Answer: Dennis,

There are several ways to look at this passage – in 1 Cor. 11:14:

1. The "permissible/acceptable length of a man’s hair is culturally conditioned, and not one absolute specific length that is defined here.
2. "Nature teaches you" – that is nature is something which is intuitive, or of the conscience. This nature might be subjectively understood within limits. That is, the meaning of the passage would be that nature (the customs and mores of your own culture) teaches you what is dishonorable for a man. Proponents of this view would cite the passage in the old covenant which prohibits men and women from wearing anything that pertains to the other – and then point out that in the past, literalists have used that passage that women should not wear jeans, trousers, etc. since those "clearly pertain to a man." Problem is that some scholars say that women at the time that passage was written may have worn a trouser-like garment to ensure modesty while stooping and bending over, kneeling down, etc. as they worked in the fields, in the home, etc. while men may have worn a loose fitting robe, more like a woman’s dress today.

The actual passage about clothing is a prohibition against transvestites.

3. "Nature teaches you" can be understood in more of a concrete, exact and objective way. Paul uses the term this way in Romans 1, when speaking of the inner conscience or moral law. If this is the intended meaning of this passage, a loose rendering would be "common sense ought to tell you that men and women ought to be distinguished by the length of their hair."

The general idea that we derive from this passage is that there should be no gender confusion, that men ought to clearly be men, and women, women. Specifics are not being prescribed.

Hope this helps, Dennis.

In Christ,

Greg Albrecht