If then, you
have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where
Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things
that are above, not on things that are on earth (Col. 3:1-2).
I
commend you because you remember me in everything, and you maintain
the traditions even as I have delivered them to you. But I want you to
understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a woman
is her husband, and the head of Christ is God (1 Cor. 11:2-3).
Male headship:
“The head of a woman is her husband.” I suppose there’s nothing as
infuriating to modern feminists as this concept. But I wonder if this
ordering would be at least a little less infuriating if it were
understood in all its sublime glory as another of the multitudinous
patterns that the Creator God has wondrously and wonderfully woven
into His glorious Creation, and which even reflects the very being and
life of God Himself, as He exists forever in Holy Trinity.
As we all are well aware, patterns of order exist everywhere in our
Lord’s glorious Creation, from the paths of electrons and other
subatomic particles, to the paths of planets, stars, and galaxies;
from the ordering of the seasons to the planting, growing, and
harvesting of crops; and in the growth and adulthood of all animate
beings, from the insects and fish to the birds and mammals, from the
moment of conception to their last breath on this earth. For the
Church fathers, all these countless patterns of order all point to the
existence of God, the Creator of all this order that is so essential
to the peaceful ongoing existence of all things.
Since human beings are also part of the created realm, we can
scarcely be surprised that our own existence would also partake of
patterns of order—which, when abided by, greatly contribute to our
ongoing, peaceful existence while we live on this earth. This is
self-evident, even with no reference to the Lord our Creator. Just
imagine the chaos that would ensue if there were no patterns of
order—no directional signposts—for cars and trains and airplanes to be
governed by. Or if one day every driver and train conductor and
airplane pilot decided to disregard all the rules and regulations, and
drive and direct the train and fly wherever he or she happened to want to!
One such pattern of order in nature is male headship, whereby in marriage, the husband has the duty to be ultimately responsible for the physical, emotional, and spiritual well being of his family, along with having the ultimate responsibility
for guiding the ongoing mutual decision-making processes that are
necessary for this purpose. The man, generally being the physically
stronger, taller, heavier, and deeper-voiced of the two, very
naturally has been given this role. The Apostle Paul (1 Tim. 2:13) and
the Church Fathers also see a certain preeminence in the authority
and responsibility of the husband due to the fact that Adam was
created first, and then the woman from his side.
Of course, every husband, as the servant-head, should always be
seeking the input of his wife in the decision-making processes, which
should always be decidedly mutual, with decisions being
reached virtually always by consensus. Similarly, the husband should
also be steadily encouraging his wife to contribute greatly to the
marital enterprise as a whole, with all her particular strengths and
gifts as well.
Read the rest here.
