Beyond Evangelical | The Blog of Frank Viola

Official Blog of Author & Speaker Frank Viola. Digging below the surface and moving beyond the shallows in today's Christianity.

Things Aren’t Always What They Seem

“He who answers a matter before he hears the facts – it is folly and shame to him.”

~ Proverbs 18:13

The following is one of the most powerful stories I’ve ever heard on this score. There are many valuable lessons bound up with it for every disciple of the Lord Jesus.

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One afternoon, a small group of men were eating lunch at a private golf club. All were members of the club, except for one. He was a guest – a friend of one of the members.

As the men finished their meal, one of them pulled out of his pocket a very rare coin that he had recently purchased. The man glowed with excitement as he passed the precious coin around the table. Each man marveled as they held the coin in their hand and heard the story behind it. The owner of the coin shared that this was the only coin of its kind in existence, and he purchased it at half the price of what it was worth.[Continue Reading…]

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Ever since I hit my early 20s, I’ve been a voracious reader of Christian books. The problem I faced, however, is that the authors of those books were either dead or they were completely inaccessible.

There was no way to contact them with a question or a comment. Sure, I could write the publisher, but good luck with that.

So taking my cue from our Lord’s words, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” we’ve created this page.

Before you read on . . .

If your question is about my old books from 2008, Pagan Christianity or Reimagining Church, check this page first as I’ve answered scores of questions on those titles already.

If your question is about From Eternity to Here, check here and click the two FAQ links at the bottom.

What follows are the most frequently asked questions to date along with my answers.

To search for a specific question, click CTRL-F and type in the keyword that relates to your question. (E.g., money, organic church, slander, the poor, suffering, cussing, heresy, ecumenical, etc.)

If you have a question that isn’t addressed on this page, send an email to Frank @ FrankViola.com with your question.

Enjoy!

fv

Psalm 115:1[Continue Reading…]

More Pastors Weigh-in on Pagan Christianity

When Pagan Christianity first released in January, Family Christian, the largest Christian bookstore chain in the country, refused to carry it. It was just too controversial for their liking.

When the book hit bestseller status, however, they rethought their decision. Today, most Family Christian Stores in the country carry the book. This is also true for the sequel, Reimagining Church.

With that said: Here are more reactions from pastors to Pagan Christianity.

Read the first batch of responses.

GET THE EX-PASTORS SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR FREE

I find these emails from pastors amazing to say the least.[Continue Reading…]

The Church as Family: A Touching Example

If you receive our update Newsletter, you know that a good friend of mine is in the hospital receiving chemotherapy for Leukemia. Her name is Marietta Welter. She is a precious sister and a dear friend. Gary, her husband, and his daughters have been staying in my home to sleep at nights since the hospital is only 15-minutes away.

Yesterday morning, Gary told me that God’s people have been graciously sending cards and gifts. They have been greatly touched by all of them.

An observation he made that I found quite interesting is that over 90% of the people who contributed money to help defray the enormous financial burden they are under came from people who gather outside the institutional church. One such person Fed Ex’d them $1,000 overnight.[Continue Reading…]