Hello Frank and George, first let me say thank you for agreeing to do this interview. Frank, I have appreciated our conversations on the phone and our email exchanges, I am glad you asked me to do this interview and am excited to present your thoughts to everyone. Pastors, like myself, all across the world are facing some tough questions based on the influence of your book, Pagan Christianity, so I appreciate your willingness to model humility and demonstrate to everyone how to answer tough questions.
After reading your hard-hitting book and all the Q&A from your website, I hope to dive into some new territory by asking questions that address the topic of “Pagan Christianity” in a unique manner. I appreciate your encouragement of the Socratic Method. I use this often in my own teaching and writing and so with your kind permission I will “pelt” you with some “searching questions” about how Pagan Christianity applies to some of the “accepted customs” in your own lives (4).” My hope is that this interview will give my readers a deeper understanding of how you, George and Frank, as men of God are seeking to apply the principles established in your book.
Joe: George, let me start by asking you, what first drew you to Frank’s original book?
Joe: At some point, George, you began conversations with Frank about republishing the book, and in some way you must have felt your participation would make it a better product. What was the biggest contribution you brought to the updated version?
George: I think the way some of the information has been positioned has perhaps framed things in a more accessible manner. I was able to add a few insights from current research, to add strength to the power of the historical research. But the core content is from Frank’s exhaustive historical research. He did an amazing job of bringing together a very diverse body of facts and perspectives.
Joe: Frank, what compelled you to let George come on-board and put his name to your original work? What do you see now as the biggest benefit in rewriting this book with George?
Frank Viola: The short answer is that I saw the hand of God behind it. Ever since I wrote the original edition in 2002, I wanted it to get into the hands of every Christian who was disaffected with the traditional church, but was unsure why. Because no Christian publisher would dare touch such a controversial book, I self published it. It sold 15,000 copies. I suppose this isn’t bad for a self published book, but it’s not great. So it largely flew under the radar.
When George contacted me and presented the idea of giving the book a wider audience, I went into shock for three days. I kept pinching myself to see if I was dreaming or hallucinating 
. George’s desire to give the book a wider audience and his willingness to help make the book stronger by adding to it was both an honor and a blessing. George is a much better writer than I am, and his writing contribution, plus the research he added, made the book more compelling. And Tyndale gave it a far wider audience. For example, since its publication in January, it’s been given over 500 reviews and I’ve received over 9,600 emails, most of which have been extremely positive regarding the book’s impact on readers.
Joe: Frank, some people have described Pagan Christianity as “prophetic.” Many different Christian traditions use the word “prophetic” to mean different things. What is your understanding of that word and how does it apply to this book?
Frank: Yes, “prophetic” seems to be quite a clay word these days. Many people mold it the way they wish.
Here’s a short summary of the way I’ve come to shape it Joe. In the Old Testament, that which was “prophetic” always seemed to carry the idea of bringing God’s mind back into view when it had been lost. The writings of the prophets were statements that sought to bring God’s people back to the Lord’s original thought when they had departed from it. In the New Testament, the word “prophetic” includes this thought, but it has a deeper meaning, I think. Since the New Testament teaches that Jesus Christ is God’s full thought and will, a New Testament “prophetic” word seeks to bring Christ into view. John says, “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Sometimes this is done by “tearing down” those things that stand in the way of Jesus. Often it’s done by presenting Him in a fresh way.
As we state in the beginning and at the end of the book, our aim in writing is to remove some of the clutter that has hindered Jesus Christ from being central and supreme in His church. To use an analogy from history, someone once asked Michelangelo how he sculpted “The David.” His answer: “I looked at the slab of raw marble for awhile, and then I chipped away everything that wasn’t David.”
To me, this is a great analogy of prophetic ministry. It’s the stripping away of everything that isn’t Jesus Christ so as to bring Him into view.
Joe: Now the questions get a little harder guys, so let me first say I share many of the concerns you write about. I do not ask any of the following questions to dismiss the validity of your concerns, but rather as a way of exploring their practicality and application. (Besides, my wife said it was okay to ask you these questions… so they must be good.)
Go back to the introduction to the interview, or check back tomorrow for Part 3.
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