vote and trump wins. And a lot of people are going. Oh, he won on this masculinity and like a bunch of guys just said Enough of this my vote counts too.
It seems like there's there seems to be a rebellion against the feminism culturally. Because they're just so sick of being told they have to be Feminist men they have to you know. Because now it's not even that they now they just have to be women period like now.
No, you're you have to be a woman. Let's say the the feminist.
The feminist created.
This problem they they created andrew tate. Um, they created monsters on the other side.
They they are Biblical christianity biblical patriarchy biblical order.
Needs to return as the the old way. Restored. And again, we've thrown off everything in the church growth movement. And the pageantry we've thrown off all structure all beauty all uniforms all um. You know, we've gone low church to the max.
And I think we are needing to return back to again regulative principle of worship. But what would like a puritan church look like? And you know the 1750s. And you go back there and you go. Okay. Yeah, you walk in.
It's probably a cute little colonial style church with a steeple and a bell. Uh church bell that's ringing and you you have probably a pastor investments or wearing a collar. You have women wearing dresses and head coverings.
You have men wearing suits. Everybody's got their bible in hand. You got a beautiful pew or beautiful pews beautiful pulpit that is kind of like the throne for the word of god. You have uh, you know singing that's congregational.
You're probably singing more hymns. And so, uh, I I think again we are seeing feminism Um is is a bigger problem than the church realized and how it if feminized men and pastors. Because again, I don't think this.
I don't think this passage of scripture.
Um hard to understand. I think it's hard to swallow. Uh, I I think that it's I think that it's. Men are so afraid of women especially pastors. They are they. You know, we know. Historically, uh statistically church splits happen because of women.
Women have the power to break a church apart. Um, and so.
Uh, I think that men have not pastored.
By and large for like the last 50 years. They have been like the unpastored portion of the church. Um, they have been generally pastored but men calling out women's sins has been extremely rare. They they have they'll hit, you know, we see this always in like, you know.
Uh, I use it as a kind of a funny joke, but you know on father's day. It's like, you know. Be a man do hard work better, you know step it up, you know mother's day. It's like you're perfect. You're just stay the same.
You know. And and so we we want to get to a place where where pastors are not just the pastors of the men. Not just the pastors of the of the children, but they're the pastors of the women. And if you're willing to pastor the women and you're not afraid of the women.
And and the women in your church will actually be willing to not just be preached at but be pastored.
Then you can get to a place where you can you can get to. A text like first corinthians 11 teach it without fear and go. You know what? I think evidence is all on the side of wearing head coverings. And not worry that your women are going to go all up in arms cause a massive division in your church.
Call you some sort of misogynistic pig and break your church apart. But I think that is exactly the reason why I wasn't taught for the last several decades. Um, and and I think that we're returning now finally women are like, you know what feminism sucks.
And this is this has been terrible for everybody. We're starting to see how where this is going. And I think that it's actually quite glorious to have a godly masculine man. And for me to wear a dress and stay at home and not work in a cubicle and there's there's there's more reception to.
This discussion around head coverings. Yeah, it's interesting as you hear guys preach through Ephesians 5 and what do they have. They get to the passage, you know. Women submit to your husbands and and all the talk is about what submission doesn't mean.
Yeah, and then it's men love your wives, right? I I just always found that an interesting thing. And you know, you you mentioned about the the splits in churches. I've often said the the the most splits in churches start in women's ministry.
Because because you're pointing out that the pastors are preaching to men about men's sins things like that but women's ministries.
Are.
We actually have a podcast called thoroughly equipped with melissa lex and what she does is review women's ministries. Because so much of what is called women's ministries.
Isn't.
Ministry, I mean it's it's it's false teaching and heresy.
In in.
You know clouded in women talk. And so she exposes that because so much of it. It looks. You know, my bride is it's great, you know. They'd have women's bible studies in church and and she'd be like, yeah, I don't want to do it.
I'd rather go like if there's a woman's conference, I'd rather go with you to a pastor's conference.
I don't need all that fluff. I give me the bible, you know, yeah, I like I actually at our church I um, so we have four quadrants of our of our women's what they do is is one. Um, They do women teaching older women teaching younger women.
So we do that for a quarter. So titus two uh the second quarter of the year we do uh a book study. And a book study that is approved by the elders of the church and The questions for the study are developed by the elders of the church.
Oh interesting. I like and then and then um. Then part three. Is I actually teach? An 8 to 12 week study at the women's gathering. So I come to the women's meetings and I actually give full-blown lectures for if we're doing systematic theology or something So they're learning it but they're learning it from their pastor, which is what has always happened historically.
And then the fourth, uh quadrant of the year is we do a co-ed bible study. Together and so that structure has been really good for us. So the women are never like on their own. Um learning theology without the oversight of a pastor.
Yeah, that's that's interesting to do.
So so.
Let me let me get back to the the question because I think it is an interesting question. Do you how much of? We are both noticing you and I both mentioned we're noticing this trend. And it's starting with women of wanting to wear head coverings men following at least within reform circles, but and i've noticed that there's now more so starting to be a trend of Both men and women looking for masculinity looking To to not follow what they're calling feminism today.
Do you think that the trend of head coverings is because of this trend? Against feminism and for masculinity. Just in in America today, or do you do you? Maybe see because you were mentioning that you're seeing people go into catholicism and eastern orthodoxy because of possibly head covering or other things.
What what are you attributing this this shift to with women wearing head covers, I don't think. I don't think that the cause of.
Head coverings is Is the feminism? Reverting back to traditionalism. I think that it's the scriptures that are very clear. But as feminism loses its grip on the church because there's always been this clean form of feminism in the church um that We're finally able to obey without You know fear and we we've truly been able to.
We've had a cowardice in the church for a long time. And I think that the removal of feminism is allowing men to pastor the women again and Head coverings just kind of seems to be square at the center.
The discussion. Um, you know, I wrote another book called the manliness of christ. It's kind of like the the partner copy to cover for glory, but it's for men. And i'm trying to essentially one side boost up the masculinity of men but based off of the masculinity of christ um and then.
You know as you've read in a cover for glory. It's it's really about what does it mean to be a feminine woman and and it's kind of ties into head coverings and so. Uh, we're actually like those are the two books that we sell the most.
We sell over 100 copies of each of those a month. Um, and I don't market them. Honestly, like I mean i'm on i'm on a podcast with you. But i'm not like I don't have any like ads going for these books.
And so there seems to be certainly a hunger. Uh to sell 100 copies a month on head coverings. That's a new that's a new thing, you know.
Yeah, i'm i'm actually surprised by that and and again folks, uh to get a copy and look You I don't I think you've mentioned the title once in this whole podcast episode. I think i've i'm the one promoting it for folks, but but you can go to relearn .org slash glory to get a copy of a Cover for glory.
A biblical defense ahead coverings. I I don't dale and myself are not saying you must believe what the what this book is saying. I I don't think that's your position dale, but no may it be something that we at least research study dig into and and I think a compelling argument, um that that I'm, you know i'm dealing with is is like you said The the quote from r .c. Sproul was was a powerful one of just saying it's the safer position.
If you're not sure this is the safer position to hold to until you are sure. Um that becomes a very intriguing.
By the way, like I i've also personally I've never taught on first corinthians 11 at my church. Um, so people always have this, you know view. Oh dale must enforce head coverings at his church. I I don't actually in fact, I I haven't taught on it once since we planted the church one day i'll get to first corinthians 11 and i'll teach on it, but Uh, we actually, you know, we have women in our church that don't cover.
Um, and I haven't said a thing to any of them. Um, so I really do let it sit on on the family's conscience. I believe it's a secondary matter and um. But I do answer I do a q a at the end of the book Of common questions that I think most women and men and pastors Have said has been one of the most helpful sections of the book.
Like what do you do? If you come to this position, what do you do if i'm a pastor and come to this position? Um, what do you do if my husband's against this position and i'm for this position? Um, you know, so there's all types of stuff that are answered there and so.
That's my hope is that it's just one of the tools contributing to the conversation Around head coverings for the church, which is really a conversation about restoring order among men and women.
So again, the book is a cover for glory a biblical defense of head coverings. You can get it at reorg dot or relearn. Sorry relearn .org slash glory. Dale anything else you'd like to share with folks?
Any things you have going on with your ministry that we that listeners should know about?
I mean the one thing is if you want to listen to the audiobook of a cover for glory or have it as an ebook. It's available in the relearn app. All my books are available in there as well as hundreds, uh, almost almost a thousand audiobooks in there now.
Um, we've we've just spent so much time modernizing great puritan work. Um, we we just put in some william gouge uh content. Reformation heritage just did a big piece on them. Uh, but we we are. We did one called the beauty of submission.
Uh, we've got the mission of womanhood. Um, there's so many great topics in there for women for men for kids in high quality narrated audiobooks. I'm an audio guy and I just when you drive a lot and you have travels.
And so I I just you know, it's a tool that's available for you. Um, and it's we're non-profit. So it's a way to support us as a ministry to keep producing great content for families. Um, that would be.
My only encouragement is check that out and. A great way to support what we're doing.
Again, folks re learn dot org. Slash glory. Hey get a copy of the book read through it. See what your position is see where you agree disagree with dale. And uh, Maybe you'll change your view. Maybe you won't.
But may it at least encourage you to dig into the scriptures more that. Would that of all would be. I think the the thing that both dale and I would encourage? Whether you agree with one or both of us or neither of us at least dig into the scriptures because The scriptures god's word is far more important than anything that dale has written or anything that I have written.
With that dale. Thanks. Thanks for coming on. I think this was I think this will be helpful for many. I think that your book really got me. Having to deal with some thinking through, you know, it's an as a passage.
Like I said, I studied at a surface level um, there were some interesting things as I studied through it when when I got to the area of You know again, you always come with your presuppositions. My presupposition as I was taught was this is dealing with hair.
There was some issues in the greek that I was struggling with that view um, and and I haven't really returned to it because I Be honest, I just put it off going. Well, I had so many other things. I I knew it was going to take more work.
It's a podcast episode that I I had for years that people said would you would you cover this? Uh, no pun intended. Sorry about that, but Here we are. There we are. But uh, but you know, I was glad when when you and I were on the dead man walking podcast I was like, well, i'm definitely gonna have you on because it'll force me to have to address this issue.
And so it'll get me studying it a bit more. So I do want to thank you personally for that. Amen, brother. Thanks for having me and folks with that. Uh, I do want to let you know. Um, February I think it is the 20 i'm going to look it up 22nd, but we will be at um.
There is a conference. You could go to caleb gordon .org. Uh, we're going to be having a conference there in oklahoma. And that is something that we just recently popped up on the schedule so to get tickets a lot of great preachers.
One of my favorite preachers and most of you are going to mention this name and you're going to go. Who is he? He is one of my top. Probably my top 10 preachers is brandon scoff and if you don't know that name you should come to this conference just to hear him yes, I put him up there with the preaching of guys like john mcarthur and Well, my favorite preacher jim osmond who's another one if you don't know his preaching.
Yeah, go go get the kootenai community church, uh. Podcast that's part of the christian podcast community to listen to to that. But you can get tickets just go to uh, caleb gordon .org. It's part of the caleb gordon show.
And you join that conference tickets are I think about 50 right now. So that is not that steep for a conference with great speakers. It's a one-day conference. So you you if you're local, you don't have to worry about hotels things like that.
But if you are local, well, i'm sure we're going to find something to do. Uh friday night saturday night if you want to stay over both nights, but uh, hope to see you there and folks with that. That's a wrap.
This podcast is part of the striving for eternity ministry. For more content or to request a speaker or seminar to your church Go to strivingforeternity .org.