There is a fairly new doctrine surfacing in some of the Pentecostal movements about women’s hair and the “power” that is associated with that hair. Cutting or trimming the hair has always been a more prevalent doctrine in some Pentecostal groups for many years, but in recent times has taken a bizarre and cultish trend. The enemy of our souls is in a constant struggle with believers. His two-pronged attack comes first to make believers feel like they have so many issues and problems that they are beyond the reach of even a merciful and longsuffering God! If that doesn’t work, he attempts to delude the believer into thinking that he or she is so powerful and important in the kingdom of God, that the body of Christ could not exist without them holding up the standards of truth and holiness! Truth and holiness are important in the believers walk, for without truth we are still lost in our sins, and without holiness no man shall see God!
We must first identify the statements that are being made about hair, and rightly dividing the word of TRUTH, be able to conclude the focus of the scriptures and the will of God.
This new facet of hair doctrine is being pushed in “hair seminars” or “hair conferences” in Pentecostalism and is not only dangerous in its suppositions, but stretches beyond the pale of common sense to support theology that simply does not exist. It was once said that an excuse is the skin of a reason stretched over a lie, and the reasons that are given for “hair holiness” has become a thin skinned excuse for conformity to a religious practice that has been stretched over many lies! Before I break this down portion by portion to show the misrepresentation of the hair question, let me say first and foremost that long hair on a woman is a beautiful thing! It does have a beauty and glory that is associated with it, but any beauty and glory can be taken to an extreme, and that is the case in this “hair question”.
I will start by including quotes from a “hair conference” in italics, and then clarify those statements as false doctrine and where in scriptures you can find the TRUTH!
(hair conference) When Lucifer was cast out of heaven, he lost his covering, and God delegated Lucifer’s guardianship of the glory of God to the woman. Ezekiel 28:17
WHAT? On so many levels this is bizarre, as Lucifer’s covering was not his hair…the inference here is that Lucifer lost his covering so God gave his ministry of “covering” over to the woman… Nothing can be farther from the truth….
First let us look to the fountain of truth, the WORD OF GOD, for our answers…
Ezekiel 28:14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou was upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
16 :and I will destroy thee O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
So we see that the cherub lucifer was a covering cherub, set up by God to do so. He was to cover the stones of fire that he walked up and down in. However, HAIR was not his covering! We find that his covering was precious stones!
13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold:
So, while we see the covering of Lucifer WAS NOT HAIR, but precious stones, I have to ask another question that begs to be answered. Why is it these proponents of “hair power” WILL NOT wear any jewelry as it is considered ungodly? If they could acknowledge this covering was of precious stones and not hair, it would open the door to many questions that they are not prepared to answer. They have made a uniqueness of religious trappings associated with “hair” to exalt themselves with. They have found a niche within a self-flagellating religion, thinking that it is separating them more unto God. However, with its twisted views and self-exaltation, it is far from the heart of Jesus Christ! As far as the covering of lucifer is concerned, he lost his place of ministry of covering the stones of fire and perverted the precious stones of his covering he was created with. Through the twisted and perverted light of those stones, as a cherub who once had four Godly natures, with his four fallen natures listed in Revelation 20:2, he now wars against truth as a dragon, twists truth as a serpent, devours truth as devil, and opposes truth as satan.
This next quote from the “hair conference” should be observed by the ones who are promoting this twisted view of the “glory of the woman”…
(hair conference) Vanity caused him to become so proud of his outward magnificence that it began to overshadow his relationship with his Maker!
My response to that would be AMEN! Becoming proud of your outward magnificence of your long, uncut hair and the “power” you have been told is associated with it, has caused many a Pentecostal woman to become prideful and arrogant, looking down on other believers who may have trimmed or cut their hair, or for reasons unknown to them, don’t have any hair at all!
(hair conference) God delegated Lucifer’s guardianship of the glory of God to the woman.
This one statement should be enough to alarm any believer who searches out the scriptures for truth! First of all, lucifer did not guard the Glory of God! His ministry was to walk up and down among the stones of fire on the holy mountain of God. As a cherubim we know that he had the four faces described in Ezekiel 10:14 And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.
We also know that the cherubim do not guard God’s glory! God does not need anything or anyone to guard his glory! Cherubim were used to guard the way to the garden of Eden after men were cast out to guard the “way of the tree of life”. The “way” is not the glory of God, but is access to the glory of God! We know that cherubim are angelic beings that surround the place where God dwells and their four faces represent the revelation of who God is as he is revealed to mankind! That is why God spoke to the Israelites from between the cherubim of the mercy seat that covered the ark of the covenant! As a type and picture of the New Testament relationship that Jesus would have with his redeemed, we are COVERED by the BLOOD of JESUS, where at the “throne of grace” we now have access to GOD through that Blood, and can obtain “mercy and help” in time of need! Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. The cherubim at the mercy seat do not guard God’s glory, but proclaim it! The study of the cherubim is a beautiful one in scriptures, and without going into much detail here, the 4 New Testament Gospels along with the 4 faces of the Cherubim, reveal the Glory of God in Jesus Christ! It is revealed as Son of man (face of man), Son of God (face of eagle), Servant or burden bearer (face of the ox), and King (face of the lion).
God did not delegate the power and covering that HE has assigned to his cherubim to women! As we look at the verses that are used to perpetuate this false doctrine, understand what the Word is saying about coverings, headship, authority, and glory. These verses in I Corinthians 11:10 and 15 are used at these conferences to promote this false doctrine! Here are the verses alone, then we will start from the first of the chapter to get the whole CONTEXT of the scriptures in Corinthians chapter 11 for a better understanding.
(hair conference) I Corinthians 11:10 For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.
15: But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given her for a covering.
“Satan tempts mankind, especially women over and over to tamper with the covering because it symbolizes to him everything that he lost.”
Now here again we see the emphasis placed on hair being the symbol of what Lucifer lost…Hair was never his covering, and for a woman, in the NATURAL SENSE ONLY is is referred to as her covering! Remember lucifer was to cover the stones of fire on the holy mountain of God, but his personal covering was the precious stones. Hair on a woman’s head does not even remotely remind him of what he lost! He lost relationship and ministry in God’s mountain where the stones of fire reside, and was cast out from His presence! How can a woman’s hair given to her as a natural covering relate at all to eternal things in the heavens? Let us look at all the verses in that chapter to understand the CONTEXT of the scriptures, and to see that spiritual authority is what Paul is referring to in his letter to the Corinthians!
I Corinthians 11:1Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. (Paul is confirming his following of Christ and that is where he gets his directions for the churches)
2Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you. (The ordinances and structure for the churches he gets from Christ, and delivers it to them)
3But 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. (Here is the main topic of the next 14 verses, using hair and a NATURAL picture of what should be in the spiritual. He is addressing the order of natural and spiritual headship here, not orders for trimming or cutting the natural hair! The ORDER of things: God, Christ, man, woman)
4Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. (This is not a natural covering, but a spiritual one…this is not saying God does not hear your prayer as a man if you forgot your hat was still on! But as a man, if you allow another man to be your spiritual headship, you are dishonoring your head! Who is your head? Vs. 3 that the head of every man is Christ! IF you allow some man to dictate your personal relationship with Christ, you are dishonoring Christ!)
5But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. (AGAIN, this is not a NATURAL covering but her Headship! If a woman prays without a hat or headcovering, God will not hear her prayer? If this was hair, why do the “hair” women pile their hair up on the top of their head instead of allowing it to be a covering? IT IS NOT ABOUT NATURAL HAIR! This is about spiritual headship! If you cannot respect and honor your husband if you are married, or your father figure in your life GOD has placed there, how will you show the proper respect and honor due to God when you pray to him? If you are rebellious to your natural headship of covering (husband/father) do you think your spiritual attitude will be different toward Christ? Why don’t the “hair” women address this issue which is rampant in that “religion”?) Early church history shows that many people had misrepresented what Paul was teaching here and women could not attend a church service without a veil covering their head and bodies. They were also told they could not speak or have any interaction with men during the services. How does that fit in with the prophetic promises of God in scripture where he foretold that his sons and his DAUGHTERS would prophesy! And how about in the book of Acts, when the spirit fell on ALL present and they began to speak with tongues as the spirit gave the utterance! We find that women were there also….and were part of the ALL! Acts 1:14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. 15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)
6For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered. (a shaven woman was a symbol in those days of mourning or loss, as a widow who no longer had her “covering” would sometimes mourn by shaving her head. Jer.7:29 Cut off thy hair O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places…It symbolized that she was now alone and even friends who would sympathize with her in that time of death and mourning, would shave off their hair! It was a shameful, pitiful time of loss! Paul again is using this as a reference to her covering…her spiritual headship! Is she at odds with God’s order? Is she rebellious to God’s headship in her life? It is as if she were naturally shorn (short cut)…and if shorn, she may as well be shaven! You can’t rebel against your natural headship (husband, father) and expect God will approve of your actions! Rebellion at any point in the covering of headship will have its effect all the way to the top with God! The same thing happened with Lucifer. His rebellion reached the throne and he wasn’t very far from there in his chain of command!)
7For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. (again, man should have no ruler but Christ! No headship but Jesus! Recognize that in the NATURAL God has placed headship and authority of the family in this order: God, Christ, Man, Woman, Children. However, in the spiritual realm each must approach Jesus Christ as savior for their own selves! The man is not the savior of the woman, only Jesus is the savior! But in the NATURAL order, there is a structure set up by God to facilitate structure and harmony in the home and in everyday life! Here the scriptures PLAINLY teach that the woman is the Glory of the man, not the covering of the GLORY OF GOD as they so falsely teach!!)
8For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. (natural order emphasized here….)
9Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man. (again, natural order emphasized here…)
10For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels. (In the order of Jesus Christ, the new creation believer, she has the power of her own head! Jesus is now her spiritual head just as he is the spiritual head of the man! She can approach the throne of grace and has power on her own head (which is defined “jurisdiction, right, privilege, on or over her head”) because she has angels ministering to her, equally as does men in her life who may be her NATURAL headship! Hebrews 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?)
11Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. (Men should not get puffed up by the order of the Lord in the NATURAL, because she has equal access to the throne of grace, as the man. If the man, as the head of the woman is not treating the woman as Christ would his church, the jurisdiction of authority then leaps beyond that failure to Christ, the head of all of his church!)
12For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God. (again, referring to the NATURAL order from creation, but reminding all men, that you came from a woman! You had to be conceived, developed and birthed by a woman! A reminder that ALL THINGS of God!)
13Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered? (again, be in subjection to the order put in place by God!)
14Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? (NATURAL order….to express SPIRITUAL distinctions)
15But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.
(Again, in the NATURAL, as God’s glory is not only relegated to women who have never cut or trimmed their hair! Otherwise, even unrepentant and unregenerated women who have long uncut hair would have spiritual glory on them also! This is not talking about GOD’S glory!)
16But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God. (Notice here Paul said any “man” as he was addressing the leaders of home and family! He was reminding them that this is all God’s will, and if any will be contentious, we don’t have any church customs to take a spiritual matter and try to make it physical or natural! OR, do not take natural things and try to make a spiritual thing of it! So, bottom line, Paul wants the spiritual concerns addressed, which is every man and woman in the SPIRITUAL realm be under subjection and submission first and foremost to Jesus Christ the head of his church, and if all men and women in the church would be submitted to Christ, it would be so blessedly easy to follow his NATURAL order!)
Imperative to understanding the concepts of shorn or shaven is the Greek word keiro. It is translated to mean shorn or to cut. It does not signify any particular length or amount. However, with that being said, a woman should not deliberately remove so much hair from her head so that she creates confusion as to her being a male or female. Shorn occurs with shears or scissors, shaven means removed with a razor. If she will remove so much of her hair she no longer appears as a woman, it is as if she shaved her head! But for a woman to cut or trim her hair does not scripturally affect her relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ! Her relationship with the Lord is not determined by the outward adorning of her hair, or of her body! If she is following Jesus, her appearance will be one of modesty, not drawing attention or attempting to attract the opposite sex. Jewelry and other clothing accessories will not be out of control but will be tasteful and appropriate.
(hair conference) That is why it is so important for us to not even trim our hair. The purpose is to be in submission to the word of God by not cutting your hair at all. What is one of the first things a woman does when she backslides? She cuts her hair, losing her glory just like Lucifer did when he was cast out. She is now separated from God just like he is.
So many levels of this false doctrine attempt to create the cookie cutter version of “I’m a Pentecostal, don’t I look like one?” philosophy. The sad thing is that people are read like a book, an epistle of sorts…a letter to the world about who you are and what you really believe! If you think the lost and dying world is looking to see if your long and uncut hair has been trimmed or not, or if you are a 2nd or 3rd generational Pentecostal woman who has chosen not to cut your hair….you are sadly mistaken. Far clearer to them is the arrogance and attitude of the prideful believer, who by their actions, words and deeds, have not been separated in their hearts at all, but only in their outward appearance! It is so important that you do not make changes to the outside, with an attempt to impress others or elevate yourselves, without first following the directions of the humble savior to clean the inside of the cup! If you have cleaned the inside, the outside will show it. And what God has called you to do in the crucifying of your flesh, he may not have that same thing in mind for your sister in Christ! If you think that what Christ has called you to do must be a mandate for all others to follow, you have fallen upon the same need for rebuke that Paul gave the Corinthians! For only Christ is the head of every man! It is by his direction and revelation that each individual is called into their lives of commitment and conviction. Their “surrender all” may not be your “surrender all”. If you become to focused upon the outward man, the inward man inevitably gets overlooked. And that is the most important aspect of all of our lives, as that is where GOD looks!
(hair conference) We can actually open up our homes for evil spirits to come in if we are in rebellion. Your uncut hair brings protection to the entire family.
How sad….my wife’s hair, trimmed or untrimmed, does not bring divine protection to me, or our children! Divine protection is awarded as a child of God, when I was purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ, when I repented of my sins, and by faith toward God, became an heir of salvation! Then I was afforded the divine protection of GOD! And I don’t loose it because my wife trimmed or cut her hair! My children who received salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, also did not loose their divine protection because their mother may have trimmed or cut her hair! How ludicrous to assume that divine protection only comes with a head full of uncut hair! In these “hair conferences” is it ever taken into account if that hair is setting on top of a woman whose heart is rebellious toward her husband and dishonors him and Christ by actions that portray to the world that her heart has never been changed? What about all of the ungodly women who do not know Jesus Christ as their savior, who for the sake of choosing have never cut their hair? Does that mean they have some degree of this power as well? The answer is an obvious “NO” as any power we receive is of Jesus Christ and through his blood and is not measured by the length of hair or how many generations in your family tree your maternal line did not cut or trim their hair!
A final verse thrown in there for the sake of those at these “hair conferences”:
(hair conference) I Peter 3:3 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adoring of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;
So again we must take all of the scripture into context when discussing this topic so let us look into all of I Peter chapter 3:
1Likewise, 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; (here is that order setup by God, headship of the home and family)
2While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. (Conversation here is translated to mean lifestyle, not just words)
3Whose adorning let it not be (NOT BE the following) (1)that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, (2)and of wearing of gold, or of(3) putting on of apparel; (Peter is not saying to not plait your hair, or wear gold, because he certainly wasn’t saying that we should not WEAR ANY APPAREL! He is saying don’t just adorn the outside of your body, which by the way we should do to the best of our ability as we are not our own, we are bought with a price and belong to Jesus! He is saying that we should not just adorn our outward man!!!! But….)
4But 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. (Inwardly we ought to be as carefully adorned and ornamented as we are on the outside….)
5For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: (wonder why this isn’t taught as much as the “hair” thing?)
6Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.
7Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. (Men should recognize that the women are just as valuable and precious and usable for GOD in the eyes of our Lord Jesus Christ as men are! Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.)
There is a sad climactic event at some of these “hair conferences”. Women who are 2nd or 3rd generational Pentecostal who affirm they have never trimmed or cut their hair are encouraged to come forward, and as a testament to the “power on their head” are asked to take their hair down and wrap it around someone else who is needing prayer. For example, if there is a sickness or need in someone’s neck the women are instructed to wrap their hair around that neck as they are prayed over to demonstrate the “power that they have on their head”!
I can’t even attempt to explain that one…it is so far beyond the pale of what the scriptures say for us to do when needing prayer. I believe in the power of prayer and according to the instructions in the book of James chapter 5:14 Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed any sins, they shall be forgiven him.
No where in these instructions does it call for the women of the church to undo their long tresses of hair and wrap it around the afflicted persons body. Where does this doctrine come from? From a twisted view of the scriptures, which prompts you to create a whole new level of deception when confronted with more truth! Things that occur become heretical once sound doctrine is tossed out of the window!!!
These actions prompt several questions:
- Why just 2nd and 3rd generational Pentecostal women?
- If there are 1st generational women there and they have ceased from cutting their hair, do they not have the “power on their heads” yet?
- If not, at what point will they begin to achieve this “power”?
- If hair falls out from a sickness or illness of the body, is that “power” lost? Does the divine protection cease in that case also?
- Where in these scenario’s do you find a remote example in New testament scripture where these actions are encouraged or exhorted by Christ or the apostles?
- Will a backslidden woman who comes back to Christ and finds forgiveness not be able to put divine protection back over her house until her hair grows out? Until then, what then?
- Where in all of this is the BLOOD OF JESUS, which redeems us unto GOD, play into these pseudo religious ceremonies? The scriptures teach that there is power in the Blood of Jesus, not in a woman’s head of hair!
- At what point will women who have the Spirit of God, awaken and LEAVE these cultish behaviors and look to JESUS, the author and finisher of your faith?
Please think about all of the things that are presented here, and if you are a part of a religious group that puts its focus on your outward appearance, please reconsider where you have put your faith! I do believe that the outward appearance will be affected by an inward manifestation of the Blood, Water and Spirit! Changes will take place in the believer’s life as a direct result of Jesus being on the throne of your will! What was once immodest will become modest, what was once excess will become moderated, and what was once darkness will become a reflection of the true light of Jesus Christ! Woman, if you have been given a beautiful head of hair, take care of it! Don’t let it become disgraceful and shaggy in appearance and presentation! Keep it clean, healthy, trimmed and beautiful! If you were not blessed with a headful of hair, and you find yours is thinning as the years go by, don’t worry about the religiosity of churchianity that would condemn you for attempting to present what hair you have in the best way possible! Just follow the leading of the Lord Jesus and He will let you know if you are out of his will or not! Follow the exhortation of Paul to his son in the faith Timothy, as he says:
II Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
Love the Lord, Seek Him and His will for your life!
Pastor Stephen Dubois
www.searchforbibletruth.org