Edwin Cole, 79; Led Christian Men’s Network

Edwin Louis Cole, considered the father of the Christian men’s movement that has spawned huge Promise Keepers gatherings around the country, has died. He was 79.

The president and founder of the nondenominational Christian Men’s Network, Cole died Tuesday of bone marrow cancer at his home in Grapevine, Texas.

Cole, who described his ministering style as confrontational, founded the organization, which focuses exclusively on men, in 1979.

For the next 20 years, he traveled the world commanding men to “repent of sex sins.�

He wrote 14 books, including “Maximized Manhood,� “Strong Men in Tough Times� and “The Irresistible Husband.�

He also recorded more than 1,000 audiotapes and produced more than 200 instructional videos, according to the Christian Men’s Network.

Promise Keepers founder Bill McCartney has credited Cole with paving the way for his organization and other men’s ministries.

“For me personally, he’s a mentor,� McCartney told the Dallas Morning News in a 1998 interview. “I like everything about him.

“I like his style, his spirit, his longevity,� McCartney said. “He’s unrelenting, persevering.�

Cole moved to Los Angeles from Dallas with his family at age 5. He was raised as a Pentecostal and ordained as an Assemblies of God minister.

He began his men-only ministry when he was 57.

Cole’s Christian Men’s Network has ministered to millions of men through events, retreats, church services, videos, radio, television, books, tapes and satellite broadcasts, according to the organization. It has representatives serving in more than 210 countries.

Cole lived in Southern California for much of his life, and returned to Texas in the early 1990s to be closer to the base of operations of his Christian Men’s Network.

He will be buried in Newport Beach, alongside his wife of 54 years, Nancy Corbett Cole, who died nearly two years ago.

He is survived by one son, two daughters, nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild.