 I had read it, but I didn’t process it. I didn’t study it. In the 5 years I had been Christian, I’d never heard a minister preach on hair length or even gender distinction at all. Several times I had read Corinthians without stopping to think on this issue. After all, it’s become so common in American culture for women to have short hair and men now having long hair that it’s easy to forget how many hundreds of years went by that this was unaccepted. Was the tradition of short hair for men and long hair for women cultural or biblical? One of the first things I noticed when I was new to the Apostolic Pentecostal church was the women were all wearing skirts, dressed modestly, and their hair was usually long. Not only was it long, but it looked natural. No dye, no unnatural color, no highlights, no layers, no chopped appearance. I came to learn that for most of them their hair was uncut. Yes, they do not cut their hair. Traditionally, they do not even trim it. I had never heard of any church or denomination teaching this. I certainly didn’t mind the look. I’ve always loved long hair. I’ve had short hair several times when I was younger, and I hated it. I prefer my hair hip length if I can get it to grow that long. All these women at church looked so beautiful. They looked so feminine, but in a different way. It wasn’t feminine in a worldly way with makeup and nails and accessories to strut a womanly look. It was deeper than that, purer than that. In a way, it fascinated me to see this whole group of people look like men and women used to. It felt like finding something of old that you don’t see often anymore. But why did they all follow this way? 1 Corinthians 11:3-16 (NASB) 3 But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ. 4 Every man who has something on his head while praying or prophesying disgraces his head. 5 But every woman who has her head uncovered while praying or prophesying disgraces her head, for it is one and the same as the woman whose head is shaved. 6 For if a woman does not cover her head, have her also cut her hair off; however, if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, have her cover her head. 7 For a man should not have his head covered, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. 8 For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man; 9 for indeed man was not created for the woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake. 10 Therefore the woman should have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11 However, in the Lord, neither is woman independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. 12 For as the woman originated from the man, so also the man has his birth through the woman; and all things originate from God. 13 Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does even nature itself not teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him, 15 but if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her? For her hair is given to her as a covering. 16 But if anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor have the churches of God. Was this cultural? Verse 16 implies that it was not. “But if anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor have the churches of God.” To be contentious is to be argumentative or controversial. I take that as, ‘If you want to argue about this, we as a church don’t even have any practices.’ Of course, the churches had their practices and their way of life. When I thought about it, hadn’t it always been tradition among Christians and Jews for there to be gender distinction with clothing and hair length? Perhaps, modern times are not the right gauge to use to measure what is acceptable to God. I knew this was something I didn’t fully understand. I wanted to know. Was it okay that I cut my hair? Is trimming fine? Should it be uncut? Should it be natural? What do I do or what do I stop doing? I struggled to understand, especially with so little actually spoken on this topic. To be honest, I struggled with this topic for years. My hair is thin and the ends get damaged easily. I was introduced to the idea of uncut hair in 2011, but I didn’t have conviction on it or real understanding. I grew my hair as long as I could, but would continue to trim the ends once or twice a year to make it healthier. Until recently, I spent all those years interpreting this that hair needed to be long but did not need to be uncut. Still, every time I would trim my hair I felt so conflicted on whether or not it was okay. It always bothered me so much to ‘need’ to trim my hair. I’d get all worked up about it. Every time I would revisit the issue. Searching the internet was little help. There are so many opinion pieces out there saying things every which way. One thing that I found works for me is to look at different ways people interpret something and test that against scripture for a process of elimination. I’ve heard a lot of things when this topic comes up. Let’s take a look at 10 of them (aside from people who will distract by switching the topic). 1 Ignore This seems to be what most people do, but this is New Testament. So, I don’t see how it’s valid to say it’s not relevant. 2 Say it was cultural at the time, but give no explanation This seemed to be the main reaction when I would bring up the topic with non-Apostolics. They said it was cultural, but they didn’t actually talk about the culture. They just thought that it wasn’t for us anymore. 3 Men having short hair and women having long hair is still relevant and something we need to follow. This is in line with scripture. 4 It’s disgraceful for a woman to have her head shaved or her hair cut off. Cut off short or cut at all? I would think it’d be hard to notice a little trim. Cut short though is certainly noticeable. For countless years, this was a disgrace. In the Old Testament, when a woman was taken captive they shaved her head. Even today despite the insanity of modern times, even the secular world finds it shocking when a woman shaves her head. Even the world knows long hair is glorious and feminine. What about short hair though? Cultural norm or biblical disgrace? It’s hard to make such judgment calls when we do not desire to control or offend. We have to make these decisions for ourselves. 5 Women need to have uncut hair. I think this is where the confusion comes in. Does it need to be uncut or does it need to not be cut off as in cut short? We’re going to get into that more. 6 Women need to have a covering. Wear a head covering at least when praying. There are some conservative churches that teach this: Amish, conservative Mennonite, other Plain societies, Orthodox, historically Catholic churches did as well. It seems more common in the Eastern world than the Western. However, verse 15 says that if a woman has long hair her hair is given to her as a covering. 7 A covering is needed for women, but their long hair counts as a covering. This is in line with scripture. That also begs the question: Should women with short hair wear a covering? 8 This is only about praying or prophesying uncovered. While that does technically fit, what about where it says long hair is a woman’s glory? Shouldn’t we always be ready to pray? I wouldn’t want to have to go get a head-covering to pray with if I can have a covering with me always. 9 This is about authority in the household. The man is the head of woman, and she should have a symbol of authority on her head. I don’t know that I understand how this is a symbol of authority, but the scriptures are there. Still, how is saying this an excuse to not be obedient to this? There are some that say this is just for wives. I can see where they get that from verse 3, but the words chosen are men and women. It doesn’t say wives only. Besides, shouldn’t unmarried women be prepared to get married and look like a wife? 10 These verses are about shrine prostitutes. Shaved heads were for prostitutes. This was an issue in Corinth. The instruction is to not look like them. I find this response particularly interesting. I’ve heard many people try to dispute women having uncut hair or requiring long hair by saying that these verses were about prostitutes. Let’s get into this one. At that time this was written to the Corinthians, there were pagan temple prostitutes that were distinguished by their shaved heads. It’s reported that some cultures also shaved a woman’s head as a punishment for adultery. Women of God were not to look like these women living a life of sexual sin. And when these prostitutes and pagans would come to believe in Jesus and come into the church, it was quick to see they were a convert because of their hair. So, they were instructed to wear a covering over their hair because being shorned was disgraceful. However, for the women with long hair no covering was needed because their long hair was given to them as a covering. And people use this as a reason to not have distinction. Wouldn’t that mean that the women of God had long hair? Wouldn’t that mean that the people following Jesus looked different than the pagans? They lived different. They looked different. I can’t help but wonder how this relates to modern times. When we’re studying the history of the church, it’s easy to think of things as way back then. Isn’t it the same thing now? Christians often live and look different than non-Christians. How often can you immediately recognize a new member to the church? Why? Because they look like the world, right? Back then the prostitutes were distinguished by their shaved heads. Think about it today. If someone comes into church looking like a prostitute looks in modern times, you know that they are a visitor or a new convert (and it’s great that they are there!). What happens? Gradually, their looks change along with their inner transformation. Now what would you think if one of those women who resembled a person living a life of sexual sin started prophesying? Most would hesitate to listen to someone who looked like that. If we live for the Lord and walk a lifestyle of holiness, we look different than those walking a lifestyle of sin. You can look right and live wrong, but if you live right and you look like you don’t how does that affect your witness? Should a person dressed disgracefully be leading the prayer group? No. (It’s not that they can’t have a heart for God, but they haven’t matured enough to lead if they are lacking in the basic fruits of holiness.) The principle behind this is not that different. We are called to be set apart. Those who follow Jesus should not dress or put together their appearance in a way that resembles those who live a life of sexual immorality. Another thing I learned that goes along with this is in the Jewish Encyclopedia 6th edition on page 158 it says “Among women long hair is extolled as a mark of beauty (Cant. iv. 1, vii 6). A woman’s hair was never cut except as a sign of deep mourning or of degradation (Jer. vii. 29; comp. Deut. xxi. 12).” Given this history, it appears that uncut hair would have been the norm in the early church. Aren’t we continuing the faith and practices of the early church? I’ve heard quite a few things over the years when this topic has come up. Many ignore or say it’s not relevant in our culture. Let me ask you this. Is our culture living for God right now? Are we a holy nation? A righteous people? Abstaining from sin and impurity? No. Should current culture be our measuring stick for what’s acceptable to God? No. Let’s test these different interpretations. What fits scripture?
To cut off short or cut at all? That is the thing that I struggled with understanding. I will confess it was 11 years into being Apostolic before I really understood this. It wasn’t until researching for this blog that I learned more of the history and the language and finally felt like I had understanding. I’m being transparent here because this blog is about sharing my journey in coming to understand this aspect of the faith lifestyle. I don’t profess to be a professional minister. I simply share my faith and invite people to hear my faith journey. One thing that was a hangup for me was in my family we differentiate between cutting and trimming. Are you going to get your hair cut or just trim it? It's treated as different things. I brought that language difference from the world into my interpretation of scripture. I didn't think trimming was really cutting your hair. Bible translations were a big factor in my confusion. Older translations including King James Version and the American Standard Version say “shaven” in verse 5 and “shorn or shaven” in verse 6. However, modern English translations talk about it being cut off or shaved. King James Version But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. For 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. American Standard Version But every woman praying or prophesying with her head unveiled dishonoreth her head; for it is one and the same thing as if she were shaven. For if a woman is not veiled, let her also be shorn: but if it is a shame to a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be veiled. New American Standard Version But every woman who has her head uncovered while praying or prophesying disgraces her head, for it is one and the same as the woman whose head is shaved. For if a woman does not cover her head, have her also cut her hair off; however, if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, have her cover her head. NET But any woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered disgraces her head, for it is one and the same thing as having a shaved head. For if a woman will not cover her head, she should cut off her hair. But if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, she should cover her head. ESV but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven. For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head. NIV But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved. For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head. At this point, I would get confused with what translation is accurate. All the modern English ones I look at say to cut off. And I only pay attention to translations that are focused on literal translation. I avoid anything paraphrased or loosely phrase for phrase. Yet the older translations say shorn. I am definitely a modern English gal. All these years I’ve been reading not to “cut off” our hair, and I had an image in my head of short hair that had been chopped. Perhaps, my mistake in that was the image that came to mind was an assumption more than an interpretation. The only way to cut hair is to cut some off. Cutting off an inch at the ‘dead ends’ is still cutting off. Am I understanding what it means to be shorn? Some dictionaries list this as to cut short or nearly shave. Others define it simply as to cut. Common context is to compare is to shearing a sheep and cutting their hair short (taking off their covering). Is that an accurate comparison? How was the word used when these translations were written? To get to the bottom of a question when I feel bible translations are confusing, I go straight to the original. An interlinear bible is a great study tool. In the interlinear bible, it translates it to English as “disgraceful to a woman to be shorn or to be shaven let her cover her head”. In verse 6 when it says “to be shorn”, the Greek word is “keirasthai”. The listed Strong’s concordance 2751 lists “Keiro” as a verb defined as “to shear” with usage “I shear, cut the hair of”. Merriam Webster defines shear as Transitive verb 1a: to cut off the hair from 1b: to cut or clip from someone or something 1d: to cut or trim with shears or a similar instrument Interestingly, before scissors were called scissors they were called shears. We could certainly split hairs on the controversy over whether it is supposed to be uncut or simply be long. We could talk about the what ifs. What if somebody’s hair hits the floor? What if somebody’s hair won’t grow? What if they have health issues that make their hair fall out? What if their hair is thin? What if the ends are damaged? What if it doesn’t look as good as it would if you cut it? Okay. Those are valid questions. Do they matter though? You need to refine your idea of beauty. The world convinces you that women need a fresh cut, a new color, a bold look. They train you to think that your hair must not have split ends (even though the ends of hair will split no matter what). A chopped straight across is beauty agenda is not the same thing as godly beauty. Natural hair is beautiful. Long hair is beautiful. There is a feminine elegance that takes years of dedication to achieve. Uncut hair has a different kind of beauty to it. We each have to decide for ourselves how we interpret this and what we will follow. As for me, I think it’s still an instruction for us. If the bible says we aren’t to be shorned and shorn means to shear and shear means to cut, should we cut it? I won’t argue that it could mean to cut short. I agree that cutting short is disobedient to this scripture. Nevertheless, to shear technically means to cut (period) regardless of the context we usually use it in. So, I don’t want to. I want long hair. I want glorious hair. I want the covering. I want to be obedient to scripture the best I understand it. I interpret this as I, as a woman professing holiness, need to have uncut hair and however long it grows is up to the Lord. And that is why Apostolic Pentecostal women do not cut their hair. This is something that as women we each have to figure out what it means and what we are going to do about how we interpret it. I share this blog because it was a hard topic for me, and I know there are women searching the internet for this topic as I was for so many years. I invite you to consider these things and take time to think on it, pray about it, and genuinely seek the Lord on the matter. We all take time to grow. I feel like it’s unfortunate that it took me 11 years to understand what could have taken a day if someone had taken the time to really explain this matter. I hope this blog is enough to teach you that you don’t spend a decade feeling conflicted or going back and forth. If you are a seasoned saint in the faith, I nudge you to bring up the topic with the newer in Christ and open a discussion on these scriptures. If you have any questions, you are welcome to comment on the blog. Questions are always welcome; answers are always honest. As for me After studying this scripture and the historical context behind it, I interpret it that women are to have uncut hair. That is still relevant for us. I no longer cut my hair, trim it, take scissors to it in any way, or do anything to try to get rid of the ends as they naturally are. I leave my hair natural. I also don't dye it or do anything to alter its natural state such as getting perms. I remember being afraid to make the commitment to not cut it. What if it gets really bad? What if the ends are damaged so badly people say something about it? What if people think natural hair looks bad? What if it thins out even more? What if? I obeyed anyway. After I made that commitment to obey this scripture, the worries went away. My hair has some split ends. I'm okay with that. It doesn't bother me. I realized one day that it reflects nature in other ways. I thought of how weird it would look if we chopped a willow tree so all their beautiful willows were straight across and not different lengths. Sometimes the way the "split ends" branch out reminds me of tree roots. God doesn't want us chopping off our hair to fit the world's idea of beauty. He doesn't want us with wild hair that makes us look rebellious against him. We are called to be set apart for holiness. I came to a point that I felt complete peace in obedience about my hair being uncut. I never had peace about it when I spent a decade tossing and turning over this issue trying to figure it out. In hindsight, that hesitation was a nudge to study this scripture and understand it better. If you are new to uncut hair, talk to other ladies in your church about hair care. Many of us use oils or leave-in conditioner on our ends to keep them moisturized and prevent damage. You can also seek advice on styling if you've never had longer hair before. There are several Facebook groups for Apostolic Pentecostal hair. Study these scriptures and pray on the matter. Resources:
www.biblegateway.com to look at different scriptures https://biblehub.com/interlinear/1_corinthians/11.htm for the interlinear of 1 Corinthians 11 https://biblehub.com/greek/keirasthai_2751.htm The Greek word for “to be shorn” https://biblehub.com/greek/2751.htm Strong’s concordance for shorn https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shear Webster’s definition of shear https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/singular-of-scissors Scissors used to be called shears https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Jewish_Encyclopedia_Volume_6.pdf Jewish encyclopedia referencing women’s uncut hair on page 158 (169 in the PDF)
53 Comments
Lauren Chandler
24/1/2023 22:16:09
Thank you so much for sharing this post. I was in my home church (an apostolic Pentecostal church) as a child, and I never really got back in until after my first year of college. After about a year of striving to be obedient to the Lord and his word, I receive the Holy Ghost (about 7 months ago)! I wanted to say that I also went through the same process of wanting to take care of your hair because a woman’s hair is her glory! I would see internet stuff about how if you trim your hair, it would help it grow, which sounded great to me, because I felt the need to make “catch up” with other women (which was wrong to compare and my hair was already somewhat short at the time). But every time I would trim my hair I would STRUGGLE.. I didn’t realize it at the time, but what I was feeling was conviction. When doing some research I came across a video that pointed out the translation to mean “uncut.” I felt that was the Lord confirming me that I wasn’t supposed to cut my hair.
Carol ONeill
6/9/2024 23:28:13
I believe not cutting hair was meant for the times Christ was on earth! Not met for today's world! Old testament for old times! Modern world has many changes Churches have changed many things because old ideas are no longer logical in the world.
Savi Gopal
8/9/2024 20:31:22
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever. He never changes and His Word never changes. In fact, the Book 28/8/2023 14:54:00
Hi Leanna, 28/8/2023 21:16:51
Hi, Kristen. I have not heard this interpretation before. The context of this scripture is about authority. With your interpretation, what authority is a woman having as a sign on her head if she cuts off her hair? (verse 10).
Look Jesus Himself said that the lying pens of the scribes have mishandled and altered the Word of God. One minute God wants blood sacrifices from animals bur then layer who told you to bring me theses sacrifices. We allknow animal blood couldn't atone for our sins. In psalms it says "No man can by any means redeem his brother
Carol ONeill
6/9/2024 23:30:31
I agree totally on what the writer says,!
First of all thank you taking on the teacher role even if I only caught this one study you taught me quite a bit about your topic and your words helped my mind stay on topic instead of wandering off w thoughts that I shouldn't allow myself to get carried off by. Thank you for your patience. 29/8/2023 23:01:11
Hi Leanna, 30/8/2023 18:42:06
So, in your gospel, there is no obedience, no submission, no authority, no patriarchy, no biblical family structure, no gender distinction, and no holiness for Christ-followers? It sounds like you will twist and deny any scripture to make it please your flesh. You've allowed yourself to become deceived because you refuse to be obedient to the word of God.
Valerie S
24/9/2023 22:24:59
Thank you so much for this info. Good stuff!! I need to read the Bible as it stands… KJV.. if I don’t know what “shorn” means, I look it up in the dictionary. But of course, it’s our sin nature that has us dig for the words we want the Bible to say. That’s why there are so many doctrines. If we take a step back and really consider the Bible as a whole... If you are doing what the majority (world) is doing then you should reconsider what you’re doing. It doesn’t seem like God has ever chosen the majority. (Please correct me if I’m wrong.) All of these well studied Pharisees and Sadducees just dug and dug into the Word, and yet they missed Him. He used the simplest ways to explain himself, His kingdom, and what we need to do if we want to follow Him. (parables..) As much as I would love to cut this lion’s mane, He simply told me not to. Anyway, I’m not a teacher. I’m just someone working out my own salvation.
M Rivera
8/9/2024 06:59:52
“Not a teacher” and yet so eloquently put, “they dug and dug into the word, and yet they missed Him”.
Unothando Yalezo
18/7/2025 19:04:10
How ironic that you mention a lions mane when it's only male lion who grow manes. I don't really know what to make of this discussion because there are alot of things mentioned by the writer that make sense and even the feminist women's argument had points that made sense,because I've always asked myself what paul meant by "does not nature itself......"I've done research on it and one of the preachers pointed out that nature kind of teaches the opposite. If we look at male animals such as lions or birds the males have more pronounced displays.eg. lions have manes, cocks have more feathers ,orangutans have more and longer hair than females. And another thing I used to think about is samson had long hair and It was an instruction from God.I know that God can do anything and his ways are higher than our ways,but I also feel like this verse might be misinterpreted and it honestly kind of makes sense in the way the ISV Puts it.But I don't know.
Donna Jones
8/10/2023 14:17:51
I used to look at other women also and I wanted my hair to touch the floor as I feel the same way about my head being covered. I thought by trimming the ends was ok as it would make my hair longer. I never thought about it the way you described using scripture. Thank you for the insight. I will love and appreciate what God has given me and not compare myself with others. Thank you and God bless you! I am so thankful he saved my soul.
Tonya Martin
17/10/2023 10:14:43
I truly agree with you. My daughter and i have been discussing this just within the last few days. Seeing alot of women claiming to be used by God but they don't look any different the world. I am apostolic pentecostal. Born and raised. Minus a few years away from the church. But I've always believed that we need to look differently than the world. People always complement my hair. Asking what I use. Stating its so shiny and healthy. I don't cut my hair. It is my glory. With that the power of the holyghost shows through my hair. It is very important for the distinguishing of the sexes as well. There is power and authority in the long hair. As well as distinguishing we are people of God. We stand out. God says to be holy for I am holy. I believe that's also aligning with the way we dress as well. It all goes together. He wants us to be different. To be a light to this lost and dying world. They need something different than what they have. How will they know if they don't see a difference. I will share a story told to me years ago. A missionary lady and her husband were from our church. She was in the missionary field for many years.. she was raised in the truth but always trimmed her hair. She stated that she could never really get where she wanted to in the spirit. She asked God one day "why is it i can't break into another level in the spirit. GOD spoke back to her, stop cutting your hair." She said she was shocked that she never saw it before. So it is a form of submission to God and honoring his wishes. We reach new heights in the kingdom, with authority and power.. For those that question it or think its not necessary,
I just wanna take a moment to address the whole they claim to be used by God but don't look no different from the world. Who are you to judge the
Jean
9/5/2024 08:18:45
Hi, 13/5/2024 21:10:47
Hi, Jean. It's okay to put your hair up. Longer hair often needs to be styled to prevent tangles especially if it's windy. Your hair is your glory, but you don't have to leave it down. Even with it being in a bun, uncut hair is still your crowning glory and is in obedience to the scriptures.
Sonnie
4/3/2025 15:48:11
so you are saying a woman who cuts or clips hair does not cover a woman's head , the same has you having it tied up on your head and your neck and ears showing unless it's cut in the image of a man, it's still covers your head the whole thing about not cutting it is it's our glory I cut my hair I pray and read the bible and am blessed with the Holy Ghost and speak in tongues been cutting my hair for years there are many ways for a woman to cover her hair when she prays or witnesses Bonnets hats , scarfs nets veils
Schledia Anderson
10/2/2025 21:51:10
I have some Mennonite friends, and they told me that the Mennonite women all keep their hair up and cover their hair with an actual covering because a woman's hair is her glory, so only her husband is allowed to see her in all her glory.
Savi Gopal
4/6/2024 23:00:07
Praise Jesus! I’ve had long uncut hair since I was in church back in 1995. Have heard great teachings and preachings on the power of the uncut hair because of the angels. But when my 1st marriage failed, I rebelled and cut my crowning glory. I was robbed two days later. I knew it was because the protection was removed because of my disobedience to God’s Word. It’s been a struggle since, I’ve colored my hair, time and time again and all the harsh chemical I put on my hair did not allow my hair to grow past my hips without my hair being brittle and having split ends. I would trim my hair, then cut it, then 2 months later to cover the roots, I’d color again. It was a vicious cycle. Each time I took the shears to my hair, I’d have such a strong conviction that I’m cutting the glory and God given covering/protection but because my hair needed to be trimmed, I’d do it and then I’d repent and ask God to help me. This went on for years. I knew I had to break the cycle so I said to myself that I was to be used if God and have protection over me and my family, I must obey God’s Word concerning my hair. I went to the store and bought a demi permanent hair color (less damaging) closest to my natural color (dark brown) and only wash my hair twice a week. I started incorporating leave in conditioner after washing my hair and oils for my ends. To my surprise since I’ve stopped coloring my hair it is healthy and growing with no visible split ends. I also massage my scalp often. I asked God to help me in this journey because I love Him and want to obey Him. Some people struggle with all sorts of addictions, but for me it was my addiction to coloring my hair and ruining it but not anymore, I’ve got my breakthrough! Thank you Jesus. Acts 2:38/Acts 4:12
Amanda Woodall
7/7/2024 19:41:11
Hi Leanna! 7/7/2024 22:19:04
Hi, Amanda :) Good question! I wouldn't cut the hair even if it's dyed because it is the coloring that is unnatural, not the hair itself. I do think it's okay to dye hair back to the natural color when we are beginning our journey of natural hair. I know it can be a hard transition. I used to dye my hair and had some wild colors back in the day (cherry red, purple, blue). It can be tempting to cut off all that old and start fresh, but now that I have understanding of the scriptures on not shorning our hair as women I wouldn't take scissors to it.
Suzanne
13/8/2024 19:28:10
I just want to say thank you for your article and your honesty, and helping others to understand Thank you for sharing this! I'm from an Apostolic pentecostal church in an Asian city and this post really helped back my understanding in this area, I've kept uncut hair for 19 years now, but wanted to really understand the more specific parts on trimming - it helped that you went into detail on that and drew up word studies to get down to it's specific definition :-). I do it in faith, but it just helps so much more when you know exactly why you do what you do because the Word is specific about it.
Robin
21/8/2024 07:54:04
10 Therefore the woman should have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.
Savi Gopal
3/9/2024 19:08:30
Because of the angels simply means with and among the angels. Also for those women that have cut their, don’t let the devil condemn you, simply ask Jesus to forgive you for disobedience to His Word and don’t cut your hair again. This is what I’m doing personally, I lay my hands on my head and speak life into every follicle and speak strength into each weak and brittle hair, in Jesus name. After reading this post I am not going for trims anymore going to hairdressers for years trying g to grow my hair to wasit and being told your hair won't grow without trims which they cut of 5 or 3 inches every time my hair is still bra length being growing since 2016 now 2024 I don't colour or heat just shampoo and conditioner
I sometimes feel that this was one of those times Paul was just being Paul. At times, he said that he was just expressing a personal opinion - and lent clarity to his argument. In this case, he went from making the angels look inept to making it sound like hair length had something to do with nature. Of course, this is not true. The men-folk in my family have more beautiful, longer hair than us women-folk, and they make many barber visits a year. I've recently felt lead to cut my hair. Which is now short. This was part of me wanting regrowth to connect with God in a healthy spirt. Not sure If I'm sharing this right. So, here is my question. I've recently been feeling like hair and connection to God is part of our journey. How do make sure the hair we grow is growing with a healthier mindset and spirt? Again I appogilze as this may not be the best way to word or ask.
Huntley Cowie
24/9/2024 17:59:08
Its so insightful to read all the comments,??? what about the majority of christian humanity who are black and have been blessed with short clearly hair.
Destiny
6/12/2024 18:39:46
I grew up under the teaching of uncut hair - it was your glory, your power with the angels. As I grew up, I slowly drifted away from the these teachings. I never cut my hair very short, it was always to my mid-back or longer. As I came back to God and the church, I would still cut my hair but every time I walked into the hair salon I would feel so much conviction! Literally so much conviction but I still ignored it. It wasn’t until my second pregnancy that the Lord began to deal with me about this issue in my dreams. I had dreams of my children being taken from me, held for ransom, locked in warehouses. The last dream I had was very scary and very real. I woke up in a panic and heard the audible voice of God saying “stop cutting your hair.” Since I have made this vow, I have not had any nightmares about my children’s safety. They are protected because I am obedient to God and his instruction. I too, am no longer cutting my hair, I do not shave (whether it be my legs or underarms) as The Lord told me He created bodily hair, why do we want to get rid of what God made just because the world is doing it, and ridding of the things of God or alter that which He made? If the hair was not supposed to be there He would not have made it. Same with hair colouring, I no longer colour my hair as The Lord wants my hair natural, the way He made it, the exact colour He created me with. I do not style my hair, I leave it the texture and waves and curls that He created me to have, I do not change a thing, I leave it exactly as God has made. I do not wear makeup, not only is it of pagan origin but also it is not natural, that is not how I look. Why do we follow after the worlds standards of beauty when we are absolutely beautiful the way God has made us? All natural, as God made.
Leona
10/2/2025 22:31:25
Hello and thank you for this. I became a pentecostal woman in 2021 and until now I am still struggling with this as it leaves me confused as to why hair length matters. "Would it be so bad if I cut a few inches off?" "Scripture just says it needs to be long enough for a covering." Thoughts like that would flood me sometimes especially during hot days and my long hair annoys me. This helped me gain clarity in the subject. Thank you.
Nazarene
14/9/2025 17:24:38
My question is.... is this really going to take you to heaven? You not trimming your hair? We focus on such that we miss the point of God's Kingdom and saving souls.
Liz
28/3/2025 02:45:04
The passage in Corinthians is talking about authority. Not actual hair length. Women need to look like women and men need to look like men. I used to go to a pentecostal church but left for a myriad of reasons. What about Jewish women back then who took the Nazerite vow? The scripture also says if she cuts it, she might as well shave it all off; if it's a sin to cut it at all, why would God recommend more sin by shaving it off. The biggest problem about the hair thing in the pentecostal church is that it has become your idol. The holy magic hair, it is not your hair that does anything but God who does everything. It also says not to adorn yourselves ostentatiously, however we've seen the huge bows, jeweled brooches in hair, and glitter. How about instead of worrying about who's trimming their hair or not, we keep the greatest command: to love one another. There's supposed to be freedom in Christ.
Me
18/4/2025 03:45:08
I’m up in the middle of the night. I can’t sleep and my mind is back on my hair. It’s getting really long again and I’ve been so tempted to trim it. I’ve been Apostolic/Pentecostal my entire life , so I know better. Regardless, I’m just struggling. This blog helped me. Thank you for taking the time to research and write this. This was the encouragement I needed. God Bless.
Julie Johnson
25/5/2025 00:38:16
For me, when I think of altering my hair in any way, I simply feel grieved inside, like I would be betraying Jesus and breaking a very sacred, special bond of Love and commitment between me and Jesus. His heart is what matters most and it is only between Jesus and myself, I do it not to please people or organizations or church. Strictly between me and Jesus. Everyone has their own journey and walk with God and pray I never put people in a box of expectations and always leave the bossing up to Jesus over others. It's none of my business what others do with their hair.
Kaylee
26/5/2025 21:28:33
Hi, I go to a apostolic/pentecostal church, I didn't grow up in this church but I absolutely love it! My struggle is my hair length, lately my hair has been the longest it's ever been in my life, I have cried times because it's such a hassle... I never know what to do with it I just want to go back to wearing it down and not being a struggle. I feel bad that I feel this way, but It's been a constant struggle lately. Thanks for reading :)
Valerie Lockwood
24/7/2025 12:38:46
I believe that a women's long hair should look healthy and know one should ever push their convictions on anyone else. We should work out our own salvation!! 24/7/2025 23:07:56
I would encourage you to consider what it means to make disciples. We are called to share the gospel. We are also all called to share the lifestyle of faith. Discussing scripture with one another is essential for growth. Your spirit of offense has led you to believe someone sharing their own personal story on their own website is "pushing their convictions" on other people. What does the bible say about sharing the faith? The instructions to go and make disciples are clear. It is also clear in Titus 2 that us older women are to instruct the younger women in godly ways. With the topic at hand, the bible doesn't say our hair needs to look healthy or chop it. It says it is our glory and those of us who are obedient to the Lord will follow the instruction to not shorn it.
Nazarene
14/9/2025 17:25:26
Amen
Liz
25/7/2025 17:54:00
This view is completely biased towards the upci religion. We have freedom in Christ, as long as you look and act like the woman God made you to be, you'll be fine. Religiousness does not equate to holiness. I've been around the pastors wives who look the part but had nasty, mean hearts. James 1:27 says that the only religion God accepts is that we look after orphans and widows in their time of need and not become corrupted by this world. While man looks on the outward appearance, God sees the heart 1 Sam 16:7. God used to require circumcision as a sign that His people belonged to him. In Romans 2:29 He requires circumcision of the heart. Obedience is not a hair issue, it's a heart issue. Hair length is a religious thing, not a salvation requirement. Hair length, at least in the UPCI because that's what I'm familiar with, has become an idol. Let's see who's holier by who has the longest hair 🙄. How about kindness and generosity. Nothing you wear or how long your hair is, is going to get you into heaven. Only the blood of Christ applied to your life can save you. 28/7/2025 00:38:52
Hi, Liz. I'm actually not UPCI. I go to a WPF church, but myself am independent from denomination. UPCI is not a religion. It's a denomination. I am Apostolic Pentecostal. I can see you've had some bad experiences with Apostolic culture so often being focused on outer appearance.
Liz
28/7/2025 18:18:45
Where in scripture does it say that a woman cutting her hair is a sin? I have no anger toward the religion or people. I was born and raised in it and did every job in it, played piano, led worship service, Sunday school, youth group, cleaned, nursery, everything. You name the job, I did it. I know what goes on there. However the discussion is, "Is it a sin for a woman to cut her hair?". No it is not and the church should stop spreading that lie. The passage in Corinthians was referring to authority, in that time like our middle eastern cousins today, women didn't have very many rights or autonomy. If you read the old testament people, women included, we're doing some heinous things in the temples. The Corinthian church was in the middle of a controversy about the roles of men and women and the proper order of authority within the church. In the Corinthian society, women showed submission to their husbands by wearing a veil. It seems that some of the women in the church were discarding their veils, something that only pagan temple prostitutes or other rebellious women would do. For a woman to come to church without her veil would be dishonoring to her husband, as well as culturally confusing. By the same token, for a man to wear a veil or to somehow have his head covered during worship was not culturally acceptable in Corinth. 31/7/2025 00:31:54
Matthew 22:36-40 (NASB)
Liz
31/7/2025 17:30:35
Within the church, it has its own culture. 60 years ago, even 15 years ago, in the apostolic church it was wrong (sinful) for men to have beards. Within the last 5 years they now allow men to have facial hair. Also about 70-80 years ago it was a sin (within the church) to have a television. A very old,very sweet member of the church, would talk about as a girl she had to walk past a movie theater to get to school. She would cross the street and then walk past it. This is just to show the legalistic ideas that the church has. Now just about everyone has a TV in the form of a cell phone or actual TVs in their home. So you can see the cultural shifts within the church. The church never followed "worldly" culture, but it sure has its own. 5/8/2025 01:42:47
Liz,
Liz
5/8/2025 02:04:01
The answer to these questions is yes, of course. However, I still haven't found the scripture that says a woman cutting her hair is a sin. Proverbs 6: 16-19, Galatians 5: 19-21, and 1 Corinthians 6: 9-10; tell us examples of sin. None of them have anything to do with our appearance, but in how we conduct ourselves. I find apostolics and pentecostals to be too obsessed with the outside when God is going to be judging our heart posture. It's a heart issue. God bless.
Liz
5/8/2025 02:17:25
One other thing, I strive for Jesus' definition of holiness and not what old time religion thinks holiness is.
Liz
5/8/2025 02:20:35
For some reason my response was not together. Here it is.
Evelyn Sepulveda Lebrón
5/9/2025 13:10:01
I have never read something more accurate and biblical about women hair. Thank you. God bless you! Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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