There are many people now in the Seventh-day Adventist church who hold up the example of Paul to the Athenians as a good example for us today to use worldly authors and worldly methods and match wit against wit, logic against logic when giving the gospel to others. This is all completely wrong. Reading the Bible should be clear enough, as Paul writes forcefully for determining to preach nothing but Christ and his cross, but many people do not read the Bible carefully, or understand it as it is written, so God has been pleased to give light to Ellen White to make it very simple for us to understand. Here is what she wrote on this subject, showing clearly that Paul made a mistake in Athens, and we should not adopt worldly plans and methods to reach the people.
8RED The Teachings of Paul, and his Mission to the Gentiles p. 60
Paul Goes to Corinth. Paul did not wait for his brethren, but, leaving them to follow him, went at once to Corinth. Here he adopted a different course of action from that which had marked his labors at Athens. While in the latter place, he had adapted his style to the character of his audience; and much of his time had been devoted to the discussion of natural religion, matching science with science, logic with logic, and philosophy with philosophy. But when the apostle reviewed the time and labor he had there devoted to the exposition of Christianity, and realized that his style of teaching had not been productive of much fruit, he decided upon a different plan of labor in the future. He determined to avoid discussions of theories and elaborate arguments as much as possible, but to urge the doctrine of salvation through Christ upon sinners. In his epistle to his Corinthian brethren, he afterward described his manner of laboring among them:–…..
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His success in preaching the gospel occasioned some of the church to exalt his labors above those of Paul, while he himself was working in perfect harmony with Paul for the advancement of the cause. This rival spirit threatened to greatly hinder the work. Paul had purposely presented the gospel to the Corinthians in its veriest simplicity.Disappointed with the result of his labors in Athens, where he had brought his learning, eloquence, and ability to bear upon his hearers, he determined to pursue an entirely different course in Corinth. He presented there the plain, simple truth, unadorned with worldly wisdom, and studiously dwelt upon Christ, and his mission to the world. The eloquent discourses of Apollos, and his manifest learning, were contrasted by his hearers with the purposely simple and unadorned preaching of Paul.
Let’s resolve today to uplift Jesus Christ and him alone, and get back to the simplicity of the gospel.