Because a head covering really is just a cultural thing. A head covering doesn't mean to us what it meant to them then. It's not a sign of submission now.
But Paul made it clear that a woman having pastoral teaching authority over a man is not cultural but is in accordance with God's order of authority.
Nothing wrong with a woman teacher. They just can't do it from a pastoral position of authority. We don't appreciate the significance of that because the office of pastor has changed in the church today. Instead of a pastor being able to wield great power and authority over the congregation a pastor today is simply the event organizer and administrator in the church, and often just works for a board of elders.
One more time! Is the word in 1 Tim. 2:12,
ἐξουσία or αὐθεντειν
Authority from God or man - exousia -
ἐξουσία Feminine noun Found 102 times in the Bible, making it a BASIC Greek Bible word! Here are some pertinent examples of the use of this word:
"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except by God’s appointment, and the authorities that exist have been instituted by God. 2 So the person who resists such authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will incur judgment 3 (for rulers cause no fear for good conduct but for bad). Do you desire not to fear authority? Do good and you will receive its commendation," Romans 13:1-4 NET
"[FONT="]Πᾶσα ψυχὴ ἐξουσίαις ὑπερεχούσαις ὑποτασσέσθω, οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ἐξουσία εἰ μὴ ὑπὸ θεοῦ, αἱ δὲ οὖσαι ὑπὸ θεοῦ τεταγμέναι εἰσίν.[/FONT][FONT="] [/FONT][FONT="]2 ὥστε ὁ ἀντιτασσόμενος τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ διαταγῇ ἀνθέστηκεν, οἱ δὲ ἀνθεστηκότες ἑαυτοῖς κρίμα λήμψονται.[/FONT][FONT="] [/FONT][FONT="]3 οἱ γὰρ ἄρχοντες οὐκ εἰσὶν φόβος τῷ ἀγαθῷ ἔργῳ ἀλλὰ τῷ κακῷ. θέλεις δὲ μὴ φοβεῖσθαι τὴν ἐξουσίαν; τὸ ἀγαθὸν ποίει, καὶ ἕξεις ἔπαινον ἐξ αὐτῆς·" Romans 13:1-3 Greek[/FONT][FONT="]
OR
[/FONT]"Then Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." Matt 28:18 NET[FONT="]
[/FONT][FONT="]"καὶ προσελθὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς λέγων· Ἐδόθη μοι πᾶσα ἐξουσία ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς" Matt 28:18[/FONT][FONT="][/FONT]
Not just authority, but ALL Authority Jesus has been given!
Then there is
αὐθεντειν authentein, a word found only ONCE in the entire Bible (Including the Greek OT!) Search in vain in the Greek text below, to find Paul talking about godly authority or exousia. The word is not there, not even in Stephanus!
[FONT="]"διδάσκειν δὲ γυναικὶ οὐκ ἐπιτρέπω, οὐδὲ αὐθεντεῖν ἀνδρός, ἀλλ’ εἶναι ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ." 1 Tim. 2:12 SBL Greek NT
[/FONT]"[FONT="]γυναικι δε διδασκειν ουκ επιτρεπω ουδε αυθεντειν ανδρος αλλ ειναι εν ησυχια" 1 Tim. 2:12 Stephanus TR1550 [/FONT][FONT="]
[/FONT]
"But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence." 1 Tim. 2:12 KJV
This word is WRONGLY translated "usurp authority." No, no, no! If Paul wanted me to have godly authority over women, he would have used exousia - ἐξουσία, as he did in other places.
Instead, Paul picks a word found NO WHERE else in the Bible. In fact, in KJV days, they probably had no access to any of the common Greek texts and literature of the day, to compare what this word meant in non-Biblical settings. Now, there are quite a few contemporaneous documents that use this word, and these are the most common definitions.
Authentein -
αὐθεντειν Present Active Infinitive - to domineer, to murder to copulate, to exercise authority.
Please notice - authentein is a verb - an infinitive. To use it to say "a man has authority over a woman" you must change the verb to a noun, because exousia is a noun. Then you have to fiddle around and add a verb, or you have "I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to authority a man..." So basically you have changed the grammar and had to add a word to make it make sense.
Nope, so all the translations I looked at had added a verb. From the ridiculous "usurp" of the KJV above to the words "exercise, have, assume." But, if you translated the word "to domineer" you have an infinitive verb, and one which really fits the context well.
I won't go over the cultural reasons again. But just no to "usurp authority!" It simply does not fit the grammar at all, and is a single handed put down by the KJV translators, who have passed it down in various forms.
Men are NOT to have authority over women. The plan of salvation restores men and women to equals, in the sight of God, restoring what was taken after the Fall.
"[FONT="]There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female—for all of you are one in Christ Jesus." Gal. 3:28[/FONT][FONT="]
[/FONT]
"[FONT="]οὐκ ἔνι Ἰουδαῖος οὐδὲ Ἕλλην, οὐκ ἔνι δοῦλος οὐδὲ ἐλεύθερος, οὐκ ἔνι ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ· [/FONT][FONT="][a][/FONT][FONT="]πάντες γὰρ ὑμεῖς εἷς ἐστε ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ." Gal. 3:28 Greek[/FONT]
Finally, this whole doctrine of men having authority over women, is based on ONE Scripture, 1 Tim. 2:12, that I exegeted partly above. That is just terrible hermeneutics! The first rule of good Bible interpretation, is never make a doctrine out of one verse, especially one that has translational issues.
If you really want to know what God thinks about men and women, and their roles, try this verse.
"Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." Eph. 5:21
[FONT="]
And before you go quoting Eph. 5:22-23 The word for "submit" [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica Neue, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica Neue, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]ὑποτασσόμενοιm [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica Neue, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]
doesn't even appear in the Greek! (Well, except in those later corrupted TR manuscripts.) None of the earliest and best manuscripts have women submitting to men at all.
But hey, go on believing a lie, verses out of context, bad translations, ignoring or somehow twisting verses to support the theory of male dominance in the Christian church. I know Paul and Jesus are not happy! [/FONT]