September 20, 2007
Splitting Hairs
Paul gives instructions on customs in the worship service saying, "Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering." (1 Co 11:13-15 NIV) I’ve known some women with such sparse hair that it won’t cover the top of their head, much less anything else. I just can’t grasp the picture of thinning, limp, sparse hair being a woman’s glory. Isn’t it interesting the images of Christ handed down through the centuries portray him with long hair? Thankfully Paul quantifies the issue of hair as something which is practiced in the churches, rather than stipulating it as a command.
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Gail;
-----Paul pretty specifically stated that this particular thing of hair, men, and women was an issue of conscience around the churches. Other issues are not so specifically stated, and yet others are specifically stated as being commands from the Lord. Combining this varying treatment of issues by the Word with the religious sense to “be right,” and we get more than confusion - we get controversy and division.
-----What is really key to the problem is that people seem to be absolutely terrified of the thought of openly and freely associating with someone else who sees things differently. Now I know that the Bible does tell us to not associate with brothers and sisters who are immoral and call themselves Christians, and those who deny certain things written in the Bible. I don’t try to say that such errors are excusable so that we should try to join up freely with those who live in them. But I do say that all of the matters people split finer than the does the Bible are not matters for controversies and division, but rather they are for conversation and appreciation.
-----Foremost of all the brothers, the church leaders are to hold and live Biblical attitudes. The Bible commands personal relationship with the Lord and personal understanding of what He has said in His Word. But foremost of all the brothers, church leaders have split the hairs thinner, continue to split the hairs thinner, and triumphantly lead their followers (who the Bible tells not to follow men) into divisions.
-----Love for one another does not depend on theological thought, cultural thought, political thought, or any other form of ideology. But it depends on sincerity, mercy, and recognition of something other than self. Love reaches out to what it sees, it does not spread out what the self knows. It will try to help what is there build up as it is and according to what the truth is. It does not try to build what is there according to the truth the self knows.
-----Therefore when it comes to split hairs, how important can they be? If you split them fine enough from the tip to the root, they might make the old lady’s balding noggin appear a bit more covered, but they will never make the church more relevant. We need to live by that, and we need to send that message to church leaders who think their ways of thinking are good for a following.
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