“For a man ought not to have his head covered, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.”

To be sure, the place and time where these truths apply is debatable, particularly how we understand “while praying or prophesying” (1 Cor. 11:4–5). Some feel this phrase refers to any meeting of the church. Others think it refers to public speaking in a leadership sort of way, whether “leading” the congregation in prayer (speaking to God on behalf of the church) or proclaiming God’s truth (speaking to the church on behalf of God). There is really little basis for dogmatism on this issue, with arguments marshalled on each side, none of which are a “slam-dunk.” We need to hold our views with grace and moderation, without unfairly criticizing those who hold different views.

The arguments for the literal head covering are not minimized by the uncertainty of application—and that is an important point. Too much is made of this issue in Scripture itself to do that sort of thing.

So, Paul’s second argument is related to the image and glory of God versus the glory of man. Here, Paul uses a distinctly masculine term, “aner” rather than “anthropos,” which can refer to human kind in general. The male, in Paul’s inspired reasoning, represents God’s image and glory. The woman represents man’s glory. This does not contradict what Moses wrote under inspiration, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Gen. 1:27, see also Gen. 5:1-2).

Rather, Paul uses the concept differently, in what might be called dramatic terms. The church enacts a sort of dramatic production, like acting in a play. Their lives and interactions display a great truth to the world about God and His creation. The men and women play different roles in this cosmic drama. The audience is God primarily, but it also includes each other, and, as we shall soon see, the unseen angelic world as well.

In the drama, the men enact the character of God—notice Paul uses this motif to describe a husband’s role toward his wife: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church …” (Eph. 5:25). So in the church, the man does not symbolically cover his head, as a way to convey that Christ is the head of the church. The woman covers her head as a way of enacting creation, which seeks to glorify God and not itself. A woman covers her physical glory (embodied by her hair) as a way of symbolically covering the glory of humanity (indeed women are outwardly, physically more “glorious” than men).

Lord, help me faithfully play my role in this cosmic drama of the sexes.