Expert: Rev. Stuart Woodward - 12/8/2009

Question
Hello. Is it a sin for a women to have short hair? Did paul mean women of all cultures cannot pray if they have short hair?

Answer
Hello Michelle,
Thank you for your question. I believe the key to answering it lies in 1 Cor 11:11-16. Paul asks the question, 'Does not the very nature of things...?'From his point of view it must have seemed this way but for us today the short answer must me that no the nature of things does not teach us that. In the culture of the time the length of hair obviously had to do with how the relationship between man and woman worked. It does not today. In the same way the covering of a head in worship had a particular meaning then which is not part of the common culture in the west.
Today in some cultures for a woman to have long hair is a sign that she is a prostitute. In such cases to insist on it for Christians would send out very odd messages to non Christians.
In the same way scripture tells us that a man should not dress in a woman's clothing and vice versa. This manifestly does not mean that a woman should not wear trousers. Indeed in 16th century England(the country where I minister)many men of higher rank often wore a form of tights and skirt. The particular bible reference here is an injunction about cross dressing.
From Paul's teaching we can glean that a woman should not dress (or wear her hair)in a way that suggests her authority over a man. As always in these days of grace and freedom the issue is not whether we keep some arbitrary legalistic standard but whether how we live properly reflects Christian values. This needs to constantly be worked out in each culture as it develops.
I hope these comments are of some help to you.
May God bless you
Stuart Woodward