Paul sees himself as the...
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Paul sees himself as the spiritual mentor of the Corinthian Christians. In this passage he claims that role and the authority that vests him. There is great care in sharing the central feature of his message: the all-sufficiency of Christ (and the ethical imperative of sharing that message). Few people today will underestimate the value of mentors. Most of us realize the importance of role models in shaping our value systems, guiding and nurturing children, and encouraging new patterns of behavior. Throughout the history of the Christian faith, the benefits of mentors have been affirmed by many of the lions of the faith (John Cassian, a father of western monasticism, points to Evagrius Ponticus; John Knox points to John Calvin). Billy Sunday was born during the American Civil War and through the work of the Pacific Garden Ministry was led to abandon a baseball career to become a preacher. His interest in a revival style of preaching began to have an enormous impact, especially around the time of the World War I. His gifts in orchestrating a staff capable of publicizing and arranging mass gatherings became apparent. Over one million people were eventually said to have followed him on the "sawdust trail." Billy Graham is among the beneficiaries of his style of evangelism. Though Sunday left no organization, evangelists like Billy Graham were mentored by his method and his message.
-- Frye
-- Frye
