Headship rears its head again
The concept of “biblical headship,” or the idea that a man should have ultimate authority over his wife and/or women in the church, is primarily based on interpretations of four key New Testament passages (Icons of Christ, William G. Witt, 121). The one I will deal with in this post is 1 Corinthians 11. Verse 3 of this chapter reads as follows: “But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the husband is the head of his wife, and the head of Christ is God.” At first blush, this passage might clearly seem supportive of the notion of “headship”; however, this understanding depends more on how we as English speakers typically interpret the word “head” rather than an understanding of the Greek word that Paul uses for head here, kephalē, and his intended meaning. In fact, many modern Biblical scholars argue that “head” in this instance does not connote “authority over” but rather the concept of “source” (128-9). In fact, “head” carries similar nuances of meaning