Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 8
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?
Another 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?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
Renee treats Paul’s honor/shame language as spiritually serious because it connects visible practice to how one relates to one’s “head” (husband, and ultimately Christ); she models handling strong lexical claims by checking definitions and then letting the weight of the text correct her casual attitude.
- She admits she minimized the term: dishonor sounded like a “little sass-off word,” not something major.
- She consults Strong’s and says the verb means “to curse vehemently,” then rereads the verse: uncovered praying means “curses vehemently her head.”
- She notes the parallel for men: a man praying covered would be “cursing vehemently Christ,” which made the issue feel symmetrical and grave.
- She applies it morally: “Do I want to be the kind of person that walks around and curses vehemently people? And especially my…husband?”
- She ties the chain of headship together: dishonoring her husband implicates “ultimately…Christ who’s above him.”
- She urges listeners to verify: “Somebody else can look it up, read it for yourself…Look in your concordance.”