The Role of Women in the Church's Worship - Creation and Headship

Paul wanted the Corinthians to understand that the way women (and men) appeared in the gathering of the saints was critically important. This is not because God is concerned about fabric on the head or hairstyles, but because of the Church's obligation to "do all things for the sake of the gospel." Christians must never be a hindrance to the gospel and its fruitfulness (in the Church and in the world), and this requires that they understand and properly conform to cultural norms. In Paul's vernacular, they must "become all things to all men" for the sake of their salvation and completion in Christ. Christians must live and minister in conformity to cultural norms if they're to avoid stumbling others in their faith, and one of those norms - one that every culture recognizes and upholds - is the intrinsic distinction between male and female. God Himself designed that distinction according to His purpose for male and female, and the Corinthians must not in any way blur, confuse or oppose it.