Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 9
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?
Another 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?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
Renee suggests God values visible symbols because they communicate allegiance and order in a tangible way—an “outward sign” of an inward posture; she implies modern discomfort often comes from resisting what the symbol announces, especially submission.
- She concludes the covering is “a physical symbol of a spiritual reality,” like other scriptural tokens.
- She compares it to communion: bread and juice “representing the body and the blood of Christ,” a physical reminder of spiritual truth.
- She lists everyday symbols: “wedding rings,” “sports logos,” “police uniforms,” a pilot’s “wings”—all making identity visible.
- Personal illustration: her boyfriend (now husband) gave her dog tags—“Wear them. Everyone will know you’re mine”—and she “was so proud…to tell everybody.”
- She defines the covering’s meaning: “token of subjection…submission acknowledgment…outward sign of the inward heart and attitude.”
- She notes resistance is gendered: “We embrace that a man shouldn’t wear it, and we hate that a woman should,” tying discomfort to reluctance about subjection.