I've been studying the influence of culture on church practice. 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 got me thinking, and I have done a lot of further study on this subject. You are right, there are many interpretations that make sense (all those eventually saying that it's a past cultural practice), though the one suggested to you in Q&A 0106 doesn't commend itself to me. (Maybe too farfetched?) I would point that the veil practice was not so universal in the first century (practiced by some people but not all), contrary to what many people wrote for a long time. The motivations/history have little to do with the current Muslim veil (against lust), even in the Middle East. That's my experience. I would like your opinion on whether the passage really is about veiling or length of hair, both interpretations commending themselves to me after much research. This question is useful because the veil is a hot topic here in France. The Muslim veil is used today in my country to keep women obedient and to promote the religion or even provoke people/the state. So the interpretation of 1 Corinthians 11 is relevant.—Christian Arbogast (Paris)
I think this is a passage about insubordination, or to put it another way, the abuse of freedom in Christ. In cultures where dress habits hinder the gospel, tempt others to sin or discredit the believer, then we may need to be as firm as the apostle Paul was. As 1 Corinthians 8-10 argues, we ought to be willing to surrender our Christian freedoms in order to promote the gospel. That is my position.
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