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The Historic Faith
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Question 8
Finny calls 1 Corinthians 11:7 (“woman is the glory of man”) the most offensive verse, then explains “glory” as “honor/pride/treasure” using 1 Thessalonians 2 and Adam’s poetic joy in Genesis 2; where do you feel resistance to that framing, and how might it expose modern assumptions about equality, identity, and what it means to “complete” one another?
Another way to ask: Finny says “woman is the glory of man” means she is his honor, pride, and treasure. What parts of that idea do you resist, and what might your reaction reveal about how you think about equality, identity, and “completing” each other?

Direct Answer The transcript suggests the main resistance comes from hearing “glory of man” as inferiority, but Finny reframes it as “treasure” and “honor,” which exposes modern assumptions that equality requires sameness or independence rather than mutual completion.

Support from Transcript:

  • He admits it’s “the most challenging… [and] most offensive verse… to our modern sensibilities.”
  • He clarifies what Paul does *not* say: “Paul does not say that the woman is made an image of man… She’s called the glory of man.”
  • He defines “glory” from Paul’s usage: in 1 Thessalonians 2:20, “you are our glory and joy,” meaning “honor… pride… treasure.”
  • He uses Genesis 2: Adam sees Eve and says “At last!” and “breaks out into poetry… because he has found his treasure… what is going to complete him.”
  • He connects this to roles: “the man cherishes the woman… the woman is to help her husband,” and the covering signifies “glad submission.”
  • He adds that creation order “does not diminish her significance or her worth,” using the “moonlight” analogy.
Discussion Follow-ups Do we assume “helping” or “completing” must imply lesser value? How might our discomfort reveal that we equate dignity with autonomy rather than with being honored and cherished in God’s design?