He is heavy on what a passage does not say, but usually silent on the real meaning. He makes only passing reference to key passages on the subjects addressed. There is a conspicuous deficiency in Scripture citations and no attempt to expound passages. Often, the author quotes himself! Or he quotes from others who have said what he is saying. Yet proof lies not in the quantity of footnotes but the content. Viola's proof is highly touted on the back cover and in promotional material: "Viola proves his point by documenting every claim he makes." Well, there are abundant footnotes. All of these items (like a systematic theology) show up in some form in Viola's book, urged upon the reader as a warmer, more spiritual atmosphere and derived from the New Testament (not as a "manual," but more like a love-letter hermeneutic). This phenomenon (the house church movement) is built on certain common premises: (1) smaller is better, (2) informality is preferable over order, (3) spontaneous/conversational teaching is superior to a prepared orderly presentation, (4) diversity is celebrated, (5) breaking from "tradition," and (6) opposition to pulpits, buildings and treasuries. He is a destroyer of one system in the interests of promoting another. The title Pagan Christianity reflects his thesis that all such things have no basis in the Scriptures but were appropriated over time into the modern practice of "churchianity." The promotional blurb makes the claim: "This book is reserved for those who are ready to embark on an eye-opening venture that challenges every aspect of their church experience as well as offering a better alternative." Out with the old, in with the new.įrank Viola is "a high school Psychology and Philosophy teacher," who in "his spare ants house churches, speaks at church-life conferences, and authors books on Christ and His church." On one of the opening pages he says that he "left the religious system." One of his arguments against preaching is "it suffocates mutual ministry." And as he debates the case against church buildings, he implies the friendlier, warmer atmosphere of a house (the sofa over the pew). With inflated urgency he uncovers the apostasy he has discovered in (to name a few sins): the order of worship, preachers and preaching, church buildings, dressing up for services and the order of New Testament epistles.
Before he lays out his agenda, you know he has one. He has discovered something almost everybody else has missed and he seeks to be our teacher. Viola writes in a style typical of iconoclasts and hyperactive reformers. The book is Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola. "Have you ever wondered why we Christians do what we do for church every Sunday morning?" This inquiry is the lead sentence on the back cover of a 2002 book published by Present Testimony Ministry. Pagan Christianity (by Frank Viola) Reviewed
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