Rudderless
“The gospel of the kingdom includes a radical call to forsake the present world system – its values, its ways, its philosophy, its language and style of speech, its pleasures – and even one’s own life.”
“When I started preaching the gospel of the kingdom, I refused to lay down any rules. I didn’t give a list of ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ or ‘thou shalts’ and ‘thou shalt nots.’ That sort of thinking belongs to the old covenant dispensation.” Frank Viola
In the previous blog we explored the emotive language of christian influencer Frank Viola. We saw that he exclusively used emotive language to convince his audience that he had discovered a better form of Christianity; one that required them to turn their lives up-side-down. In order to enter into his “gospel of the kingdom” they needed to completely change their lives. It’s one thing to have an emotional upheaval, and quite another to translate that experience into the real world. In this blog we’ll see how (and if) Viola equips them with the cognitive tools they will need to deal with the emotional upheaval they had just experienced.
In his book Insurgence, Viola says that when his audience left that conference they were all fired up to become members of the “kingdom of God” and he called them to “severe their ties to the world system”. That seems like a pretty tall order. Did they know exactly what it meant, because I don’t. Read what Viola actually expected from his new converts.
They were called to “forsake the present world system” –
- its values,
- its ways,
- its philosophy,
- its language and style of speech,
- its pleasures –
- and even one’s own life”.
WOW!!! Did any his new followers have the slightest idea exactly what that might entail? I seriously doubt it. More than likely not one of them actually thought through what that means. Remember, Viloa had turned their lives upside-down and instructed them to forsake their life, to follow Jesus, and to live for his kingdom. Those first century apostles “left all to follow Jesus and live for his kingdom”. Could anything less be expected of Viola’s followers? And like those first century apostles they must be “resolutely, totally, and utterly” devoted to Viola’s newly created gospel of the kingdom.
To become part of Viola’s “gospel of the kingdom” thinking was not required. But what he was asking them to do would undoubtedly require quite a bit of thinking.
How exactly does someone forsake the present world system?
Do they stop paying their mortgage? Do they quit their jobs? Do they stop watching TV? Do they have to start speaking differently? Do they stop celebrating holidays? (That sounds vaguely familiar.) Even religious holidays? Remember, all religious holidays nowadays have been taken over by “this world’s systems of entanglements, distractions, and counterfeits”. Do they deny themselves all kinds of pleasure? No more morning cups of coffee? No chocolate, chocolate chip ice cream? No more sports? No more supporting the home team? How exactly are they supposed to forsake their own life? Perhaps the answers to those questions didn’t matter to Viola’s new converts. They believed that they were becoming truer and better christians, just like those early apostles, and for that they would be willing to pay any price.
When I started preaching the gospel of the kingdom in 1998, I refused to lay down any rules. I didn’t give a list of “dos” and “don’ts” or “thou shalts” and “thou shalt nots.” That sort of thinking belongs to the old covenant dispensation.
Let’s see how Viola helps them navigate this separation from “the world’s systems”. He writes,
“For those who have left the old world behind and stepped into the kingdom of God, there are certain things that should be taken care of at the very outset. I will give you the general principles on what those things are. However, I refuse to be specific. The reason is simple. When preachers and teachers get specific on what God’s people should and shouldn’t do, they have moved into legalism.”
Viola has turned keeping God’s rules, regulations, laws, and expectations into a thing that lesser christians do to please God. He would have nothing to do with such legalism. It was something lukewarm christians did, and Viola told his followers that the world already had enough lukewarm and halfhearted Christians.
Take a minute to grasp the gravity of what Viola is asking of his followers. Not only is he asking them to forsake everything that has to do with the “world systems”, but he is also asking them to forsake any ties they might have had with traditional church hierarchy and leadership. It’s as if he has set them adrift in a rudderless life raft and instructed them to untether themselves from anything that might have given them some sense of stability.
World systems? BAD. Church leadership? Bad. Now what?
“Under the new covenant, we have been given the Spirit of God who teaches us what is according to Christ and what is not. And the leading of the Spirit will always conform to the general principles of Scripture. Those who are completely devoted to the Lord will know within their hearts where they need to make adjustments, what to let go, when to make a change, and so forth. Their spiritual instincts will lead them in the Lord’s direction. They don’t need to be told by a human. Devotion to Christ does away with legalism and legality. Spiritual people are those who live by the Lord’s life that indwells them. They know by instinct what the will of God is.”
Under Viola’s new covenant, they will get their direction solely from the spirit of God. No more dealing with those pesky commandments and creeds that were so important to Martin Luther. No more church leadership. No more elders, bishops, and deacons. No more Westminster Confession of Faith. Those were all under an outdated covenant dispensation. Viola is offering a new and better covenant. It’s not all that surprising when you realize that we’ve seen this happen before.
When the above-mentioned Martin Luther made his break from Rome, he believed he was establishing a better form of Christianity. So much so, that he even suggested that the Pope be excommunicated. Calvin was so convinced that his version of christianity was correct that he had a fellow reformer burned at the stake for disagreeing with him. LDS lore tells that Joseph Smith once asked God which christian sect was the true one. The answer from God (obviously) was that none of them were the true church and that he, Joseph Smith was to create a new one. Jehovah Witnesses are so convinced that their religion is the only true religion, that they are willing to come ring your doorbell or stand on the street corners just to share it with you. Now we have Viola, whose new and improved christianity is based solely on “spiritual instincts”.
“Warning! Warning! Danger Will Robinson!”
However, this idea of the spirit always conforming to scripture, doesn’t happen to be the case with Viola. His followers might think that he is being led by the “Spirit of God”, but much of what he teaches does not conform to the general principles of scripture. In a future blog we’ll explore Viola’s questionable theology. Much of what he says (and his followers believe) is not at all based on scripture. He might be a very charismatic and motivational speaker, but his theology is questionable at best, and heretical at worst. It surprises me how Viola can be so popular in certain religious circles when his theology is so faulty. But that’s a topic for another time.
No longer under the law?
“A person who lives by the indwelling life of Christ through the Holy Spirit is a person who is under a law. But it is not the Law of Moses. Nor is it a law that some preacher created from his own personal standards. No, the law I’m referring to is “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus”. This law is like the law of gravity; it’s a constant force or power.”
You’ll notice that he never actually says what the law is. Nevertheless, it’s a constant force of power and is as sure as the law of gravity. How incredibly silly. But remember, thinking is not required to be a part of Viola’s new covenant. Just look what he says next about this law.
“The Law of God has been written in our hearts. (We) know by instinct what the will of God is. The external Law, then, is no longer an outward thing full of dead letters and cold commands. It has been transferred into the indwelling life of Christ.”
Wow! Is Viola really saying that the bible is just a collection of “dead letters and cold commands”? Excuse me for a minute while I grab my 50-year-old, leather bound, marked up collection of “dead letters and cold commands” and toss it directly into the trash. Won’t need that anymore. Anything christians need to know about God, humanity and life has already been written on their hearts. No reason to waste time memorizing scripture. They already know everything they need to know about the general principles of scripture because it’s written in their hearts.
I asked the AI gods to give me a summary about the importance of the bible for christians. This was the reply.
“The Bible is important to Christians because it is considered the inspired word of God, serving as a guide for their faith and life. It provides a foundation for understanding who God is, his character, and his plan for humanity. For Christians, the Bible is used to gain knowledge of their faith, grow in their relationship with God, and be transformed by its teachings.”
Toss that all out the window. Viola has found a better way. Untether yourself from the world. Untether yourself from your church. Untether yourself from scripture. You don’t need any of those, because you will instinctively know the will of God.
“When the Spirit leads them, they yield to it (for the most part)—no matter what the cost. And life and peace are the results.”
From where I stand:
Viola’s teachings are a recipe for disaster. If you’re a follower of Viola, it might be time to put your emotions in check and start using your God-given brain. Look carefully at what he is saying and actually think about it. You have been set adrift without anything but instinct as a rudder to guide you. I might be wrong, but this does not sound like the way to “life and peace”.
I don’t put much confidence into what the gospel writers tell us that Jesus said in his lifetime. All four of them were written decades later by people who never actually met Jesus in person. However, I know that christians do consider the gospels to be inspired by God and every word attributed to Jesus is 100% accurate. With that in mind, forget what Viola has been telling you about your place in the Kingdom and heed this verse from Matthew.
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you.” Matthew 7
Let’s change it just a bit.
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not forsake the present world’s systems, did we not cast out legalism and the scriptures that are full of dead letters and cold commands, and did we not follow our hearts and know by instinct what your will was?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you.”
Coming next: At the age of 17 Viola made a conscious decision not to attend bible school or seminary… and it shows in his theology.
Endnotes:
Become a Kingdom Citizen
I googled the expression “Kingdom of God’ and found an interesting array of websites. One in particular is a mega-church in the Philippines whose leader is currently being indicted for having sex with underage girls, (something none of his followers seem to have a problem with). On their website they provide a link where you can apply for Kingdom Citizenship so “you can begin your spiritual journey to become a bonafide son or daughter of the Father Almighty”. All you have to do is complete the on-line form and a Kingdom Minister will reach out to you as soon as possible.
On a whimsical note:
I have in my possession the “smallest Bible in the world”. All 1245 pages of the bible can be found on this incredibly small microfiche. Perhaps I could find a cardiologist who would surgically implant it near my heart so I could literally say that I have the Bible written on my heart. It would be more accurate than what Viola is suggesting.
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From Where I Stand
Nov 24, 2025
Dale Crum