For
myself, I looked at Chapters 10,
11, 12 - in chapter 10, how many times is the Lord's supper mentioned
(that's a
group activity). Idol worship - generally, that's a group thing. [head
coverings] followed by the Lord's Supper (again.) Chapter 12
goes on with the edification of the body of believers.
So if you take those three chapters,
you have "body, body, body, [head coverings, but not body], body, body,
body.
If I believe that head coverings are
meant for gatherings of the body (large or small), I'm in good company.
Charles Spurgeon:
The reason why our
sisters appear in the House of God with their heads covered is ‘because of the
angels.’ The apostle says that a woman is to have a covering upon her head
because of the angels, since the angels are present in the assembly and they
mark every act of indecorum, and therefore everything is to be conducted with
decency and order in the presence of the angelic spirits.
Martin Lloyd Jones:
In other words, the
Scripture teaches that when you and I are met as we are at this moment and when
we’re met together in prayer that the angels of God are present and are looking
upon us. And the woman is to be covered when she takes part in public prayer
because of the presence of the angels. It’s a tremendous and a remarkable
thing. Let us bear it in mind.
Michael Barrett:
The difference between
man and woman must be reflected in public worship. The terms praying and
prophesying are important in this context as one of public worship. The word
for pray is perhaps the most general term for prayer and is appropriate for
public prayer. Although prayer is not essentially public, prophesying serves no
purpose apart from the public context.
Mary Kassien:
In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul
exhorts the Corinthian church to adhere to a custom he had taught them: Women
were to veil themselves in the public assembly of believers, and men were not.
Joel Beeke:
When you come to the house
of God for corporate worship, how you conduct yourself matters. Paul argues for
proper decorum in public worship according to His created order. When you enter
the house of God for worship, how should you act in a way that honors the glory
and will of the Lord? –from the Study Notes from the The Reformation Heritage
KJV Study Bible, General Editor is Dr. Joel R. Beeke.
R.C. Sproul SR:
The wearing of fabric
headcoverings in worship was universally the practice of Christian women until
the twentieth century. What happened? Did we suddenly find some biblical truth
to which the saints for thousands of years were blind? Or were our biblical
views of women gradually eroded by the modern feminist movement that has
infiltrated the Church of Jesus Christ which is “the pillar and ground of the
truth.
Charles Ryrie ~
Women should be
veiled or covered in the meeting of the Church, and the men should not. Paul's
reasons were based on Theology, the order of creation, and the presence of
Angels in the meeting. None of these was based on contemporary social
custom."
John Calvin:
With the view of proving,
that it is an unseemly thing for women to appear in a public assembly with
their heads uncovered, and, on the other hand, for men to pray or prophesy with
their heads covered, he sets out with noticing the arrangements that are
divinely established.
If you want just the list of names: John Calvin, Charles Ryrie,
R.C.Sproul Sr, Joel Beeke, Mary Kassien,
Michael Barrett, Martin Lloyd Jones, Charles Spurgeon.
