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I Corinthians 11:2-16 Issues

Issue 1:
While most people, in my experience, seem to think this passage is about how women should be attired when attending church, the passage is actually limited to a woman praying in a congregation or prophesying in a congregation. If one believes the kind of prophesying which occured before the closing of the canon has ceased, then the passage applies only to the former. The pertinent principle at hand is how the church represents to the world her beliefs about her calling and identity in the forms and practices of her public assembly. The hierarchical and patriarchical truths of Scripture must be maintained with a decorum that reflects our faith. Should anyone, man or woman, "lead" the congregation in a prayer, he or she should be attired in a fashion commensurate with the dignity of the temple of God. That "fashion" has to be determined by what seems "natural" according to the culture in which the people live; it has to be something the on-looking world would recognise as "respectable" and reflecting an appreciation for authority.
Issue 2:
The mention of the angels could be due to their association with revelation; a common idea in the Jewish tradition. If prophecy is taking place, their presence may have been assumed.
Issue 3:
Paul, being one of the top scholars of his people, cannot have been so dull as to not notice conflicting aspects of this passage. The hierarchical and patriarchical aspects and the interdependence of the sexes statements are not contradictory but complimentary. The way to bring these together is to recognise the difference between the administrative life of the Church and the relational life of the Church. When it comes to her administration, the hierarchical and patriarchical realities of God's rule and creation are to hold sway. When it comes to how this administration is applied and to how people relate to one another in the Church, the equal footing of all in Christ holds sway. The result is that, on the one hand, the world says, “Behold, God is in this place!” because of the Church's order - when accompanied by the presence of the Holy Spirit (I Cor. 14:25) and on the other hand, “Behold, how they love one another!” when all, men and women, are treated with respect and kindness (John 13:35). Over all is the principle of loving service and the path of the cross; all must tend to foster the redemptive purposes of Christ.
Issue 4
Regarding verse 16: Matthew
Poole writes: “…good Christians ought, in things of this nature, to have an eye and regard to the custom of their own church, and also of other Christian churches.” We are talking about how the Church presents herself in a public manner, which can affect how the world thinks of all the Churches. Here, the Anglican Communion is right to be concerned about Provinces that change established order and practice, willy nilly, without consultation with the rest of those Churches affected. Independent Protestant churches should also be more careful about the effect their innovations have on the reputation of Christ and His Church worldwide.


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