Vol. VII No. 8 June 1, 2008

Who is Ryan Hoover?

Written by Christopher Mentzer

A lot of people have asked me, over the last few years, just who is Ryan Hoover? Is he a real person or a fictional one? Well, he happens to be both. Ryan Hoover is a character inspired by the character Frank Tasker. Back in 2001 after I became a Christian, I began reading David Baker’s articles. One of his articles featured a person named Frank Tasker. I found Frank very interesting and the articles edifying and informative. I asked David about him and he shared that Frank was just a character he created. He then relayed the creation of Frank Tasker to me.

From that, I decided I wanted to do the same thing but instead of creating someone who had been in the faith a long time, I decided to go with someone who was raised in a denominational church.

Like me, Ryan is one who hungered and thirsts after righteousness (Matt. 5: 6) but wasn’t sure how to find the answers. And like the Ethiopian Eunuch of Acts 8, he needed someone to guide him in the truth of the scriptures. Ryan’s character is patterned after my life and some of the experiences that I had when I first started out as a Christian. Some denominational quirks pop up every now and then when regarding certain things in the scriptures. And one is gently corrected and shown from the Bible where the error is found (2 Tim. 3: 16-17; Eph. 5: 11; 1 Cor. 4: 6).

I chose e-mails as opposed to letters because of the availability of modern technology. I write out the conversations between us to give it a sense of realism plus it helps to think like another person. Plus it also helps me to answer questions for others in search of the truth (Jn. 8: 32).

The articles are designed to encourage new members of the faith to hold on and not give up by returning to their former lives (2 Pet. 2: 20-22; Rom. 6: 6). It also encourages those who have been faithful for a long time to continue to do so and not give up the fight. Simply put, we learn from examples of others as Jesus left us an example (Jn. 13:15; 1 Pet. 2: 21).

I do hope you enjoy the articles and will benefit from them. I know I enjoy writing them and I have benefited from their lessons. In the next few months, some changes will occur involving Ryan and his family. Some for the better, some for the worse. All should remember these words: “Fear not the things which thou art about to suffer: behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life.” (Rev. 2: 10)