Discussion Questions
Renee describes her conversion as Christ “faithfully seeking her” when she “wasn’t looking for Him”; how does that framing of God’s pursuit shape the way she later interprets God’s persistence in pressing “uncomfortable” commands like head covering? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Renee says Jesus found her when she wasn’t looking for Him. How does that idea of God “chasing” her affect how she later understands God pushing her to obey hard commands like head covering?
When Renee first heard 1 Corinthians 11 in 2004, she dismissed it because “nobody teaches that…we don’t do it”; where do you recognize the same instinct in yourself—treating church normal as a lens that decides what Scripture can’t mean? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Renee first brushed off 1 Corinthians 11 because “no one teaches that” and “we don’t do it.” When do you do the same thing—letting what your church normally does decide what the Bible can’t mean?
Renee says her church warned her that the woman who embraced head covering was “really strange” and advised separation; what does that reveal about how modern churches define “acceptable” obedience, and how might early Christians have responded to believers who took Paul’s practices literally? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Renee’s church said the woman who wore a head covering was “really strange” and told people to stay away from her. What does that say about what churches call “acceptable” obedience, and how might early Christians have reacted to people who followed Paul’s instructions very literally?
In arguing against “this is just for Corinth,” Renee leans heavily on 1 Corinthians 1:2 (“all that in every place call upon the name…”) and Paul’s claims to teach “everywhere in every church” and “ordain…in all churches”; what would change in your Bible reading if you refused to use “original audience” as a way to quietly neutralize instructions you dislike? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Renee argues Paul meant these teachings for “every church,” not just Corinth. How would your Bible reading change if you stopped using “that was only for the original audience” as a way to dismiss commands you don’t like?
Renee challenges the “Bible times” dismissal by appealing to God’s word that “shall stand forever” and by noting Paul grounds the practice in headship order, creation order, and nature; which of those three foundations feels most confrontational to modern assumptions about identity and equality, and why? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Renee says head covering isn’t just “Bible times” because Paul connects it to headship order, creation order, and nature. Which of those reasons clashes most with modern ideas about identity and equality, and why?
Renee argues it would have been counterproductive for Paul to spend time teaching Greek men to be uncovered (since Greeks already were) unless something bigger than local culture was happening; how persuasive do you find that reasoning, and what alternative explanation would you offer that still takes Paul’s details seriously? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Renee says Paul wouldn’t waste time telling Greek men not to cover their heads if they already did that, so something bigger than local culture must be going on. How convincing is that, and what other explanation could fit Paul’s details?
Renee says she fought hardest against the headship order because of her feminist upbringing, and she compares biblical hierarchy to workplace hierarchy (CEO/accountant) as “not inferior/superior” but roles for “stability” and “order”; where does that analogy clarify things for you, and where does it feel inadequate or even dangerous? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Renee compares biblical hierarchy to a workplace (like CEO and accountant): different roles, not better or worse. Where does that comparison help you, and where does it break down or feel risky?
Renee’s word study on “dishonor” (citing a Strong’s definition “to curse vehemently”) jolted her into reading 1 Corinthians 11 as spiritually weighty—“cursing vehemently my husband” and, by extension, Christ; what do you think is at stake in Paul’s language of honor/shame, and how should Christians handle strong lexical claims without using them as emotional leverage? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Renee’s word study made “dishonor” sound very serious, like she was strongly cursing her husband and even Christ. What do you think Paul is getting at with honor and shame, and how should Christians use word-study claims carefully without using them to scare people?
Renee calls head covering “a physical symbol of a spiritual reality,” comparing it to communion tokens, wedding rings, uniforms, and even her boyfriend’s dog tags—“Everyone will know you’re mine”; what does God seem to value about visible, embodied symbols, and what does modern evangelical discomfort with external markers reveal about our theology of obedience and witness? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Renee calls head covering a visible sign of a spiritual truth, like wedding rings or uniforms. Why do you think God uses physical symbols, and what might our discomfort with outward markers say about how we view obedience and being a witness?
Renee critiques “freedom in Christ” rhetoric that treats commands as “bondage,” asking why God would “forget until the 20th century” to “release” women, and she ties the decline of veiling to feminism’s broader revolt (pain-free childbirth, rejecting subjection, cutting hair); what parts of that historical-theological narrative challenge you most, and what concrete practices (in dress, work, church roles, or home order) would you need to reevaluate if her diagnosis is even partly true? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Renee challenges the idea that obeying commands is “bondage,” and she connects the drop in veiling to feminism and other changes. What parts of her story are hardest for you, and what real-life habits (clothes, work, church roles, or home life) might you need to rethink if she’s even partly right?