Welcome to another Thursday UNFILTERED blog post, the only blog that believes people can really change. Boaz was Ruth-less before he got married.
So I missed the “Airing of Grievances” this past Festivus, so I’m doing it today. (If you’re not familiar with this practice, look it up.)
For the past three weeks, I’ve seen social media posts that say, “Read the Whole Bible in 2026!” Most are pushing chronological Bibles and “reading plans.”
Those are about as useful as a screen door on a submarine.
In a recent interview on the CHRIST IS ALL podcast (episode #255), I explained why chronological Bibles don’t really help us understand Scripture.
Simply rearranging the books in order doesn’t magically make you understand them.
Why? Because these two critical ingredients are missing: Context. Background. Without those, you’re only hearing one end of a phone conversation.
And let’s be honest—most people quit these reading plans by February anyway.
Here’s my counter-challenge. Read the New Testament with Fresh Eyes in 2026.
A Better Idea – Actually Understand What You’re Reading
The point of Bible reading isn’t to check boxes. It’s transformation. And transformation requires understanding.
Recent readers of The Untold Story of the New Testament Church: Revised and Expanded keep saying the same thing. The book “opened up” the New Testament letters for them by providing the missing narrative, which includes context and background. Those reports include lead pastors.
Before I get to the unique gift, what follows are a few remarkable reviews by recent readers of the new book The Untold Story of the New Testament Church: Revised and Expanded (2025 release). Each reviewer explains HOW the book helped them. And they are all recent.
By the way, the new book is NOT a history lesson. Neither does it advocate a certain kind of church form.
It’s a unique key that unlocks the New Testament letters, as well as the Gospels, Acts, and Revelation.
What If Everything You Thought You Knew About the New Testament Was Incomplete?
***THREE RECENT REVIEWS***
“This book is a cinematic thunderbolt that grips you from the first chapter and refuses to let go. A masterclass in storytelling, weaving together exceptional historical facts, a relentless pace, and current scholarship that pulses with urgency. The book doesn’t just entertain—it challenges, provokes, and ultimately leaves you breathless, daring readers to confront the uncomfortable truth that we have missed so much when we read the New Testament. This book solves the mystery by giving you the story, the background, the narrative. It’s as captivating as solidly built on scholarship with thousands of credible sources cited for every argument. The discussion on Paul’s thorn in the flesh is worth the price of the book. Craig Keener’s Foreword is the perfect introduction to this marvelous work. This is the kind of book that earns instant classic status—a thrilling, unmissable triumph in biblical studies that’s highly readable and engaging all the way to the end.”
– Sarah
“The Untold Story of the New Testament Church: Revised and Expanded recently came out (2025) and I’ve read it several times. It’s a remarkable blend of solid scholarship, historical accuracy, and engaging storytelling. Viola reconstructs the chronology and context of the early church with clarity and depth, making complex history both accessible and deeply compelling. What sets this book apart is its balance between academic credibility and readability. It’s very well-researched and documented but never dry. Readers interested in tracing the development of the church from Acts through Revelation and who really want to understand what the letters of Paul, Peter, James, etc. are really saying will find this book invaluable. It’s a trustworthy, vivid portrayal of how the New Testament’s story truly unfolded in real time and how that story can change our lives today.”
– James M.
“With the confidence of a historian and the heart of a storyteller, the author delivers a sweeping, cinematic retelling of the New Testament narrative that feels both timeless and freshly relevant. Supported by more than a thousand scholarly citations, the book manages an extraordinary balance—rigorous documentation without academic heaviness. Each chapter unfolds like a well-paced documentary, drawing readers into the lives, politics, and faith that shaped the first-century world. It’s an absorbing read that informs as much as it inspires, reminding modern audiences that ancient truth can still speak with a modern pulse. The 20 endorsements by great scholars persuaded me to get it and I’m glad I did. It’s an incredible resource and accomplishment.”
– Tom
A Unique Gift
The sad fact is that most pastors and Bible teachers don’t know the biblical narrative. They often know chapters and verses, but not the context or the background.
This is a monumental problem. And it’s why I wrote the new book – to solve that glaring issue.
Without the context and background, we inevitably (and unwittingly) bend Scripture to mean something that the authors never intended. Or we misunderstand and misapply it. That’s precisely why we have over 40,000 different denominations today.
Reading The Untold Story of the New Testament Church: Revised and Expanded by yourself is absolutely beneficial. But it’s even better to read it with a group.
On that score, here’s a unique gift.
If you can get at least 10 adults to get the book and join you in reading it, I will give you a special audio that I made that will give you the best ways to go through it as a group. That’s 10 adults including yourself—so 9 others. I’m talking about:
Bible studies
Home fellowships
Men’s groups
Women’s groups
Sunday school classes
Bible school classes
Discipleship schools and classes
Bible-believing churches
This page has bulk discounts for groups. Your group may want to take advantage of it.
How to Get the Audio – Using the Book in Your Group
Simply write to authorfrankviola@gmail.com and tell us that you have at least 10 adults who have (1) already gotten the book and (2) agreed to go through it together – in person (not online).
And we’ll send you the audio.
Note: Please don’t write in until your group has at least 10 adults who have gotten the book and agreed to work through it in person. If that’s not YET a reality, email us once those things are in place.
Also: More interviews and messages on the New Testament narrative are coming, so be sure to subscribe to the CHRIST IS ALL podcast (if you aren’t already) so you don’t miss them.
I also plan to drop my very first (and probably last) episode where I flip the tables and interview another author on the show. Something I’ve never done before. The interview is in the queue slated to release this year on the CHRIST IS ALL podcast.
Until next time.
Your brother,
fv
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STILL ON DEEP DISCOUNT
Frank Viola’s new self-paced online seminar is still on discount, but the discount will vanish soon. The seminar solves 10 specific problems that most Christians face today. To learn what those problems are as well as details on what’s included in the seminar and the deep discount, go to REIMAGINING SCRIPTURE, PRAYER, AND DISCIPLESHIP.
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