"From Eternity To Here" - Viola

I agreed to be part of a Blog Circuit event for Frank Viola's latest book in which, today, over 50 bloggers are reviewing "From Eternity to Here."

Viola departs, a bit, from his many books on the nature and structure of church in order to step back and reflect on the larger story of God's eternal purpose.

He first describes the love story that is woven through Scripture from beginning to end: "the story of a God who is an ageless romantic, driven by one consuming pursuit."

The sacred romance of the ages sings its song through rhythms and melodies from Genesis to Revelation.  But its major chord is always the same: A bride who has been hidden in God from eternity...  For you are part of that matchless woman with whom Christ has fallen hopelessly in love with.

Viola then describes God's longing and desire to have a habitation for himself which is ultimately fulfilled through the people of God.

In the third part of this book, Viola describes what it really means to be a new species (his church) fully accepted, in Christ, and organically joined to the Head.

Put another way, the church is the visible image of the invisible Lord.  It is the corporate Christ.  It is Christ in collective human expression.

I believe one can sum up the heart of Frank Viola as well as this book with his statement: "All of the churches and movements I was involved in had effectively preached to me an it.  Evangelism is an it.  The power of God is an it.  Eschatology is an it.  Christian theology is an it... I don't need an it, I need a Him!"

Following is some additional information on Frank's book and this blog circuit:

Today (June 9th), the following blogs are discussing Frank Viola’s new bestselling book “From Eternity to Here” (David C. Cook, 2009). The book just hit the May CBA Bestseller List. Some are posting Q & A with Frank; others are posting full reviews of the book. To read more reviews and order a copy at a 33% discount, go to Amazon.com.  If you live in the USA, you can also visit your local Family Christian Store to grab a copy. They are having a special promotion this week.  For more resources, such as downloadable audios, the free Discussion Guide, the Facebook Group page, etc. go to the official website.

Here is a complete list of bloggers participating today and other info: Download BlogCircuitNote