Edwin Louis Cole (1922–2002), also known as Ed Cole, was the founder of the Christian Men's Network, an American religious organization devoted to helping

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

men and fathers. He published many books and preached numerous sermons relating to men and religion.

Early life

After his birth in

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, Cole lived with his mother in Texas until the age of four, when he became ill with a severe case of

scarlet fever Scarlet fever, also known as scarlatina, is an infectious disease caused by ''Streptococcus pyogenes'', a Group A streptococcus (GAS). It most commonly affects children between five and 15 years of age. The signs and symptoms include a sore ...

. After being told that he would not survive without sea air and sun, his mother Florence moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, with young Edwin. Cole was educated at Belmont High School in

Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) is the central business district of the city of Los Angeles. It is part of the Central Los Angeles region and covers a area. As of 2020, it contains over 500,000 jobs and has a population of roughly 85,000 residents ...

. In Los Angeles, Edwin played an active role in the

Angelus Temple Angelus Temple is a Pentecostal megachurch in the Echo Park district of Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded by Aimee Semple McPherson in 1923, it is considered the first U.S. megachurch. Today, it is affiliated with the Foursquare ...

Aimee Semple McPherson Aimee Elizabeth Semple McPherson (née Kennedy; October 9, 1890 – September 27, 1944), also known as Sister Aimee or Sister, was a Canadian-born American Pentecostalism, Pentecostal Evangelism, evangelist and media celebrity in the 1920 ...

, often participating in the Temple's illustrated sermons. He played a trumpet with street corner witnessing teams on Los Angeles's

skid row A skid row, also called skid road, is an impoverished area, typically urban, in English-speaking North America whose inhabitants are mostly poor people " on the skids". This specifically refers to people who are poor or homeless, considered disre ...

. He enlisted in the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, where he met his wife, fellow Coast Guard member Nancy Corbett. Later Cole began street witnessing again, and within two years accepted the pastorate of a church in northern

Religious career

Cole eventually became a full-time district men's minister. He spent the next two decades undertaking a number of religious endeavors, including mission trips, evangelizing, and Christian TV stations. In 1977 Cole founded the Christian Men's Network. At that time he was still actively ministering on two Christian television networks, acting as chancellor of a ministry school, and helping to establish a radio ministry. In April 1984 Cole resigned from these positions to focus exclusively on his men's ministry, which started slowly but grew in the 1980s and 1990s. "Dr. Cole was ordained in the

Assemblies of God The World Assemblies of God Fellowship (WAGF), commonly known as the Assemblies of God (AG), is a global cooperative body or communion of over 170 Pentecostal denominations that was established on August 15, 1989. The WAGF was created to provi ...

and received his doctorate as a correspondence student from the New Covenant International University in New Zealand."

Later life

In 1993 Cole and his wife, Nancy, moved back to Texas to continue ministering. Nancy died of cancer in 2000.Treasure: Uncovering Patterns & Principles That Create Prosperity, E.L. Cole, 2001 In 2002 he was diagnosed with

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

while being treated for a broken back. He collapsed on August 25, 2002, and was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition. He died on August 27, 2002, and was buried at a private ceremony in

Newport Beach Newport Beach is a coastal city of about 85,000 in southern Orange County, California, United States. Located about southeast of downtown Los Angeles, Newport Beach is known for its sandy beaches. The city's harbor once supported maritime indu ...

, California.

Quotes

An exhaustive complete listing of all 940 "Coleisms", their scriptural references, and additional information, is a
The Ed Cole Library "Coleism" Section
Citations needed, this link is now dead. * "Manhood and Christlikeness are synonymous." * "Have faith in God; God has faith in you." * "Being a male is a matter of birth. Being a man is a matter of choice." Ben Kinchelow * "Teach to teach to teach." / "Teach to teach, 'til every man is taught." * "Christians are not patched-up sinners, they are new creations." * "You don't drown by falling in the water; you drown by staying there." * "Do not let others create your world for you, for they will always create it too small."

References

External links

The Ed Cole LibraryEdwin Louis Cole at New Man Magazine
(address referenced in article is now P.O. Box 92921, Southlake, TX 76092)
Dr. Edwin Louis Cole
Information on the website of the Christian Men's Network (CMN) Worldwide {{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Lois 1922 births 2002 deaths American Christian religious leaders United States Coast Guard personnel of World War II