John Temple Bristow

John Temple Bristow's older daughter sometimes laughingly refers to him as "The Reverend Doctor Doctor Colonel Bristow," because he is ordained, has two doctorates (one is honorary), and is a Kentucky Colonel. He has taught in a variety of seminaries and colleges in the Pacific Northwest and has retired in Port Orchard, Washington.

Dr. Bristow authored two books. His first, What Paul Really Said about Women, grew out of his curiosity over how the Apostle Paul could denigrate women and yet affirm that in Christ "there is neither male nor female," that "we are one in Christ."

Bristow began by translating the English version of Eph. 5 (the part about the husband being head of his wife and women subject to their husbands) into Greek (the language in which Paul wrote); then, Bristow compared his English-to-Greek translation with the Greek text of Ephesians itself--and he noted some surprising differences. If Paul had been a misogynist, he would have chosen different words!

Could it be that Paul's teachings have been misinterpreted and carelessly translated to reflect male bias? Writing in a style accessible to the average reader, Bristow examines not just the text but also subsequent church history as he explores both the culture-challenging things that Paul really wrote about women and the reasons church leaders could not hear his message.

Bristow's work has become widely read and is translated into Korean and French. He has frequently lectured on his findings.