UnCorinthian Leadership

Amid the torrent of books on leadership that flood the marketplace of contemporary Christianity, UnCorinthian Leadership takes a fresh, challenging, and biblical approach. David Starling examines the teaching and leadership practices of Paul in 1 Corinthians, and finds both a sharp critique of the Corinthianized practices that are endemic in much modern Western Christianity and a positive, compelling theological vision for how leadership ought to function among the people of Christ.

The account of Christian leadership that emerges is grounded in careful, contextual study of 1 Corinthians, and thoughtfully applied to the circumstances and cultural pressures of our own times. Paying close attention to the situation Paul addresses and the shape of his arguments, Starling highlights the vivid relevance and enduring power of the letter. Students of 1 Corinthians will find an illuminating guide to the contemporary application of the letter; Christian leaders and students of leadership will find a refreshingly biblical account of what makes Christian leadership Christian.


Many speak and write of 'Christian leaders' and 'servant leadership' as if the categories were self-evident--and certainly it is easy to bless almost any label with a few proof-texts. This little book by David Starling is a fresh antidote. By paying close attention to 1 Corinthians, he demonstrates how . . . the Apostle Paul works out a decidedly 'unCorinthian' vision that is in line with the gospel and that has the power to revolutionize our thinking and relationships.
--Don Carson, author of The Cross and Christian Ministry

Worldly attitudes and behavior on the part of the Corinthian congregation prompted a body of godly instruction from the Apostle Paul. David Starling mines that apostolic instruction for leadership insights, badly needed in our own Corinthian times. Thoughtful and well written, UnCorinthian Leadership will be a bracing read for Christian leaders everywhere.
--Duane Litfin, author of St. Paul's Theology of Proclamation

No book in the New Testament has more to say about Christian leadership than 1 Corinthians. . . . While commentaries on 1 Corinthians abound, none address this question adequately for Christian leaders in our day. And the need is great, with worldly leadership doing considerable harm, both to the church and the progress of the gospel. David Starling's exploration of gospel-shaped leadership is a searching blend of rigorous exegesis and insightful application. I recommend it heartily.
--Brian Rosner, co-author of The First Letter to the Corinthians (PNTC)

Here is a very fine exposition of select chapters of 1 Corinthians against its first-century cultural setting, along with many sensitive and searching applications to our own Christian contexts. . . . This little book contains an amazing array of searching, refreshing, and powerful instruction. It is presented in a courteous, sensitive, and self-critical manner as the author applies the word of God to himself and urges other Christians to follow his lead. Highly recommended.
--Peter O'Brien, author of Gospel and Mission in the Writings of Paul


David I. Starling is Senior Lecturer in New Testament and Theology at Morling College in Sydney, Australia. He is the author of Not My People: Gentiles as Exiles in Pauline Hermeneutics (2011) and the coeditor of Theology and the Future: Evangelical Assertions and Explorations (2014).