Federal headship

Federal headship refers to the representation of a group united under a federation or covenant. For example, a country's president may be seen as the federal head of their nation, representing and speaking on its behalf before the rest of the world. Related to the created order, the concept of headship is taught in Christian theology, with respect to God, Jesus, man and woman. It has historically been externally reflected through the Christian practice of headcovering.

In Christianity

In Christianity, this concept has been used to explain the concepts of the covenants found in the Bible. In particular, it has been applied to passages such as Romans 5:12-21, explaining the relation of all humanity with Adam, as well as the relation of redeemed humanity with Jesus Christ, who is called the last Adam. According to this understanding, as humanity's federal head Adam brought the entire human race into sin, misery, and death due to his disobedience. Christ, in his perfect obedience to God the Father, earned eternal life and blessedness for all his people.

In his instructions regarding the Christian ordinance of headcovering in 1 Corinthians 11:2–13, Paul the Apostle grounds his teaching in "the headship of God, the headship of Christ, and the headship of man". New Testament scholar Ben Witherington III explicates the historical interpretation of this passage:

(1) women so long as they wear the head-covering may pray and prophecy in worship; (2) since in worship only God's glory should be evident, and since a woman's hair is her glory and she is the glory of man, that "glory" should be hidden under a head-covering, which head-covering can also double as (3) a sign of her authority to speak in worship; and finally, (4) "because of the angels" indicates that they are guardians of the proper order of creation and of worship, and the head-covering preserves the male-female distinction while at the same time affirming a woman's right to speak in worship. It is "authority" down from or on her head which all can see...

In Conservative Anabaptist Christianity, the woman's headcovering is worn throughout the day "to show that the wearer is in God's order." The concept of headship can be found in the writings of the Church Fathers, including Irenaeus' Against Heresies and Augustine's City of God. The full theological articulation came in the time of the Protestant Reformation, and this doctrine is held by many Protestant churches, particularly in conservative Reformed and Presbyterian churches, as well as those of Conservative Anabaptism.

See also

• Covenant Theology
• Calvinism
• Imputed Righteousness

References

Further reading

• Bercot, David (2012). What the Early Christians Believed About the Head Covering. Amberson: Scroll Publishing Co.
• Kauffman, Daniel (1898). Manual of Bible Doctrines. Elkhart: Mennonite Publishing Co. pp. 160–168.
• Oster, Richard (2009). "When Men Wore Veils to Worship: The Historical Context of 1 Corinthians 11.4". New Testament Studies. 34 (4): 481–505. doi:10.1017/S0028688500021093. S2CID 170445159.
• Ruth, Merle (2022). The Significance of the Christian Woman's Veiling. Harrisonburg: Christian Light Publications.
• Shank, Tom (1992). "…Let Her Be Veiled.": An in-depth study of 1 Corinthians 11:1-16. Eureka: Torch Publications.

External links

• Headship and Head Covering by Rev. Chalan Hetherington - Bennetts End Reformed Baptist Church
• The Significance of the Christian Woman's Veiling by Merle Ruth - Anabaptists
• Why We Wear a Headship Covering by Brenda M. Weaver - Wilkes-Barre Mennonite Church
• The Practice of Headcoverings in the New Testament Church by Rev. William O. Einwechter - Immanuel Free Reformed Church
• The Christian Headship Ordinance of Head Uncovering and Head Covering by Greg Cowen - The Ninevite
• Chronology Of The Christian Headship Tradition by Greg Cowen - The Ninevite