What Paul Really Said about Women

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View books by John Temple Bristow.

A mix of truly great points and some serious errors - Rated
Bristow has made some excellent points about male-female roles in Scripture. He's exposed the bankruptcy of the image of male leadership in the home as that of ruler to subject, and he introduces the idea of organic leadership well. Bristow's description of Scripture's use of the term "head" (and not "ruler") for the husband's role is quite convincing. It also gives us a glimpse of the nature of Christianity as a relational religion in the First Century.

However, many of his arguments do not permit the reader to reject other views, but simply propose an alternate (with some force, but not without some caveats). That's important to remember when you get into discussions: Bristow introduces a different view of Paul, without necessarily rejecting other views.

Finally, a couple of the arguments in the book fall apart when examined closely. Bristow's examination of the headship argument in 1 Co 11 includes some information about a Greek preposition ("on"), which doesn't really work out when you examine the way Greek prepositions are used in the passage. It's an obscure issue, but it does overturn this argument.

In all, it's a great book with some positively explosive points about Paul, but a few weaknesses.

ANSWERED MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT PAUL'S VIEW ON WOMEN - Rated
THIS BOOK HELPED ME TO DEAL WITH A MALE STUDENT WHO WAS TELLING UNSAVED WOMEN THAT IF THEY BECAME CHRISTIANS THEY WOULD NEED TO STAY AT HOME AND BE LIKE A SLAVE TO THEIR HUSBANDS. HE QUOTED PAUL AS PROOF THAT THAT IS WHAT GOD WANTS FOR ALL WOMEN. THIS IS A GOOD BOOK.

Great read - have your Strongs handy! - Rated
Being a couch scholar and a lay minister, I've often pondered the confusing words of Paul about women and their role in the family, the Church, and society. The night I purchased this book, I started into it with a healthy skepticism - after all, there is alot of "fluff" out there trying to redefine biblical principles to "tell them what their itching ears want to hear." After carefully going through the book, with my other hand flipping furiously through my Strongs concordance/lexicon, I was overjoyed to find that this book opened up Paul's heart in a completely new way to me. It enriched my faith, changed my personal views on women, and made me more prepared for future life as a husband. Definitely worth the $ if you, like me, get stuck every time Paul mentions submission, headship, and not talking in church. Study to show yourself approved...