1 Corinthians 11:2-16 focuses on head-covering, not on women speaking in the public assembly. Speaking is addressed in chapter 14 within a different context than is seen in today’s church gatherings, but chapter 11 does not address it. One problem in interpreting these texts for our application is that chapter 14 is in the context of regulating spiritual gifts among the saints and it appears to be talking about women asking questions during an edifying session that their husbands could answer at home. This cannot be prohibiting women from speaking when chapter eleven clearly describes women praying and prophesying in the presence of men.
Some have concluded that the passage cannot be describing the activity in a gathering of saints because other passages prohibit women from speaking or teaching over a man (1 Timothy 2:11-12, 1 Cor. 14:33-35). In other words, the “praying and prophesying” has to be outside the gathering of saints in order to be accurate with the Bible. This is not unusual. If we will follow the results of our study and eliminate the local church organization with its weekly public meetings and apply headship to the daily life of saints, we have women who had spiritual gifts and could teach men. The prohibition was not to teach men, but non to teach over a man. So, when speaking in this capacity, she should wear a sign of submission over her head. To think that a woman can do the same things a man does should not give her the right to disregard her submission.
Peter quotes Joel 2 as a fulfillment of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that would enable daughters and handmaidens to prophecy (Acts 2:17-18). None of those things mentioned in the prophecy of Joel 2 is limited to a public gathering of saints. Acts 18:26 mentions Priscilla who, along with her husband Aquila, explained the way of God more accurately to Apollos. Again, a public assembly is not in this reading. Acts 21:9 speaks of four virgin daughters of Philip who prophesied. Nothing is said of their prophesying in an assembly. Titus 2:3-5 speaks of older women teaching younger women, but the circumstances would exclude this happening in a public gathering of Christians.
The unfortunate problem is the propensity to apply texts to a gathering of a local church into an assembly to have a worship service. Any effort to understand the text of scripture with that setting being the backdrop for our application will lead to misinterpretations and misapplications. Women had spiritual gifts and, therefore, were not ignored by the Holy Spirit from participating in the practice of edifying one another. She could do them without violating her role and remaining submissive. The meek and quiet spirit should accompany the use of her gift. There may be certain situations that naturally position a woman in a place of leadership and would be impossible to continue without “teaching or usurping authority over a man” (1 Tim 2:11-12). One such position that is common in our world is the public pulpit. We don’t read of a “pulpit” among brethren of the first century, but if we did, we would find neither brother nor sister in it. On the rare occasion that an audience would need to be addressed, a woman of first-century Christians would not take the lead in it.