As a Christian woman who wears a headcovering to church, I have found it essential to know and be confident in my Why for what I do. This has been especially useful to me when dealing with critics and with those who make unfair assumptions about headcovering and the women who choose to practice it.
Recently, I read a thoughtful but negative review on women who cover in the Greek Orthodox church. Though I found it disappointing, I think it may still serve a helpful purpose: it brings up several crucial issues that all headcovering women must clarify for themselves if they intend to persevere in obedience to this biblical mandate and have any lasting impact on our homes, churches, and society.
In her article “Headscarves, Modesty, and Modern Orthodoxy” Katherine Kelaidis recalls that her grandmother originally used scarves to cover her hair because “They were the outward visible witness of her inner self, signaling to the world, not just that she was a Christian, but that she was a lady, modest and chaste.” However, there came a point at which her grandmother stopped using a covering except to protect her hair from the wind while gardening. The reason? “My grandmother stopped covering her hair because of the pressures of xenophobia [prejudice/racism] and assimilation, along with a desire to create a more liberated space for women within her own culture.”
Not covering was a way for her grandmother, and other Greek women like her, to assimilate into American culture and to avoid drawing negative attention to themselves.
When everyone was wearing a headscarf, you wore it. But when you when you [sic] found yourself in a time and place where women had taken it off, you took it off as well. Any other choice was a display of self-aggrandizement.
Modesty was always the goal of the veil.
I disagree with that statement. But, more on that in a bit. The author concludes: “When women come to the Orthodox Church and take up the veil with complete disregard for the stories and lives of the women I have so loved, I cannot help but feel some anger. Our choices matter. And so I would beg my sisters to reconsider theirs. I have known pious women, saints if ever saints walked among us. They lived lives you cannot imagine. They were the refugees you fear. The child brides you ignore. At least think of them when you walk into the churches they built. Do not make their burden your costume.”
Katherine Kelaidis makes several unfair assumptions. First, that headcovering is primarily about modesty. Second, that headcovering women are either not aware of, or have no appreciation for, the struggles of women of the past. And third, that these headcovering women have no better reason to cover than that it is “exotic and appealing,” as she tartly points out in another place of her article.
Let’s deal with those assumptions one at a time. In order to do so from a biblical perspective, I will be referring to 1 Corinthians 11:2-16, the passage in the Bible that talks about headcovering and how it relates to the Christian.
I should add that I am not Greek Orthodox. I am an Evangelical Christian living in the US. However, I hope that we can agree that whatever Christian denomination we belong to and whatever our personal experiences have been that the Bible must be the foundation for our decisions.
Is headcovering about modesty?
Yes and no. The Bible says that a woman’s long hair is “a glory to her” which has been given to her by God through nature (1 Cor. 11:15). It also says that “no flesh should glory in his [God’s] presence” (1 Cor. 1:29). So, by wearing a headcovering while worshiping God through prayer or while ministering to others on His behalf through prophesying, a woman shows humility (modesty) by covering up what God refers to as her “glory” — her long hair.
The Bible doesn’t say how much hair to cover. Some people think that a woman would at least need to have some hair showing for verses such as 1 Timothy 2:9 to make sense. However much hair one thinks needs to be covered is not the point I am trying to address, though. The point here is that wearing a covering is indeed partly about modesty.
But is that all?
If that were our only concern, I could see how whether or not we choose to wear a headcovering might depend upon society’s forever-fluctuating views about modesty. I could see how we might think it necessary to forgo covering out of a sense of “self-aggrandizement.” (However, it’s what God says is modest that counts, not what society says. If God says it’s modest/humble to cover up our glory, and He says that a woman’s glory is her hair, then that’s the application we need to go with, not some other application of what we imagine it means to “be modest.”)
The problem with Kelaidis’ view is that biblically, headcovering is primarily about something else.
According to 1 Corinthians 11:2-16, headcovering is about symbolizing several timeless truths:
- It symbolizes a Hierarchy of Headship (verse 3). God is head over Christ, Christ is head over man, and man is head over woman (see also Eph. 5:22-33). A woman should cover her head to show that she is under the authority of man (whether her husband, her father if she is a minor, or male leadership in general). It is crucial to note that this is not a hierarchy based on superiority of nature, since Jesus is not inferior to the Father in His divine essense; it is a hierarchy based on differences of function.
- It symbolizes the Creation Order (verses 7-9). Woman was created from the man and for the man, not the other way around. God’s original intention was for the woman to be a “help meet” for the man (Genesis 2:18). By wearing a headcovering the wearer shows that she accepts her role within God’s design. She accepts that she is not independent of man, but is his helper, a person who supports him in accomplishing his work and desires, above her own. However, not only is she a complement and counterpart to the man, she is also a crown — a “glory” — to him, someone he cannot do without.
- It symbolizes something having to do with the Angels (verse 10). There is much speculation on this point, which I will not get into here. Yet, it is important to understand that whatever this verse may mean, it is in relation to spiritual beings who do not change along with the culture. I don’t think they would normally care much about our clothing, unless that piece of clothing were something symbolic like the headcovering. It means something to them because it transcends our constantly changing tastes in attire.
- It symbolizes our acceptance of Nature / What is Natural (verses 13-15). It makes sense for a woman to wear a headcovering on her head because the headcovering mimics the natural covering of hair that God has already given her. Allowing her hair to grow long shows that she accepts her femininity. Wearing a headcovering sends a similar message since it resembles long hair as it drapes over her head like hair would. In the first instance (long hair) she simply lets Nature make its statement. In the second instance (headcovering) she adds her own statement to further emphasize that of Nature.
It must be glaringly obvious by now that headcovering, though it is partially about modesty, is not primarily about modesty. By wearing a headcovering, a woman symbolizes spiritual truths of timeless significance.
So, even if wearing one makes her stand out and not fit in, even if it causes her to be the target of xenophobia or to have trouble assimilating into a certain culture, a woman must cover her head because God says to. The significance of the Christian headcovering supersedes cultural concerns.
Which brings me to the next point:
Is headcovering related to a struggle for women’s rights?
Not according to 1 Corinthians 11:2-16. The Bible makes it clear why a woman should cover her head, and every single reason given is based on something timeless and unchanging. Women shouldn’t drop the covering just because it doesn’t fit in with our current cultural climate.
At one time, Katherine herself wore a headscarf on occasion, but stopped doing so when her Egyptian friends confronted her about it:
My friends shared with me how desperately they were trying to hold on to the hard-won gains made by their mothers and grandmothers in the face of growing fundamentalism and refusing to put on the veil was a powerful symbol of this.
Though some cultures and religions pressure their women to cover for reasons which may indeed be related to female oppression (I’ll let you be the judge of that), biblical headcovering is distinct. It is not related to oppression but to a recognition of God’s healthy, beautiful design for our earthly roles. For the Christian, it is a symbol with its own unique meaning, unrelated to the “growing fundamentalism” of other religions.
True, some people may misunderstand our practice of Christian headcovering and may unfairly associate it with other, non-Christian social practices. That is unfortunate but, I’m afraid, largely unavoidable. Despite that, however, we must not sacrifice obedience to God in order to pander to other people’s cultural sensitivities. Obedience must always come first, whether people understand us or not.
Thankfully, there are things we can do to help others understand us better. One of those ways is by writing articles such as the one I’m writing now in order to clarify for others why I and many other women choose to cover. Another of those ways is to simply talk to people in a casual manner about our reasons for covering whenever the subject comes up. I would also advise not wearing a covering that imitates a style which could cause others to mistake our religious affiliation.
Though headcovering women are indeed usually cognizant of, and compassionate towards, the struggles of women of the past for “women’s rights,” they intentionally choose to associate themselves with a higher struggle: the spiritual struggle for “God’s rights.” In other words, they prioritize God’s agenda — as laid out in the Bible — over human agendas.
Human agendas may or may not coincide with God’s agenda; if there is any conflict, we must choose God’s. Though we have not personally been through the struggles of times past, perhaps it just that sort of distancing that enables us to look at how things have progressed over time and see the mistakes made by those who could not see what would eventually result from their movements.
As headcovering women attempt to follow the Bible, they actually help other women. It is important for us to understand our God-given role as women. It is also helpful to have the headcovering as a reminder of that role. When we live out God’s design for our lives, though it can sometimes be hard and even painful, it is also what is best for us.
Appropriately, God warns us that “we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). Being misunderstood as favoring female oppression is a small price to pay in comparison to the rewards of heaven, but it may be a cross we are required to bear.
Is headcovering about being exotic?
This one’s an easy one: Absolutely not! Though I can’t speak for everybody, I can certainly speak for myself and, I think, the numerous headcovering women I have had personal contact with. For most of us, headcovering started out as an uncomfortable experience, one we would rather have avoided if we could. Our Why for headcovering has nothing to do with wanting to draw attention to ourselves or experience the exotic. We would rather not stand out quite so much, thank you.
I know that for me, the experience of headcovering for the first time in front of other people made me feel a bit nauseous. I wanted to avoid the curious looks. I wanted to avoid being different. I just wanted to fit in. Even now, after six years of covering every Sunday, I still feel awkward at times in our church where no one covers except for me.
Would people like me better if I didn’t wear a covering? Would I have more friends? Would people be more inclined to invite us over for dinner? Though these concerns are real, they are nonetheless beside the point.
My Why for headcovering is based on what I have read and understood from God’s word about the woman’s role and how she should symbolize it, and that is something I must obey whether it makes me look exotic . . . or makes me look weird. The way I look isn’t what matters; it’s that I choose to obey my Lord. And it seems to me that God hasn’t given us the option of deciding how we will choose to obey Him. He has simply told us what to do and expects that we will do it. Can we give Him anything less?
Perhaps if Katherine Kelaidis were to reconsider the headcovering issue from God’s viewpoint as given in the Bible and from the viewpoint of women who currently cover instead of from the viewpoint of women’s rights activists, her grandmother’s experience, or even of her own, she would be a little less upset, and a lot more understanding. Who knows? She might even decide to join us.
~Jessica
Jessica,thank you for publishing this post.I am glad that you are American christian lady who are advocating headcovering doctorine strongly. Yes this is not issue of culture,nor showing off one’s faith.
It was shocking for me to know the detail how MS.Kelaidis is attacking headcovering ladies from her goodwill. But as you say if she could have learned about headcovering from bible more,she may change her opinion.And if her granma and Greek immigrant ladies had not been hurt by discrimination ,she would not refuse this tradition.I heard that her post has been shared by many people.I hope that orthodox ladies who keeps this tradition in USA will not be hurt.
Yes, Sanae, it was rather shocking to me, too!
I think that you may be right: discrimination hurts, and it is those things that hurt us that we sometimes allow to change our perspectives about things, when instead, we should stay focused on what God says. Still, it’s understandable even if it isn’t right.
I’m so glad that we can uplift each other through our common belief in headcovering, even though we are from different countries! I am so happy to have your loving support!
~Jessica
I am a mennonite and have just joined the group, partly because it is so wo derful to find women outside the mennonite who still follow Godly principles. Headcoveri g is simply put doing what the Lord asks of us as women and wives to show our respect to Him aND following His order…God…man…woman… I am not sure why the Lord says and because of the angels but believe it may be because as they look down we are instantly known as following the Lords will.
Hi, Christine! So glad to hear from you! Whenever I meet another modest, head covering woman, I feel absolutely thrilled! We really need to support and encourage each other in living godly, obedient lives, no matter what denomination we come from. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the head covering topic; I think you have some good points!
~Jessica
Hello Jessica-thank you for yet another thoughtful and practical article. I so appreciate your insight into what I believe is one of the most difficult passages in Scripture.
Personally, I have struggled with whether I should headcover for the last few years and I’ve read dozens of articles about this from every imaginable group in Christendom. Just recently, however, I found an article that I believe is the most thorough and balanced on the subject of headcovering from New Testament Reformation Fellowship website. Under the Early Church Practice tab click Women: With heads covered? if you are interested.
What does my DH think? He says that whatever I believe the Lord is convicting me to do, do it, although he personally believes in long hair being the woman’s headcovering as his background is conservative Pentacostal. Mine is historical Baptist, but we no longer adhere to any denomination now.
That’s my two cents for what it’s worth.
Thank you, Jessica, for your thought provoking blogs. I look forward to reading each one.
May our great God richly bless you and your precious family.
In Christ Jesus,
Deborah
Deborah,
I’m so glad you enjoyed my article! Thanks!
For me, the thing that made me take the plunge into headcovering was just standing back (so to speak), looking at the Bible in a simple childlike way, and just doing it (headcovering) without needing to have everything totally figured out first. Yes, I had the bases in place, and that’s really what I felt I needed most — to know from the Bible itself why I should cover and let that be enough for me. 🙂
I wanted to read the article you mentioned, but there seem to be several Reformation Fellowships online. Could you provide a link?
I really appreciate your caring comment!
~Jessica
Jessica-you can find the article at https://ntrf.org. Again, under the Early Church Practice drop down menu click Other Early Church Practices then click Women: With Heads Covered? I really think you will enjoy the author’s insight.
-Deborah
Thanks, Deborah!
I just read the article. What the author says is nothing new to me; his view is the “hair is the covering” view taken by pastors such as Steven Anderson and Michael Pearl, for instance — and with which I disagree.
Here is a great article that addresses some of the very points that Eric Svendsen from New Testament Reformation Fellowship brings up:
https://www.headcoveringmovement.com/articles/is-a-womans-long-hair-her-covering
~Jessica
The problem that I have with the women’s rights movement is that most of those who push this agenda have rejected God’s will for them in their lives. They reject the principle of headship, and the role of woman as wife and mother in the home. This to them to remove the cover is an appropriate symbol of their rebellion. This is one of the reasons I do cover. It is to show the world that I choose to be in submission to God in my life.
Satan’s temptation to Eve was that by disobeying God she could somehow attain to something better than what God planned for her. By partaking of the fruit she actually fell far below what God desired for her. So it is with women today. By rebelling against God’s plan for them they in the end fall far below the vision that God has for them and for many to the loss of salvation eternally. To a large degree the demoralized state of society today is because mothers have rejected their role and give their children for someone else to raise and instead work out of the home. Fathers have also lost their vision as leaders and protectors of the home. Who will give the children the moral and spiritual foundation of the mother won’t do it? TV? A babysitter? Education in the public schools?
I agree that as Christians our burden is to obey the Bible. If we obey Gods word we will be viewed as peculiar. Our motives will be maligned. Yet the same thing happened to Christ. We must choose to be faithful despite what others think and say. God will help our lights to shine and if we do as He did and with loving kindness to bless as many as we can we will hear the words: “well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of thy Lord.”
In this society today people have become so sensitive to what others do that they become “triggered” over such small things. We look so much to what others are doing and look for ways to point the finger instead of looking at what we should be doing and accepting personal responsibility for ourselves. God can use those who love him to be a witness and help others to see what they can become through Christ. We can not let the possibility of “offending” someone be the primary factor for our decisions. Of course we should always seek to be courteous and helpful to people, but when it comes to a personal convictions of wearing a headcovering or not, that cannot be our standard. My two cents!
Dear Celina,
Thank you for your wonderful and well-thought-out comment!
Yes, I agree with you!
~Jessica
You nailed it! Though no one so far has openly accused me of the things you wrote about, I have often heard remarks on the topic of headcovering that sounded as though the assumptions were there. I especially like the way you wrote “Obedience must always come first, whether people understand us or not.” That it an encouraging and comforting thought. At age 16 1/2 when I was baptized, I was not only the youngest Christian in the church my family and I were at at the time, I was also the only woman to practice headcovering. That was awkward, but it didn’t stop me, because I knew it was right and after all, of all the things God says through the Bible you should do, what is easier to start doing right away: Put a piece of cloth on your head or break a bad habit? I’m not saying you can choose one or the other, but you can’t change completely all at once. It is a process that takes time and you have to start somewhere. For me headcovering is also an encouraging reminder that I am growing in obedience.
It must have taken a lot of courage to headcovering on your own at 16. I concur with your sentiment that the cover helps remind me that I’m growing in obedience. Thank you for sharing this thought!😀
Thanks, Erika!
I’m impressed that you had the bravery to cover on your own at age 16! What a wonderful example for all of us!
Yes, wearing a covering is a simple thing to do — not really that hard. We just have to stay focused on God. 🙂
~Jessica
Thank you so much, Jessica. I am so encouraged! I assume that many inquiring sisters from various Christian traditions have come to read this article. I’ve found some apologetic resources for headcovering which, I hope, might serve our brothers and sisters for their further research on this topic. May God bless you all.
Eastern Orthodox Apologetics:
Women’s Head Coverings in the Orthodox Church
http://www.stluketheblessed.com/womens-headcoverings/
Catholic Apologetics:
Why do Catholic women wear chapel veils at Mass?
https://www.veilsbylily.com/frequently-asked-questions/#why
The Theological Significance of the Veil
https://www.veilsbylily.com/the-theological-significance-of-the-veil/
Evangelical Apologetics:
http://headcoveringmovement.com
(*the content in this site could also be beneficial for both Catholic and Eastern Orthodox brothers and sisters.)
You’re welcome, Kinuko!
Thank you for posting those resources! I looked at them, and they are indeed very helpful!
~Jessica
Jessica, my humble analysis of Ms. Kelaidis’ position is that, it is argued on the basis of Foucauldian-New Historiciat-atheism in the guise of “christian religion”.
It seems to me that there is no vertical dimension (God to Man) whatsoever in her argumentation. In fact , there is no room for God in her to-veil-or-not-to-veil argument.
Who is the real “marginalized” people in her article? Her grandmothers and aunties? No, it is God. He is the One who is marginalized and ostracized by the “zeal” and goodwill of the human-centered δικαιοσύνη (=righteousness). And when the human-centered δικαιοσύνη edges out God’s δικαιοσύνη in the name of “equality and justice,” it would eventually incur “a reign of terror” (cf. la Terreur in France, which between June 1793 and the end of July 1794, there were 16,594 official death sentences).
A Christian sociologist Gabriele Kuby (in her book The Global Sexual Revolution: Destruction of Freedom in the Name of Freedom), chronicles the intellectual infiltration and conquest of virtually all other value-making institutions, leaving Christianity and its individual members standing virtually alone in the public square. Kuby, therefore, is warning against not merely the newly powerful ideology of pansexualism, but also the insidious return of totalitarianism, of the wolf clothed as a lamb, and of the tyrant masked as a defender of “freedom.”
I think people might be deceived due to the fact that this article was published on the “christian” site. If it was published, let’s say, on the purely secular or atheistic website, Christians could have discerned its real face more easily.
Wonderful points, Kinuko! Thank you!
Yes, when we focus only on the horizontal dimension (people:people) and de-emphasize the vertical dimension (people:God) very bad things start to happen.
Connotation words (such as “Christ,” “God,” “cross,” etc.) may be used to make something sound Christian, but if we examine/scrutinize the actual doctrine, we may find that it is not Christian at all, but pagan.
Such important things to think about!
~Jessica
I read her article and I find it rather disturbing. She seems rather angry at Christian women and I feel sorry for her. I think if she took the time to really study the scriptures she would truly understand why we cover. It would also help her to talk to Christian women who cover and find out why. I would love for her to sit down with me, a head covering black woman and discuss 1 Corinthians 11:1-16.
I can go on but I just want to thank you Jessica for your thoughtful article.
You’re welcome, Regina!
I feel similarly. In fact, not only do I wish I could discuss this with Ms. Kelaidis, I wish I had the opportunity to discuss it with other Christians who don’t believe in headcovering, too. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to sit down with them over tea, open up the Scriptures, and peacefully talk about why we do what we do?
~Jessica
Regina, Jessica, I agree with you both:)
Regina, I think your “African American identity” plus “headcovering practice” make the oppressor/oppressed type of analysis unworkable. That’s because according to their model, you, as an African American woman must be the perfect representation for the “marginalized, oppressed victims” who need “liberation and freedom.”
So, according to their model, you are the first one who would want to take off the veil and say, “I am free now!” But to their dismay (and confusion), you are more than willing to cover your head out of your obedience to the Word of God.
Prior to my conversion to Christian faith, I used to love ideologies which Ms. Kelaidis cherishes, so, I think I actually share many common interests with her. Like her, I also had a keen sense of justice and a desire to see the world without economical/ethnic/national inequality. I was travelling the third world and was shocked to see the horrible situation of child slaves and women prostitution. And I used to think that the patriarchy and its religions (Christianity, Islam etc..) must be one of the causes why women and children suffer in the third world. So, again, I can relate to her and her passion for her anti-veil claim.
But all of my passions, a sense of justice and equality, goodwill for humankind were based on the horizontal dimensions(people:people). It was until God came into my life in Jesus the Nazareth that the whole new dimension (vertical// God: people) appeared in front of me. I was stunned.
p.s. I also read some critical reviews of her article written by priests. But frankly, in terms of consistency and transparency, I think Ms. Kelaidis is No.1 !! I actually like her straightforwardness and clear way of presenting her main point, whereas other critics are rather hesitant and coward about their stance on headcovering. So, together with Jessica, I really wish that she would join us one day!
Kinuko,
You had never shared as much about your early, pre-conversion experiences before this, and I’m so thankful for your openness and honesty! It makes me feel that I appreciate you all the more! You have come such a long way and are now a strong defender of the faith!
~Jessica
Jessica,
I love your response. In my case, when people see me wearing head covering, they attribute it to Orthodox tradition. On the one hand, this diffuses the tension and negative feedback. Nevertheless, it can also prevent people from asking questions.
Recently Jeremy Gardiner wrote an article about reinstating the Headcovering movement website. However, he needs a team of people for his website. Here is the link
https://www.headcoveringmovement.com/uncategorized/the-relaunch
I though that this might interest you.
Oh, thank you, Irina!
Your experiences with other people’s reactions to your headcovering are interesting. And I think you’re right in your assessment. I appreciate your sharing!
Yes, I have seen Jeremy’s message through his latest video and post, and I will look into it soon!
I hope you’re doing well. Have a wonderful weekend!
~Jessica
Ah, this was nice to read. I never read the article to which you are responding, as I tend not to read much on this subject, or follow a lot of blogs in general. I cover, but I have no interest in debates anymore (I used to . . . and I’m so glad God got me out of that toxic subculture), so I largely ignore controversial articles like that, even if I’m aware of them.
I really appreciate your simple breakdown of the reasons we cover. When the topic of headcovering first came up for me, I really didn’t want to cover, so when a woman said she had decided the passage was referring to having long hair, I jumped on that excuse and didn’t really study the passage. God worked on me a little more and, a couple weeks later, I came across a study of 1 Cor 11. Well, I swallowed my reluctance, because I realized I had never really studied it deeply, and read through it. I kind of remember deciding God must have brought me back to the subject for a reason. My attitude was more like, “okay, FINE, I’ll read it,” which is not a good one, but at least I read it. That study changed everything. After that, I finally understood that I had only grasped that weak argument about hair because I was proud of my long hair and didn’t want to cover it. It was the one feature about which I was most regularly complemented, you see. Everyone loved my hair. Including me.
Thanks to that study, I realized that the “headcovering = long hair” argument is based strictly on a surface reading and cannot hold up under scrutiny. The Bible says of itself that “spiritual things are spiritually discerned” because a simplistic surface reading generally won’t provide the full meaning of the passage. It’s written that way deliberately, for the same reason Jesus usually taught by parable. The meaning is still simple enough for a child to understand, but we nevertheless need the Holy Spirit to reveal the full meaning of any passage of Scripture, because it is written in such a way as to be both simple, and yet profoundly deep. That’s why Paul said that the Gospel is foolishness to the Greeks, who were obsessed with philosophy (i.e. human wisdom), which could not figure out “the deep things of God”. For example, if one takes the time to pay attention to the part about being shaven or shorn, as well as the limitation of his command to prayer and prophesying, it’s plain as day that he can’t be talking about hair length, for if he was, then it would be possible to change our hair length multiple times a day and the punishment for keeping our hair short would be to cut it shorter!
By the way, regarding the reference to angels in 1 Cor 11, I have certainly heard more than one explanation, but I have found that my husband’s understanding is the most reasonable I have heard. We read in Isaiah 6 that angels veil their faces when they are in the presence of God. Why? Well, when Moses came down from the presence of God, his face shone so brightly with God’s glory that the Israelites asked him to veil his face. Now, I believe the angels glow generally with holy light, but it is inderesting that, when Moses reflected God’s glory, it reflected from his face. That tells us that the face is the primary place from which God’s glory is reflected whenever anyone has been in His presence. So, where would an angel’s glory primarily be seen? That would be the face, right? So, when the angels veil their faces, they are veiling their glory in God’s presence, out of reverence for His far superior glory.
Therefore, when a woman veils her hair (which Paul in this very passage states is HER glory), she is likewise signifying reverence for God when she comes into His presence in prayer or as a prophet. She is naturally not required to veil all the time, anymore than the angels are required to keep their faces covered constantly.
An extension of this that my husband has observed is that, when women refuse to cover (and therefore to show the reverence for God that is due to Him), angels are offended. We want our homes and our churches to be places where angels love to dwell, so naturally we should avoid doing anything that would cause them offense. I think most of us would be surprised at how many things a lot of us still do that make our homes uncomfortable for angels. Of course, they will come to our aid if they are commanded to by God and God winks at our ignorance, but if we know better, or have the opportunity to know better (and we all have our Bibles today), we run the risk of driving away our protectors and unwittingly inviting demons into our lives. Is it any wonder that the vast majority of Christians are so powerless against the tide of worldly culture? As the saying goes, give Satan an inch and he’ll be a ruler. Sounds humourous, but it is the painful truth of the matter.
Anyway, that’s my two cents. I can at least say with relief that, aside from one Facebook friend who is anti-veil (she even goes so far as to try to prove that God commanded women NOT to veil in the OT, as crazy as that sounds), everyone else I know is fine with my choice. I did have one friend at my old church share a book with me that was supposed to prove that veiling isn’t necessary (while it otherwise supported biblical modesty), but she didn’t give me a hard time at all when I kept veiling anyway (I found the main arguments pretty lame, frankly). The rest of my friends either veil, or don’t say anything about it even if they disagree with me. My mom has openly disagreed with me, but doesn’t think it’s important enough to make a fuss about. She actually only just accepted the fact that she needs to go from pants to skirts, though, so I’m not worried about the veil issue with her. I believe she will accept the veil in time, God is just still working on the basics with her. 🙂
May God bless you in your continuing walk in obedience to His will! 😀
Dear Amanda,
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a beautiful and thorough comment! I truly enjoyed reading it!
Yes, I don’t like to read controversial articles much, either. They tend to depress me. I usually prefer to focus on literature that supports the Bible instead of opposing it.
Thank you for sharing your story about how you came to wear a headcovering! I also appreciate the thoughts you shared about why people have such a hard time accepting it. I agree with you. Additionally, I found your husband’s thoughts about headcovering and the angels to be very interesting and convincing!
I’m so glad to have met you, Amanda! I feel that your comments add further richness to this small community of ladies who meet at this blog. I appreciate both their wonderful comments and yours, too!
~Jessica
Ach, articles that the one to which you refer make me so sad. It’s so discouraging that Christians often face their worst foes not from without, but from false teachers within the church itself – it’s so sad to see a woman willfully tearing down and mocking headcovering Christian women. Thank you for this excellent article answering her.
I am finally having the time to catch up on your wonderful posts – and I am so very far behind!! Looking forward to reading! 🙂
Dear Diana,
Yes, I feel the same way about those sort of articles. They make me sad.
I’m so glad to hear from you again! I hope you and your family are doing well. 🙂
Happy New Year!
~Jessica
Your response is so articulate and reasonable, and I heartily agree! The author of this article sounds like she has some discriminatory beliefs herself, and makes assumptions of the experiences and motives of the other women who wear a headcovering.
Thank you, Mrs D. I agree. 🙂
Great article! I do disagree on one thing ( Not bad 😂)
In your article you stated:
” I would also advise not wearing a covering that imitates a style which could cause others to mistake our religious affiliation.”
I guess I see it differently, much like the lbgtq(?!) using the rainbow, other religions are using OUR headcovering style, not the other way around, and I’m not just letting them have it 😂
I personally think it’s crazy to discourage any kind of head covering, and Muslimas don’t wear tzitzit!
That’s a neat way of looking at it, Lindsey! I think you have a good point!
Thank you for chiming in,
~Jessica
Yes, you are right that others use our style of veiling. The Muslims certainly did.
I am Eastern Orthodox and I found the article you’ve referenced to be distressing. The fact that her grandmother was bullied for veiling is regrettable, but why does that mean that I shouldn’t veil?
I am modest by nature, so veiling in public and in church feels very natural to me. I believe that I am called to this. Why do so many modern women feel entitled to dress as they please, yet want to deny that right to other women? Why do they feel so threatened by women who veil? After all, no one is forcing them to do so. They can think what they like but I will continue to veil.
Hi, Ioana!
Thank you for adding your thoughts! Yes, I completely understand your feelings, and I appreciate hearing the perspective of an Eastern Orthodox Christian who joyfully veils. I’m so glad to have the honor of meeting you!
~Jessica
I am also Eastern Orthodox and I agree wholeheartedly with you! Ms Kelaidis has totally misunderstood the “veil” – has she ever even bothered to read scriptures? I doubt it.
Just saw this and as an Eastern Orthodox Christian I agree wholeheartedly with what you write so eloquently. Ms Kelaidis seems to imagine that Christian women will overlook the Scriptures and faith in order to push for a secular misunderstanding of the role of women in society and the liberation of women within a Christian framework. Our Lord Christ spiritually liberated all his creatures from the humdrum, often awful subservience to paganism/secularism…thus liberating us in the physical sense as well. Kelaidis’ narrow (really limited) understanding of that fact does damage to institutions who give her space to blab on. TY again for your clear, logical, and Christian response.
Thank you, Eleni!
How nice to hear from you! I’m so glad you enjoyed my article; your feedback on it was encouraging to me!
~Jessica
This is terribly late, but I pray that, like a lot of other evangelical Protestants, God will lead you and your family to the Church that He established. Becoming Orthodox has brought me closer to Christ than I could have ever imagined. When you dip your toe into Church history and theology, Orthodoxy (and even Roman Catholicism to a lesser degree) becomes the only choice.
One minor point: we would never call the Orthodox Church another “denomination.” Denominationalism is a wholly Protestant phenomenon that is barely 500 years old.