Meeting Dallas Willard

Where to begin your reading of the gentle giant

[Note: For those of my readers who have grown used to my Thursday Theology devotional on The Low-Level Theologian—don’t worry; you can still expect your expected post in your inbox later this week. But I did want to make this little piece available as I’ve recently been asked a great deal as I teach: where should I begin if I wanted to read Dallas Willard? This is my answer to that question.]

The theology and thought of a quaint Christian named Dallas Willard—an academic who faithfully taught analytical philosophy at the University of Southern California for over forty years—has posthumously emerged as one of the church’s most vital theological resources for the current cultural moment. Willard (1935-2013) was a rarity. A Southern Baptist minister, Willard’s work carefully navigated the oft-contentious space between church life and academic rigor. Most certainly, Willard’s philosophical career at one of America’s foremost research institutions brought him accolades and attention from around the globe.¹ Though his work was widely engaged during his lifetime, it was after succumbing to pancreatic cancer in 2013 that Willard’s thinking in the field of Christian and spiritual formation became more read on a popular level. Willard’s writings have become foundational for a new generation of Christ followers who seek to be formed into the image of Christ. 

When I teach Willard, it always seems to hit the hearer’s heart in a powerful way. It certainly did mine the first time I began reading Willard. Over the last two years, I have sought to read the entire Willardian corpus (yes, that is an actual term). I’ve wanted to write an academic journal article on his theology of desire for some time. After The Gift of Thorns was finally in print, I had more time available to begin this exploration. I hope to write this article soon. Still, the journey of reading any and all of Willard’s books, sermons, and articles has left me a different man. And many others are taking notice. Whole volumes are now being published seeking to reckon with his thinking. One such volume entitled The Kingdom Among Us by Michael Robb has sought to offer a comprehensive overview of Willard’s contributions. And it is breathtaking.

Still, two things remain true whenever I teach Willard: Willard (1) can be challenging to understand, and (2) when Willard is understood it can’t but leave us transformed. In my Doctor of Ministry program in Christian formation and Soul Care at Friends University, our curricular schedule takes the students on a path through Willard’s most important ideas over the course of our four years together. Still, given how much Willard wrote, it is difficult for the new reader of Willard to know where to begin. Recently preaching at my home church, it became clear that many Christians still do not know (or know much) about Willard. Or where to begin reading him. I was surprised to discover no less than 100 people in my church requested to know where they might begin reading Willard if they chose to do so. This task is challenging given that Willard wrote over ten books and hundreds of articles.² To say nothing of his preaching.

Still, here it goes: if I read Willard over again, where would I begin and why? Where I can, links to the articles that I have which are housed in my Google Drive, have been made available.

Enjoy meeting Dallas Willard:

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1. Hearing God (1999). Hands down, this is the most essential book of Willard’s—in my opinion. It his his most concise exploration into how the follower of Jesus can (and should) hear God’s voice. Willard argues that we should expect God to speak. “It is normal for us to say we are talking to God,” Willard writes, “[but] it makes you sound crazy to say you are hearing from God." 

2. “Spiritual Formation: What is it?” (No date) This little article is Dallas’s overview of spiritual formation, what it isn’t, and why it matters. It is a simple yet helpful explanation of what we mean by formation. 

3. The Divine Conspiracy (1998). For most people, this is often where they began reading Willard. It is, I believe, one of the clearest (and most practical) explorations of the intent and heart of the Sermon of the Mount (Matt 5-7) ever written. With wit and signature brilliance, he shows us that the teachings of Jesus are sound and logical. It is the ways of the world that are “upside down.” 

4. “A Cup Running Over” (No date). This little article has been included because of its own impact on me. Willard talks about the signs of a person who is satisfied with God. As a preacher, one of the signs that I’m dissatisfied with God is my need to over-study and produce. This article nailed me to the wall. And invited me to enjoy God in my ministry and work. 

5. The Spirit of the Disciplines (1988). This is Willard’s most explicit exploration of the practical dimensions of the Christian life. He outlines the nature of the disciplines and habits that have the most transformative power for the followers of Jesus. Anticipate reading this book, feeling overwhelmed, and being inspired to want to put in place new ways of existing that will seem otherworldly. 

6. “Beyond Pornography” (2016). This is one of Willard’s most dense theological contributions. But it is Willard at his finest. It is, I believe, the center of his theology of the will and desire. In which, among other things, he outlines desire's role in our lives. This is a heavy read. But it is a mind-bending read. In short, if our desires can be healed, everything else will follow suit.

7. Renovation of the Heart (1998). This volume reflects some of Willard’s most developed thinking on the nature of change. Can the human change? Willard gives a thorough treatment to the way in which human behavior is transformed—and it always comes from the inside out. 

8. “Nietzsche vs. Jesus Christ” (2010). This is a chapter in a volume Dallas edited. The particular chapter I have highlighted explores how the postmodern world has grown to reject and almost hate absolute truth. That is, we have lost touch with truth. And the results are disastrous. This is Willard, the apologist, on full display. (Note: the link provided offers a free way to read the chapter without needing to buy the book.)

9. The Allure of Gentleness (2015). Most books on apologetics and evangelism—how to contend for the gospel—are primarily about the message presented. But Willard takes a different approach. He explores the message and the means by which it should be presented. For our modern moment, his thesis offers so much wisdom: we should be able and equipped to share our message with the world gently. 

10. “Being Valiant for Truth Today” (1994) is a commencement address at Azusa Pacific University that fully displays Willard’s philosophical chops. He contends for the importance of truth and for Christians to hold to it. Truth, it seems, actually has the power to set the oppressed free.

1. For a brief biographical sketch of Willard, see this.

2. All of Willard’s articles are permanently warehoused in digital form here.