Daniel. I here submit an excerpt of what I once wrote to a believing couple, and you will know if we agree on this matter (names altered):
Beloved Mr. and Mrs.,
I submit a few more thoughts of mine on the headship/head covering matter.
Slightly expanded (chiefly verbal aspect defined) literal translation without explanations or comments:
1. Be ye permanently imitators of me, according as also I [am] of Christ!
2. Now, I am heaping praise on you, brethren, for ye have been remembering all things from me, and according as I delivered to you the traditions ye are holding fast.
3. But, I am desiring [for] you to know that the Christ is the head of each man, and the man [is] woman’s head, and *God [is] Christ’s head.
4. Every man praying or prophesying having [ought] down upon [his] head is disgracing his *head.
5. Furthermore, every woman praying or prophesying with the head uncovered is in the habit of disgracing her *head, for it is one and the same with her having been shaved;
6. For if a woman is not habitually covering herself, also let her shear herself at once! But if [it be] shameful for a woman *to shear herself even once, or to keep on being shaved bald, let her keep on covering herself!
7. For, indeed, a man ought not to be in the habit of covering the head, being God’s image and glory; but, woman is man’s glory;
8. For man is not from woman, but to the contrary woman out of man;
9. For also, man was not created for the sake of the woman, but to the contrary woman for the sake of the man.
10. Because of this the woman is continually under obligation to be having authority on the head because of the angels!
11. Nevertheless, neither man apart from woman, nor woman apart from man in LORD;
12. For as the woman [was] out of the man, on this wise also [is] the man via the woman, but the totality of *God as to ultimate source.
13. Judge ye among yourselves once and for all! Is it becoming [for] a woman to be in the habit of praying unto *God uncovered?
14. Or is not also *nature itself teaching you that if a man, on one hand, should be having long hair, it is a disgrace unto him?
15. But if a woman be having long hair it is a glory unto her, for the long hair hath been given to her for a covering.
16. But if anyone is seeming to be habitually contentious, as for us we are not having such an established custom, neither [do] the congregations of *God.
(asterisk indicates untranslated definite article)
Now, in the following I will take the role of one who contends for the non-artificial-covering standpoint, substituting certain definitions for the usual renderings. I will be consistent in the use of the verb for ”cover” and the adjective corresponding to the verb in the case of both men and women, so it may look somewhat humorous. Take a close look at how the sense of this portion will be then. Starting from v. 3 and onwards.
3. But, I am desiring [for] you to know that the Christ is the head of each man, and the man [is] woman’s head, and *God [is] Christ’s head.
4. Every man praying or prophesying having [ought] down upon [his] head is disgracing his *head.
5. Furthermore, every woman praying or prophesying with the head uncovered by natural womanly hair is in the habit of disgracing her *head (whether it means own head or husband as head, or ultimately both), for it is one and the same with her having been shaved;
6. For if a woman is not habitually covering herself with natural womanly hair, also let her shear (cut hair short as a man) herself at once! But if [it be] shameful for a woman *to shear (cut hair short like men) herself even once, or to keep on being shaved bald, let her keep on covering herself with womanly long hair!
7. For, indeed, a man ought not to be in the habit of covering the head with manly hair (but ought to be bald), being God’s image and glory; but, woman is man’s glory;
8. For man is not from woman, but to the contrary woman out of man;
9. For also, man was not created for the sake of the woman, but to the contrary woman for the sake of the man.
10. Because of this the woman is continually under obligation to be having womanly long hair on the head because of the angels!
11. Nevertheless, neither man apart from woman, nor woman apart from man in LORD;
12. For as the woman [was] out of the man, on this wise also [is] the man via the woman, but the totality of *God as to ultimate source.
13. Judge ye among yourselves once and for all! Is it becoming [for] a woman to be in the habit of praying unto *God not covered by womanly long hair?
14. Or is not also *nature itself teaching you that if a man, on one hand, should be having long hair, it is a disgrace unto him?
15. But if a woman be having long hair it is a glory unto her, for the long hair hath been given to her instead of an artificial head covering.
16. But if anyone is seeming to be habitually contentious, as for us we are not having such an established custom, neither [do] the congregations of *God.
Comments: You yourselves will see how consistent arguing that the covering refers to womanly long hair will turn out more or less hilarious when applied to the text in above manner. What Paul ultimately (v.16) argues for is total uniformity among the churches of God. Observe the definite article before the word ”congregations”. This means all existing churches at a given time (otherwise it is impossible to apply to modern times), and we know Paul in this verse does not refer to only the Grecian churches, but THE congregations of God everywhere. If the determiner had been wanting (lacking) before the word ”churches” it might have been argued he pressed for uniformity of only Grecian churches where (Grece) it was in use that harlots shaved themselves bald or sheared themselves into having shortcut hair. But v. 16 to me speaks that Paul does not talk about a custom or culture bound thing, this thing about women being obligated to wear artificial head coverings in corporate worship meetings, the wording ”THE congregations of God” is a strong argument herein. If today THE (genuine & true) churches (local & visible) of Christ are to be in uniformity on all doctrinal and practical points revealed in the NT (and secondarily in OT), which they are to be according to the word of God, then the existing few churches in the world today, whether in USA or Canada or England or elsewhere ought each and all practice the use of artificial head covering with respect to their wives and women attending corporate worship meetings, without any church deviating from this established Christian custom. Similarly, if the proper sense is no-artificial-head covering then no single church ought to have women with artificial head coverings. It is no adiaphora thing this time, Paul argues for uniformity of practice in this case regardless of country or religious background or prevalent cultures in the country. It is a ”church thing”. All to the end the women and wives properly and becomingly exhibit humility and submission to male and husband headship (in corporate worship meeting contexts where prayer is offered and the word is proclaimed or expounded upon), and ultimately submission to God, this is the order of the living God, He who is God of both Jews and Gentiles. And as I have understood it was the practice in a bygone era, that churches professing Christ quite unanimously strove to obey this command of Paul’s, their women and wives wearing some kind of artificial head covering as a sign of submission to man’s authority and headship, and thus ultimately showing submission to God. But as Tom Ross pointed out the deviation set in in the last century, or maybe in the late 1800’s, with the arrival of women’s liberation movements or feminism and general liberalism and apostasy increasing. I believe the churches of the Reformation era, the Particular Baptist churches in England, and the Gospel Standard Churches of England up to this day, have quite unanimously striven to obey Paul and have had their women and wives wear artificial head coverings. I believe it was quite the same with corresponding churches in USA, although I cannot prove it right now.
END OF QUOTE
Harald