Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God. 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.

1 Corinthians 11:12-15

Some of you will remember the theme song for All in the Family from nearly fifty years ago. Carroll O’Connor and Jean Stapleton sang this line from “Those Were The Days” –

"And you know who you were then, 
girls were girls and men were men"

We live in a world where the straightforward biblical ideas regarding sex and the roles of men and women are blurred. There is even confusion among some as to what is a man or woman.

But Paul wasn’t confused and we shouldn’t be either. In fact, while the world around us is in a state of confusion, it is our responsibility to speak truthfully.

In the complete passage, in 1 Corinthians 11: 2-16, Paul is addressing a controversy regarding head coverings. While we may not understand fully due to the gap of time from the first century to now, God has created men and women to fill complementary roles in the church and in the family.

And then at the end of the chapter, Paul reminds us how dependent we are on each other, men and women.