Frank Viola | Beyond Evangelical
Official Blog of Author & Speaker Frank Viola. Digging below the surface and moving beyond the shallows in today's Christianity.
Co-Authoring: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Frank Viola | Beyond Evangelical
Official Blog of Author & Speaker Frank Viola. Digging below the surface and moving beyond the shallows in today's Christianity.
A Powerful Resource for Authors & Musicians – Getting the Word Out About Your Book or Album
I would like to see you co-author with someone fromt the prophetic movement we see going on now (past 15-20 years). The broader the base of believers the better. Unity, real unity is the key to making a real impact on our world. I would suggest a particular person, but you know who they are. I would hope that the organic church idea would not just become another “movement” that sits on the shelf with others, but become the basis for which all other ideas in the christian community are fleshed out. I believe that there is an openess in this movement and even a move toward more of a relational aspect and a reliance on the Holy Spirit’s guidance in what is carried out as far as ministry is concerned along with the emphasis on the individual believer’s importance in the kingdom. At least the desire for it seems to be there. Bill Johnson. Two guys with a firm grasp on thier core passion. Interested in building up the body more than building up a ministry. What a way to get conversation going among believers and empower the body. Dovetailing at its best. Not a pick for the money the book could generate, but a pick for the good of the body.
Mike: Thx. for your comment. A few things since you appear new to the blog.
1. there is no “organic church movement” – see https://www.frankviola.org/2010/01/14/why-organic-church-is-not-exactly-a-movement-christianity-today-article/
2. I’ve not been focused on organic church for sometime now – see https://www.frankviola.org/2012/03/05/seasonsofministry/
3. the “prophetic movement” in the charismatic world has been around much longer than 20 years. And it’s certainly a “movement” in every respect.
So far, the top picks from readers – see here – https://www.frankviola.org/2012/11/29/coauthor/ – have been Francis Chan, N.T. Wright, and Greg Boyd. There’s a lot of common ground with these 3 so I understand why they were selected so often. I’m not opposed to Bill Johnson, but he seems to strictly move in charismatic circles only. Most people outside those circles have never heard him. If he contacts me, I’ll let you know.
Hi Frank,
I can work in a team if I have to but I am at my best when I work alone, so to me it has always been absolutely inconceivable how two people could coauthor a book – it absolutely boggles my mind how two people could together have coauthored such a brilliant book as “Jesus – a Theography”!!
Your blog has given some insight to it but I can still only understand it intellectually. When I write anything I am always open to constructive criticism but I still can’t even begin to imagine coauthoring anything…
Please tell me this blog entry was cowritten as well…:)
Lol. I wish I had a co-writer for the blog.
Thank you Frank for the valuable insights you dealt.
In my study of the causes for the differences between older versions of the Bible and modern versions, I by chance incorporated a few professors busy with translating the Bible at present. I found their comments absolutely valuable and altered my posts to my blog quite often. The problem with a blog is timing. I try to post on at least two different times per month. There just is not enough time to wait for reaction and input on a specific post, considering their busy schedules! Any suggestions on bridging this problem?
God bless, Herman
See my post “Advice for Bloggers” in the Archives. https://www.frankviola.org/archives
So the dark side can be avoided by 1) being sensitive, 2) allowing the relationship to shape your ideas, and 3) openly sharing (often divergent thoughts) with the expectation of discovering something better. Sounds like an amazing way to develop maturity — an opportunity to become a better man!
Thanks Frank!
This post strikes me as a valid insight into any form of human partnership from marriage to running a business and all the in-betweens.
Only one thing I think was not mentioned. While communication is key, sometimes there is a hidden agenda, often hidden even from the person that has it: power.
Whether by temperatment or from former experiences of abuse, some people just need to have control over others in order to remain in their psychological comfort zones. We all need to be in our psychological comfort zones to function optimally, so the more control we need over life’s circumstances, the less practical collaborative cooperation becomes. No amount of complementary talents or communication will make the relationship work if there are underlying power issues.
I’ve never come across this element in co-writing, hence why I didn’t mention it. There are no doubt other problematic ingredients to co-writing, but I was writing from my experience and from my observations with other co-writing projects from friends.
Great Insight, Frank. Hopefully one day I will make a connection with a like-minded Christian writer. Do you perceive a sustained growing independent Christian movement that will challenge some of the traditional mainline denominational teachings, yet remain true to the original meaning of the scriptures in proper context? Thanks for sharing
It’s been going on quite strongly since 2005. See https://www.frankviola.org/books