‘FOR THE HUSBAND IS THE HEAD OF HIS WIFE THE WAY CHRIST IS THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH’: WHAT WAY IS THAT? When most people read Ephesians 5:23, “For the husband is the head of his wife the way Christ is the head of the Church,” they cannot help but understand “head” to mean “ruler,” “leader,” or some other form of “authority over.” And since Latter-day Saints believe the Bible to be the “word of God, as far as it is translated correctly,” that means the husband’s the boss, right? In fact, “authority over” is not a correct translation of kephale (head). I will show that instead of mandating hierarchy in marriage, Paul actually is instructing husbands to behave in such a way that they grow in unity and love with their wives. I will also explore the implications of this simile for how the church should be “headed.”

CARRIE MILES and RICHARD C. RUSSELL