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 The Effects of the Headcovering on Divorce by Myron Horst

Is there a correlation between Christian women wearing a headcovering as is instructed in 1 Corinthians 11 and the divorce rate among Christians? Most churches today teach that the woman does not need to cover her head and that the teaching in 1 Corinthians 11 does not apply to today. Is it true that the headcovering teaching is not important, has no value for today, and is to be “spiritualized” and reinterpreted? Or is the Church reaping the consequence of ignoring the headcovering command in the high rate of divorce and the destruction of families among Christians?

I grew up in a Mennonite church that practiced the headcovering. As the years have passed, many Mennonite churches dropped the headcovering. I have observed that among those churches that viewed the headcovering as no longer necessary or important and discontinued wearing the headcovering, the divorce rate among church members has significantly increased. At the same time the Mennonite churches that continued to require the wearing of the headcovering continued to have a very, very low divorce rate. The Amish, whose ladies also wear a head covering, have almost a zero divorce rate.

A hundred years ago, almost all denominations required a woman to wear a headcovering, at least to church. All of those denominations have experienced a significant increase in the divorce rate since they took the view that the headcovering is not important.

Compromise in beliefs in one area leads to compromise in other areas of Scriptural commands as well. When a Christian or a church explains away the need to follow the Bible in regards to the headcovering it becomes much easier to explain away the Scripture applying to divorce and remarriage. After all, the church is following the world in not wearing a headcovering and they are also following the world in saying that divorce and remarriage is permissible.

The divorce rate has increased so much in the church that today it is more likely for a person who attends a church to divorce and remarry than for a person who never goes to church and does not profess to be a Christian!

Why the woman’s headcovering affects the divorce rate and why the headcovering is so important for today.
The woman’s headcovering has a much greater significance and importance than I realized. When I awoke early this morning, while I was still laying in bed, God gave me some new insights that showed me why the headcovering is so important for the church today.

In Malachi 2 God tells us the reason why He designed marriage and made a husband and wife one. It was because God wants their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, and all the rest of their descendants to be Godly men and women after His heart. God is interested in our salvation, but He also is very much interested in the salvation of all the descendants of every Christian in the world. God wants ALL of our descendants to serve Him. When divorce occurs in a marriage, it often destroys the children spiritually. The chain of a Godly heritage is broken and the next generations are not taught to serve the Lord. Here is what God says:

Malachi 2:13-17 “And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand. 14 Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant. 15 And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. 16 For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously. 17 Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?”

God desires for a husband and wife to produce children who will grow up to Godly men and women who will also produce children who will grow up to Godly men and women for generations to come. In order for a father and mother to produce Godly descendants for many generations, the father and mother have to be one, not divorced. In order for a father and mother to be one, there can’t be two heads; they have to be a united unit. Because of Adam and Eve’s sin, the tendency of women is to contend with men. Because of that bent in a woman’s sin nature, God commands six times in the New Testament that women submit to their husbands.

Ephesians 5:22-24 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
Ephesians 5:33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
Colossians 3:18 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 11:3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.
Titus 2:4-5 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
1 Peter 3:1 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;
A woman’s covered head is a reminder to her that God wants her to submit to her husband’s leadership and not boss and nag him. She has to submit to her husband’s leadership if they are to be one in their marriage. That doesn’t mean that she has no input or say, she needs to. But there can be only one head of the home and God says in 1 Corinthians 11 that it is to be the husband.
1 Corinthians 11:3-5 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoreth his head. 5 But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoreth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.

It is important for a wife to submit to her husband if they want to have Godly descendants for many generations. The wife models submission to their children. More is caught than taught verbally. Submission is an important lesson for every person to learn because each Godly Christian must submit to Christ’s leadership and keep His commands. Disobedience to what God commands is sin and bars a person from entering heaven. God tells us “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” (1 Samuel 15:23) Christ is the head of man, and men must submit to Christ’s leadership.

The importance of a woman wearing a headcovering and submitting to her husband’s leadership and its affect on the divorce rate is greater than what you might think. Most people assume that generally husbands are the ones who instigated a divorce, but that is not correct. David Bercot in his book The Kingdom that Turned the World Upside Down on page 51, states that in research he has found, in the United States, 67% to 75% (varying by state) of all divorces are filed by women. In England, 70% of all divorces are filed by wives. But the percentage of divorces initiated by women is even worse than that when it comes to couples who own houses and have minor children. As an attorney examining land titles and reading the legal filings on several thousand divorce cases, Bercot’s observation is that over 90% of those cases were initiated by the wives!

In the research paper “These Boots are Made for Walking: Why Most Divorce Filers Are Women,” Margaret Brinig, Professor at University of Iowa, says that children are the most important asset in a marriage, and the partner who expects to get custody of the children is by far the most likely to file for divorce. Women are much more willing to file for divorce because they rarely fear losing custody of the children.

God knew all of this when He commanded women to submit to their husbands, to view their husband as their leader. In many marriages if the wife had submitted to her husband’s leadership it would have prevented a divorce. God knew that Christian women needed a daily reminder to submit to their husband and not reject his leadership nor to divorce him.

You will note that God does not specify the style of headcovering that a woman must wear. The style is not what is important. Instead God puts the emphasis in 1 Corinthians 11 on the head being covered with something other than the woman’s long hair. One mistake that the Mennonite church and the Amish have made with the headcovering is to specify a particular style of covering as the only valid one for the ladies to wear in their local church. The differences in headcoverings, the size, the shape, and the style be it ever so small between different Mennonite churches are used by Mennonites to evaluate the spiritual condition of those in a particular church. The people are then labeled as more liberal or conservative. This is wrong. It is not the style of headcovering that is important but that the headcovering be worn.

I believe that the reason God did not specify a particular headcovering is so that it could change with changes in society, not that a past culture be frozen in time like the Amish are doing. Women should feel attractive in wearing their headcovering, not like they are out of date. At the same time the headcovering needs to follow God’s other instructions on dress that it not be elaborate. I believe that it is appropriate for a woman to wear a number of different styles, colors, etc. of headcoverings just like she wears different styles and colors of dresses or skirts and blouses. It is the covered head that is most important and the daily reminder to the lady that God wants her to submit to her husband.

The Christian woman’s headcovering has a significant affect on the divorce rate. It drops the divorce rate very significantly. That is not to say that every marriage where the wife wears a headcovering will be permanent and not end in divorce, nor that every wife will always be submissive to her husband. Nor does it address the problems on the husband’s side in the marriage. And we are not attempting to address all the causes of divorce, just the influence of the headcovering on the divorce rate. God gave the command for a Christian woman to cover her head for a reason. He knew she needed a daily reminder to submit to her husband’s leadership and never seek a divorce.

God’s desire is that each married couple be one so that they can establish the foundation for many Godly generations and that all their descendants will be men and women after God’s heart. Hundreds of thousands of Christians have attempted to lay the foundations of many godly generations without following all of God’s commands, including the headcovering. The experiment is over. Let’s not continue that path any longer. We see the results and the consequences in large numbers of broken Christian homes, wayward children, lost grandchildren, and many apostate churches that are going through the religious motions of church worship each Sunday.

It is not enough to observe the headcovering and divorce situation and analyze things, and curse the darkness into which many have fallen. We must act and make the necessary changes. There is hope because we see the mistakes and know what to change. We do not know how soon Christ will return. If He doesn’t return for another 200 years, each Christian family will have hundreds of descendants between now and then. Each father and mother is responsible to God to produce Godly offspring. What we need to do is lay and repair the foundation so that there will be many Godly generations.

A Christian woman wearing a headcovering, and using it as a reminder to submit to her husband’s leadership, has many benefits. One is that she will be more likely to remain happily married the rest of her life. Her submission will make her more attractive to her husband and less likely for him to be attracted to other women. 1 Peter 3:3-5 “Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; 4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. 5 For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands.”

Another benefit is that she has a greater chance of raising her children to be men and women after God’s heart. Another benefit is that she shows her children by her example how to submit themselves to God’s authority. And she has a greater chance of raising the foundation for many Godly generations and providing those descendants with a wonderful Godly heritage.

from: http://www.biblicalresearchreports.com/the-effects-of-the-headcovering-on-divorce/


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SI Moderator - Greg Gordon

 2017/10/13 8:13Profile
savannah
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Joined: 2008/10/30
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 Re: The Effects of ________ on Divorce by Myron Horst



Great article!

...except for the title.

It ought to be, "The Effects of Feminism on Divorce."

And each time headcovering is alluded to as the culprit, it should be replaced by the word feminism.

There are a number of countries whose divorce rate is low that have no clue about the headcovering.

Again, the culprit is the sin of feminism. All these other things are merely the symptoms of this disorder.

 2017/10/13 8:52Profile









 Re:

Yes and Muslim women are covered completely from head to toe. They certainly do not divorce their husbands. To do so they would be killed. Of course their husbands treat them like dirt. A Muslim who owns a horse regards his horse of greater value then his wife.

Brothers I think you're missing the point. The issue is not whether a woman is covered on her head that is leading her to divorce. The issue is her heart. Being that SI has a strong Calvinistic emphasis we should realize that the issue is the depravity of one's heart. The depravity of one's heart is found in man or woman. Consequently the depravity of one's heart will drive one to the diborce their spouse.

It is irrelevant whether one's head is covered or not as to whether it they divorce their spouse. It's about as irrelevant as they having a wedding ring on one's finger or a wedding license. These are merely external representations of what should be an internal reality in the heart of an individual who marries in Christ. If a brother or a sister has decided that God has joined them to their mate. And if this commitment is in their heart. It matters very little as to whether the spouse is covered or not. If the heart is redeemed by Christ and joined to they're helpmate. Then divorce is unthinkable. This is the heart of the Gospel. This is the transformation that takes place in one's heart after they have come to Christ.

Religion in its outward trappings does not bring about the holiness of one's heart. That is only done by the redeeming work of Christ in the work of the Holy Spirit. This is why Frank's article is right on when he poses the question is one a captive of the Holy Spirit or are they a captive of the organization. To put it another way are they a captive of religion.

God grant that we be captives of the Lord Jesus Christ. May e be bound to Him and not to the religion of man.

Posted by Blaine Scogin

 2017/10/13 10:30
narrowpath
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Joined: 2005/1/9
Posts: 1522
Germany NRW

 Re:

Oh, please do not use the C-word (Calvinism) lest we get locked again.

I agree with the article, and I believe it is not the authors opinion that a piece of cloth can cure divorce.

Covering your head is a very small thing but it reaveals a great deal of your hearts attitude. We husbands should feel honored when our wifes voluntarily expresses their submission to us and God's order and that she has the moral strength to stand firm on the truth while others may scorn because they feel convicted.

About half the of the women in our fellowship cover their heads, some don't. I know I have to teach about at some point of time, but I also know I have to lay the right foundations before I can venture into this topic.
Is anyone here who has advocated and introduced this sucessfully to a fellowship where it previously has not been practised?


 2017/10/13 17:21Profile









 Re: The Effects of the Headcovering on Divorce by Myron Horst

The head covering is a very personal matter for me and in the past I was a member of an Anabaptist group. I have witnessed so-called sisters cover and profess to know Christ and then divorce. Now, interesting enough I do not know if Anabaptist sisters still cover after divorce and even after they remarry. Of course remarriage is rare among the Anabaptist, other than in very 'special' circumstances, e.g., the Holdeman Mennonites.

I also have met Hutterite brethren who came out of a commune/colony in Canada and experienced the New Birth through listening to old Charity Christian Fellowship tapes that were smuggled into the community. They stated that the bondage of Christian legalism, in their opinion, was far worse than bondage to heroine, drugs, sexual immorality, stealing, etc., because those who are NOT truly right with God can hide behind their religion, head covering, outward profession, etc.; however, in their heart they are sinning against a holy God. Of course we have examples in scriptures regarding the Pharisees and Sadducees: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness."

If the head covering is worn and embraced by a husband, wife and family then it MUST be led by the Holy Spirit and the Head of the husband and wife: i.e., Christ. However, should we abuse our liberty in Christ to wear the head covering to the point of causing our brothers and sisters in Christ to stumble? "But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak" (1 Cor. 8:9) (*please note, I am not purposely trying to take this verse out of context, I am open to correction from the Lord concerning my point).

I need God to break my wife and me until there is nothing left but Christ in us. We only have to answer to one person: Christ. May God truly bring us to the end of ourselves, so that His perfect will is done in us as it is in heaven.

"May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering!" (Moravian bond-slaves of Jesus Christ the Lord).

 2017/10/13 18:27









 Re:

I agree dear brother Blaine. And, I love my "Calvinistic" brothers, even though some might not like me too much. ;)

 2017/10/13 18:29









 Re:

Ken writes.........

"They stated that the bondage of Christian legalism, in their opinion, was far worse than bondage to heroine, drugs, sexual immorality, stealing, etc., because those who are NOT truly right with God can hide behind their religion, head covering, outward profession, etc.; however, in their heart they are sinning against a holy God. Of course we have examples in scriptures regarding the Pharisees and Sadducees: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness."

Amen..........bro Frank

 2017/10/13 21:06
Lysa
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Joined: 2008/10/25
Posts: 3699
East TN for now!

 Re: The Effects of the Headcovering on Divorce by Myron Horst

Quote:
Why the woman’s headcovering affects the divorce rate and why the headcovering is so important for today.


There are successful marriages that are not Christians but they are good people who make their marriages work no matter what.

There are successful marriages within Christianity but do not wear head coverings.

This guy is just preaching to his own choir, underpinning the belief system of it. That is just my opinion because in TN, I've met the most unkind women (toward me) that have head coverings. They judge me in jeans and no head covering with that "look" but we don't meet that often because we travel in different circles.

If and when there is another si conference, I hope to go but I also hope that the head covering people don't sit on one side of the church and the non on the other side.

Will there be any women there with pants on? That's a good question!! :) OR will there be rules about that?

God bless, just thinking out loud, bro greg,
Lisa


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Lisa

 2017/10/14 14:15Profile
narrowpath
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Joined: 2005/1/9
Posts: 1522
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 Re:

The problem is not with headcovering but legalism will find its expression through that what is outwardly recommendable without having the inward reality.

That will lead those who see their questionable testimony to reject their outward expressions. These people then discredit old hymns, King James bible, head covering, modest dress and the like. I sometimes come across people who grew up in fellowships where legalism was rampant. They think they have to counter it with tolerance and liberty or even license. They recoil at anything to do with these outward signs. This is very sad.

Headcovering in it self does not have to defend itself, it will never be a stumbling block in itself. Legalism is the stumbling block.

Legalism draws a caricature of godly things and drives immature people to counter it with license.

Matthew 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Jesus did not find fault with fasting twice a week or tithing spices, contrariwise he said: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

 2017/10/14 14:31Profile
roadsign
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Joined: 2005/5/2
Posts: 3777


 Re:

Wow! To think that head-coverings is still a relevant issue. It is! But not as an item in itself. Let me explain:

Recently I gathered up a few old fashion hats, pretty lace gloves, and costume jewelry from the attic of an elderly woman. I had my granddaughters put them on so I could take a picture of them posing like ladies of the past. They posed all right, but like the flattery sexy fashion models of today - not at all like the delicate "proper" ladies of the past. I encouraged the girls to tie their hair back in a bun, cover their shoulders, and sit up straight with their hands on their lap - to look authentic. They balked, and commented on how restrictive it must have been in the past.

In other words, this is far more than anything about outer attire, or what parts of the body needs more covering. It's about habits of presenting oneself which is deeply culturally conditioned.

I've been "round the mountain" with the attempts at making rules for women (which always feels demeaning) - and have concluded that the best way to train up young folk is model and teach the law of love: To consider other people's interests, respect one another, etc. When they respect others, they will gain habits of graciousness. That will affect their choices for attire, speech - with sensitivity to the social, religious, or domestic setting they find themselves in.

It starts with the experience of God's sacrificial love in their own lives - to gain self-respect. You can't respect others until you know your value as a human being made in God's image, whom Christ died for. Just think how important that is in preserving a marriage!


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Diane

 2017/10/14 17:50Profile





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