Katharine Bushnell

Katharine Bushnell (5 February 1856 – 26 January 1946) was a medical doctor, Christian writer, Bible scholar, social activist, and forerunner of feminist theology. Her lifelong quest was for biblical affirmation of the integrity and equality of women.

Early Life and Education

Bushnell was born in Evanston, Illinois, to Abraham and Mary Bushnell in 1856. She was the seventh of eight children. Her father was a miller and a devout Methodist. She studied at the Woman's Medical College of Chicago and graduated in 1878.

Career

After graduation, Bushnell worked as a medical doctor in China under the auspices of the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. She returned to the United States due to ill health and began studying the Bible, focusing on passages pertaining to women. This led her to write God's Word to Women, a seminal work in the field of feminist theology.

Activism

Bushnell was a social activist who campaigned against the white slave trade in Denver and the forced prostitution of women in Wisconsin lumber camps. She also worked in India and England, exposing the trafficking of girls and women to British soldiers in colonial India.

Legacy

Bushnell's work has had a lasting impact on feminist theology and the Christian women's movement. Her writings continue to be studied and her life celebrated for her tireless work in the service of women's rights.

See Also

• Feminist theology
• Woman's Foreign Missionary Society
• White slave trade

External Links

• Katharine Bushnell's Life and Work

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  Katharine Bushnell