About the author: John L.Hiigel (BA, UCLA; MDiv, PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at the University of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Ordained by the American Baptist Churches USA, his interest in issues of church leadership stems from over two decades of service as pastor or associate pastor with congregations in the Los Angeles area.
2003 0-7734-6757-2 This study proposes that Paul wrote 1 Corinthians in part to encourage the church as a whole to take responsibility for its own leadership. This monograph contributes to three current discussions in scholarly circles: socio-historical scholars of Greco-Roman Corinth have been studying the impact social phenomena such as patronage and a fashionable interest in competitive rhetoric might have had on the Corinthians’ conception of leadership; theological investigators have focused on Paul’s response to the church members’ zeal for eschatology and spiritual gifts; and a third group has examined Paul and politics.