Once people thought women had to wear a hat to Church.
Next 4 chapters are about (14:40) 'everything done in a fitting and orderly way'.
1. God's plan of headship. (v3) About leadership and authority. Can we accept 'man being head of the women'? Paul explains by two examples (a) Christ is the head of every man. (Ephesians 5:25,26). Jesus leads by self-sacrifice. This is in contrast to our society, where often leadership is to make the leader looks good. (Mark 10:42,43). Headship is about service. (b) Submission - example Jesus submits to God. Submission may not be comfortable ride - God's plan for Christ. (Luke 22:42). Submission exists within the Trinity, and therefore submission is not evil or about status. This is not Paul's 1st century context (v16). Headship is God's idea.
2. The problem in Corinth. (4-6) Difficult to know the social context. Why? God made man and women to have different but complementary roles. Difficult verses: (v7-9) God is honoured when we accept our respective roles. Not about status and worth. (a) v3-there is no pecking order (v11-12) both mutually inter-independant (v10) Difficult to interpret, but the women has authority.
3. Some implications. Men and women are different. The principle should be that men and women are to look different. (Push for androgyny). Express your gender in the way you serve. Man has a special role in spiritual leadership. Good to have women in leadership, and in a way to complement what the men do.
