Scriptural Reference:
(ESV Bible Quotes)
Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.
Proverbs 16:31
Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting
on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning
be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a
gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.
1 Peter 3:3-4
Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her
head uncovered? Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears
long hair it is a disgrace for him, but if a woman has long hair, it
is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering. If anyone
is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the
churches of God.
1 Corinthians 11:13-16
Reflection:
This scriptural reflection is on a somewhat contentious topic of hair,
haircuts and dyeing. In our modern world it has been an accepted practice
for women to have shortly cropped hair while some men have gone the
opposite direction and chosen to have long hair. While the liberal theologian
will say when in Rome do as the Romans do, the more conservative theologian
will point to the Bible for their direction and understanding on the
topic. What we will do is to look at the above verses and see what we
can glean from them.
To begin with we find in Proverbs 16:31 a message for all of us who
are slowly going grey. Some see this aging process as an insult and
try to dye our hair so as to avoid the stigma and ageist attitudes attached
to greying hair. I for one have given in to this trend by dyeing my
hair black. It made me look slightly younger than I am and helped ease
my ego just a bit. But am I missing the importance of what grey hair
can signify? Am I allowing my vanity to look young to override the natural
accent of my bodies biological clock? I also know of many men and women
who do the same to add lustre or charisma to their looks. From a brief
and standard consideration of this verse we may perceive the writer
is just telling us that grey hair is a crown of glory and a sign of
a righteous life. This does not infer that everyone who has grey hair
has lived righteously. Nor does it state that dyeing the hair to cover
the grey should be deemed unacceptable. It merely states that we can
accept it as a natural part of a life that has been hopefully lived
in a righteous manner. So those who are still dyeing their hair to hide
the encouragement of grey can rest now knowing that the only thing they
may be doing is covering up any sign of a well lived life.
So moving right along we come to 1 Peter 3:3-4 where we are told in
a clearer manner that elaborate hair styles and adornments are to be
avoided. To come to terms with this verse we may need to look at it
in context of the time it was written. It was the social practice of
many non Christian women and especially those who worked in the sex
trade to dress to impress clients. The adorning of hair became both
an advertisement of who had money and who was available for a few hours
of traded pleasure. The writer is warning against such styles and adornments
so as the modest Christian would not be confuses with the rest of the
world around them. As an example I can mention that after Church a small
group of our congregation will go to a Chinese restaurant for lunch.
This is a great way of continuing the fellowship and staying together.
The challenge is that they serve those Chinese Fortune Cookies (the
ones that were actually created in either in Japan or California) and
the group rip into them and share the quaint messages. I have mentioned
that as Christians we need to be careful and not be conformed to the
world. The point I'm making is that anyone who sees us and knows we
are Christians can easily assume that we are no different from non Christians
as we do the same exact things as everyone else. In this example we
can see that the writer of 1 Peter is warning against accepting the
styles of the worldly. As for a modern interpretation we may need to
take this on individual cases. Why does someone style their hair? Why
do they adorn themselves with gold and other jewelry? Is the practice
to make themselves feel good? Are they trying to impress others? If
either were the case then a more modest approach would be suggested
as being acceptable.
Finishing off with 1 Corinthians 11:13-16 where we get a list of things
that are advised as being acceptable and preferred. Once again we will
briefly reflect on the times of the writers words. At the time women
who had their hair cut short were deemed to be of a lesser social status.
While men who chose to have long hair were deemed to be questionably
effeminate. Curiously the latter of these two seems to be relevant in
toady's world. How many men who claim to be openly homosexual have long
hair? While the first observation may also be deemed to still be true
as one may observe that most women who profess to be lesbians have short
hair to emulate the style of the male and as such reinforce their desire
to be deemed masculine. The verses direct a woman to see their hair
as an arraignment and a natural adornment while a many is tasked to
show their masculinity by the cropping of their hair.
Curiously the last instructions in this set of verses directs Christians
not to be 'contentious' as such an attitude is not part of the Church
or the family of Christ. We can also see this same message when reading
Romans 14:4 where we are told;
4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own
master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the
Lord is able to make them stand.
The chapter goes through a small list of contentious issues that were
going through the early Church in Rome and was causing all sorts of
strife among the faithful. Paul instructs the believers that there are
reasons for what people may do, but as long as their intent is correct
and set before God and for the glory of God they will be judged by God
and not by those in the Church. Is this is a sort of theological 'get
out of jail free' card? The answer is yes and no. If the act or practice
is a direct and recorded sin, such as homosexuality or lesbianism, then
there is no excuse permitted. Though if the act or practice is based
on long hair or short, it may come down to where the individuals heart
is. I personally direct people to pray diligently and seek the council
of the Holy Spirit as to what practice is best for their relationship
with God.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
The World is a constant challenge.
So many false role models,
So many false idols,
So many false practices.
I pray that in each of my choices,
That brings me closer to you,
And not further away from.
That each step I take reflects,
Your love and Grace for me.
Amen