On Uncut Hair

submission by Addison

The first thing that each of the participants spoke about when asked about their hair was I Cor 11:1-16. Therefore, it is important to understand the way these verses are interpreted by the preachers in this organization and the way this scripture is understood by the women themselves.

On separate occasions, three participants suggested a paper by Rev. David Bernard, UPCI General Superintendent, about the way hair is viewed doctrinally as part of the Apostolic identity. In this paper, Rev. Bernard concludes that, according to the scripture, a woman’s hair should be uncut, including any trimming, because it is her symbolic covering and cutting it would shame her husband and dishonor God. He adds that while the concept of our actions dishonoring another person or deity is culturally incomprehensible in America because of our belief in individuality, that everyone is responsible for their own actions, at the time that Paul wrote the letter to the church in Corinth, the explanation for why dishonoring God was a negative thing was not necessary.

Furthermore, Rev. Bernard explains that

“A woman’s long hair symbolizes that she submits to God’s plan and to the family leadership of her husband. It is her glory. It is a sign to the angels of her commitment to God and her power with God. It is a covering so that she can pray and prophesy publicly without being ashamed” (Bernard 2009).

This exemplifies a common theme that the women spoke about as they explained why they did not cut their hair. The key words here are “glory” and “sign to the angels”. The women I interviewed unanimously referred to their hair as their glory, which is a direct reference to I Cor 11:15.  Other than in reference to their hair, the term “glory” referred only to God. Leah stated that this was because a woman’s hair was a reflection of God’s glory when she lived in obedience to God’s Word and did not cut her hair. It is this obedience and submissiveness to the will of God that is believed to give these women the authority over the angels. Lydia described this authority as “one of the coolest things in the world. It’s like crossing this threshold between the physical and spiritual realms and having command over Holy beings that, when you think about it, should have some command over us.”While many referenced that their uncut hair was their glory and that it gave them power over the angels, none of them viewed their hair as having the primary purpose of being a covering. Kelsie stated, “I know it’s a covering because the Bible says so, but I tend to think of my hair as my glory and a symbol of my obedience to God’s Word.” This idea was echoed by most of the participants in this study, with one adding that it was hard for her to think of it as a covering because American culture does not believe women need to be covered, but “if God said it’s a covering, then it’s a covering.”

In addition to speaking about their hair as their glory and having power over the angels, the women spoke about their hair as distinguishing them as a woman. This was another point that Rev. Bernard stated in his paper, saying

“Hair length makes a distinction between the sexes, which God considers to be important. (See Genesis 1:27; Deuteronomy 22:5.) Since to a great extent the world has abandoned this divine symbolism, it is also a mark of separation from the world (II Corinthians 6:16-17)” (Bernard 2009).

Carol took this same idea and said “draw a picture of one woman and one man, and make sure you can tell the difference. Now, doesn’t the woman have long hair? Aside from the way we dress, our hair marks us as women. I sure wouldn’t want to be confused as a man!” Here, it is evidenced that this community highly regards traditional gender roles and align their actions (in this case, keeping men’s hair short and women’s hair uncut) to this belief. Here, Natalia added that shorter hairstyles were not created until the “Bobbe” in the 1920s and that this haircut was created for its shock factor, in direct rebellion to gender norms. This begins to show how cutting hair became linked with rebellion, not mere disobedience, to the Word of God, a topic that will be explored a little later in this blog.

Overall, the responses that dealt with the Biblical interpretation of I Cor 11:1-16 were in line with Rev. Bernard’s paper, which is available at (http://urshan.ccsct.com/uploaded/Symposium%2F2009%2FPapers/2_Bernard_-_Bible%27s_Teaching_about_Hair_Length.doc). Further responses to this scripture will be explained throughout the remainder of this research.