In my new book The Untold Story of the New Testament Church: Revised and Expanded, I provide a number of maps for each section that tells the story from Palestine to Patmos. Those maps correctly use the term “Paul’s apostolic journeys” instead of the common misnomer “missionary journeys.” (This is explained in the book). With respect to maps of the ancient world, Paul Lawrence’s The IVP Atlas of Bible History (Second Edition, IVP Academic, 2024) represents a cosmetic refresh of... Read more

Recently, someone asked me, “Frank, the other day I heard someone say that you’ve changed your views on the church since writing Pagan Christianity. I’ve read your blog since you started it, and I’ve never read or heard you say that. I even remember you saying that you have NOT changed your views on the church. Can you clarify this?” My answer: You are correct on both counts. My views on the church have not changed since I wrote Pagan Christianity with... Read more

In my new book The Untold Story of the New Testament Church: Revised and Expanded, I provide a detailed background within a narrative arc behind each of Paul’s epistles. 1 Corinthians is no exception. Although 1 Corinthians was actually Paul’s second epistle to the church in Corinth. The first one, mentioned in 1 Corinthians 5, is lost to us. In this connection, Michael Gorman’s 1 Corinthians: A Theological, Pastoral, and Missional Commentary (Eerdmans, 2025) represents a significant contribution to contemporary... Read more

A friend suggested that I relaunch my vision for a ministry dream team after I released my signature book Insurgence: Reclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom. His thinking was that the book would give leaders a startlingly clear vision of what the dream team would be focused on. To wit, the team would labor together arm-in-arm to proclaim the explosive gospel of the kingdom and spread the Insurgence. So at my friend’s suggestions, I crafted a brand new PDF document... Read more

There’s a popular saying that goes something like this, “I love Jesus, but I can’t stand the church.” To my utter amazement, a handful of people who tout this phrase have benightedly assumed that I support this sentiment. Since I’m globally known as one of the strongest champions of the ekklesia – even making it central to God’s Eternal Purpose – I can only assume that those who’ve mistakenly connected me with this sentiment have never read my work. Either... Read more

The Christian life is depicted by a race. Paul rejoiced that he finished the race well (2 Tim. 4:7). Someone cut in on the Galatians and shoved them off the track (Gal. 5:7). The writer of Hebrews exhorts his audience to run the race with endurance (Heb. 12:1). We also discover that a person can disqualify themselves from the race (1 Cor. 9:24-27). Over the last three decades, I’ve watched Christians, including servants of God whom the Lord used mightily,... Read more

Imagine you are living in the 1960s. It’s August 1966, and a friend invites you to hear The Beatles – the world’s greatest band at the time – in concert live. You respond, “I can’t make it this year. I’ll go to their next concert.” Only The Beatles never play live again. But you couldn’t possibly know that when you declined the opportunity to hear them live. It’s July 1980, and your favorite band, Led Zeppelin, is playing a few... Read more

Someone recently asked me how I come up with the content for these articles. I have no clear method. I notice things, write them down, queue them up, and send them out each week. Sometimes, however, I get struck hard with an idea and it moves to the top of the queue. Like this one today. Here are three things I’d encourage you to do this week. Yes, you heard right. *This* week. Not next week, next month, or next year.... Read more

Throughout most of my 20’s, one of the biggest struggles I faced was over whether or not I was impacting people. While my public ministry didn’t begin until I was in my early 30’s, I was active in my local fellowship all throughout my 20’s. I did some speaking and trying my hand at writing (mainly in the form of pamphlets, since we didn’t have blogs back then). My 20’s were my training ground for what would happen later. However,... Read more

A few months ago, someone on Facebook asked me, “How has your thinking changed and developed over the years?” Change is a sign of growth. So I got to thinking about how my thinking has evolved in recent years. Here are seven specific areas in which it has. See if you can resonate with any of these, and feel free to add your own to the list. * I used to think that when a person read a book or... Read more