When I was in my early 20s, I had wonderful fellowship with an older brother in Christ who was part of the Plymouth Brethren.

We disagreed on a few doctrines (I didn’t buy into the pretibulational rapture theory, and I believed that God still healed people supernaturally). That aside, we both held to the orthodox creeds of the faith (The Apostles Creed, the Nicene Creed, etc.) as I still do today.

Never having stepped foot in a Plymouth Brethren chapel, I was interested in visiting his church. So I did. But I was shocked when he told me that I couldn’t partake of the Lord’s Table.

This both surprised and saddened me greatly.

He received me as a brother in Christ, but because I didn’t toe the line on PB doctrine, I wasn’t allowed to partake of the bread and wine with the others in his church.

When I shared my feelings with him — that this action was a flat-out denial that I was part of the Body of Christ — he retracted his position and said I could partake of the Table.

However, his initial sectarian decision left its wound. Continue Reading…

Announcement: We plan to publish a series of never-before-released messages on Colossians on the podcast very soon. If you’re not yet subscribed, click here and subscribe. You don’t want to miss these; they are unique.

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The great theologian Karl Barth once wrote that truth walks the razor edge of heresy. Indeed, the road to truth is surrounded by a ditch on either side.

Be careful to do as the Lord your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left (Deuteronomy 5:32). 

Sectarianism and elitism have been in the drinking water of the body of Christ ever since the fault lines of the Corinthian church began to fracture over their favorite apostle.

“I’m of Apollos . . . I’m of Peter . . . I’m of Paul” still lives in our bloodstreams. We simply exchange the names for that of others.

I’ve met some Christians who promoted the idea (though not in these exact words) that “unless you receive John Calvin into your heart, you cannot be saved.”

While others preached the gospel of “unless you receive John Wesley into your heart, you cannot be saved.” Continue Reading…

Jen Wise, over at Restoration Living, recently interviewed me on the subject of rescripting the Christian life. This is part 2 of a 2-part interview. Click here to read Part 1 which includes Jen’s unique introduction.

Jen: In Chapter 3 of Revise Us Again you exhort readers to resist making all things ‘religious’. At Restoration Living we exhort readers to see all things as spiritual. The difference between these two is important. How do we help move Christians from ‘making everything religious’ to ‘seeing everything as spiritual’?

Frank: It depends on how one defines these terms. In the book, “religious” means being pretentious and/or legalistic. (I define legalism in the book and here as well.)

In the NT, the word “spiritual” has to do with that which is governed by the life of Christ, i.e., the Holy Spirit. Elsewhere, I’ve spoken a great deal about living by the indwelling life of Christ. This reality is central to Christianity.

A spiritual person, according to Paul, is a person whose soul and body is governed by the Holy Spirit through their regenerated spirits. We’re not talking about perfection here. But the overall pattern of one’s life.

Being “religious” is the fallen soul’s way of trying to duplicate the job of the Holy Spirit.  Continue Reading…

Jen Wise, over at Restoration Living, recently interviewed me on the subject of rescripting the Christian life. This is part 1 of a 2-part interview. The interview follows her introduction:

I recently had the honor of interviewing author Frank Viola on his recent book, Revise Us Again. I am delighted to share with you an in-depth look at the experiences behind the words, the theology that shaped the book, and his journey to understanding the issues within.

Revise Us is a timely book that approaches many issues that often go untouched, but deserve our attention. It is a ‘must’ for anyone entering theological studies or ministry (possibly in the same way ‘A Little Exercise for Young Theologians’ is used) as it touches on issues of Spiritual Conversation Styles, Christ as our chief pursuit and the pitfalls to avoid as a mentor (or mentee).

This is also a compelling read for those outside of vocational ministry. Chapters exploring God’s three-fold voice and His felt presence are both compelling and stretching on a personal level. A close look at ‘The God of Unseen Endings’ will be a comfort for anyone who has traveled through rough waters in life.

Join us below as we dig in to all these issues from a unique Restoration Living perspective.

~ Jen Wise

Continue Reading…