Federal headship, also known as spiritual headship or simply headship refers to a concept taught in Christian theology, with respect to God, Jesus, man, and woman.[1][2] It has historically been externally reflected through the Christian practice of headcovering.[3]
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InChristianity, this concept has been used to explain the concepts of the covenants found in the Bible. In particular, it has been applied to passages such as Romans 5:12-21, explaining the relation of all humanity with Adam, as well as the relation of redeemed humanity with Jesus Christ, who is called the last Adam. According to this understanding, as humanity's federal head Adam brought the entire human race into sin, misery, and death due to his disobedience.[4] Christ, in his perfect obediencetoGod the Father, earned eternal life and blessedness for all his people.[5]
In his instructions regarding the Christian ordinanceofheadcoveringin1 Corinthians 11:2–13, Paul the Apostle grounds his teaching in "the headship of God, the headship of Christ, and the headship of man".[6] New Testament scholar Ben Witherington III explicates the historical interpretation of this passage:[7]
(1) women so long as they wear the head-covering may pray and prophecy in worship; (2) since in worship only God's glory should be evident, and since a woman's hair is her glory and she is the glory of man, that "glory" should be hidden under a head-covering, which head-covering can also double as (3) a sign of her authority to speak in worship; and finally, (4) "because of the angels" indicates that they are guardians of the proper order of creation and of worship, and the head-covering preserves the male-female distinction while at the same time affirming a woman's right to speak in worship. It is "authority" down from or on her head which all can see...[7]
InConservative Anabaptist Christianity, the woman's headcovering is worn throughout the day "to show that the wearer is in God's order."[8] The concept of headship can be found in the writings of the Church Fathers, including Irenaeus' Against Heresies and Augustine's City of God. The full theological articulation came in the time of the Protestant Reformation, and this doctrine is held by many Protestant churches, particularly in conservative Reformed and Presbyterian churches, as well as those of Conservative Anabaptism.[9][8]
