Soma: 1 Corinthians - Head Coverings, or, The Head of Every Woman is Man?

2012.04.01 - Bill Webb - Soma: 1 Corinthians

Head Coverings, or, The Head of Every Woman is Man?

1 Corinthians 11:2-16

Paul reminds the Corinthian church that the head of every woman is man, that women should wear a head covering, and that for men to have long hair is a disgrace.

No… this isn’t an April Fools joke.

But there’s always more to the story. Digging into the text we begin to see how Paul’s teachings, which seem so backwards and regressive to us, were actually incredibly relevant and empowering in their time and place.

So how do we honour texts like these? Dr. William Webb, author of “Slaves, Women, and Homosexuals” and “Corporal Punishment in the Bible” walks us through these texts, and explains how they can help us understand the heart of God and worship today.

Music led by Alex Drumm, and a whack of other people - starts 1 hour and 12 minutes in.

Note: due to technical problems, the audio is a little weak until about half and hour into the sermon, where it improves.

Bill Webb - Holy War and the Christian Conscience

Judges 5 & Deuteronomy 21

The seventh sermon of our 23 week series “Setting the Table” - exploring the narrative of Scripture.

God has rescued Israel, revealed to them how they ought to live, and now has … sent them into war? 

Within the Old Testament there are descriptions of warfare that trouble the soul. 

And they should! There are bloody, brutal, and barbaric texts within our Bible! How can we read these texts? How can we answer question’s about these verses? How can we follow a God who commands such violent acts?

Perhaps the first step is to look at the world in which the Israelites lived, to examine what war looked like then, and to see what God is doing in the midst of a particular time and a particular place.

Is it possible that these troubling texts are actually good news?