"Keep Yourselves in God's Love" (book), “Appendix: Head Coverings—When and Why?”
“In the Christian congregation, headship is given to baptized males. . . . Only males are appointed as elders and ministerial servants with the God-given responsibility to care for the flock of God.”
The appendix sets out when a woman must cover her head: when she prays or teaches in her husband's presence, when she prays or teaches in the presence of a baptized minor son, and when she handles a duty in the congregation normally performed by a baptized man. It gives two reasons — that the covering is 'a sign of authority' and that it is worn 'because of the angels'.
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Provenance and verification note for "Keep Yourselves in God's Love" (book), Appendix: Head Coverings—When and Why?
Confidence note. The full appendix was fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 and read. The quoted sentences fall under the library’s page marker for page 210. They are consecutive in the appendix: the ellipsis between them stands only for the scripture citation ‘(1 Timothy 2:11-14; Hebrews 13:17)’ printed between them, and no words of the text are omitted. The citation line inside the document reads ‘lv p. 209-p. 211 par. 2’.
Corroborated by. src-wom-w-2002-0715-qfr-head-covering, src-wom-w-2021-0200-headship-congregation
Notes. The appendix also states: ‘the angels may see instances when a Christian woman is more experienced, more knowledgeable, and more intelligent than a baptized male in the congregation; yet, she readily shows her submission to his authority.’ That sentence begins on p. 211 and its closing words fall on p. 212. A footnote on p. 211 adds: ‘A Christian wife would not normally pray aloud in the presence of her believing husband except in unusual circumstances, such as if he has been rendered mute by an illness.’ A 2017 book, How to Remain in God’s Love, replaced this volume and carries an appendix of the same title; that later edition’s page could not be opened in the online library and is not cited here.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-wom-lv-2008-head-coverings