The Divine Conspiracy
Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God
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4.6 • 104 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
A renowned teacher and writer of the acclaimed The Spirit of the Disciplines, Dallas Willard, one of today's most brilliant Christian thinkers now offers a timely and challenging call back to the true meaning of Christian discipleship. In The Divine Conspiracy, Willard gracefully weaves biblical teaching, popular culture, science, scholarship, and spiritual practice into a tour de force that shows the necessity of profound changes in how we view our lives and faith. In an era when many Christians consider Jesus a beloved but remote savior, Willard argues compellingly for the relevance of God to every aspect of our existence. Masterfully capturing the central insights of Christ's teachings in a fresh way for today's seekers, he helps us to explore a revolutionary way to experience God--by knowing Him as an essential part of the here and now, rather than only as a part of the hereafter. "The most telling thing about the contemporary Christian," Willard writes, "is that he or she has no compelling sense that understanding of and conformity with the clear teachings of Christ is of any vital importance to [their] life, and certainly not that it is in any way essential . . . Such obedience is regarded as just out of the question or impossible." Christians, he says, for the most part consider the primary function of Christianity to be admittance to heaven. But, as Willard clearly shows, a faith that guarantees a satisfactory afterlife, yet has absolutely no impact on life in the here and now, is nothing more than "consumer Christianity" and "bumper-sticker faith." Willard refutes this "fire escape" mentality by exploring the true nature of the teachings of Jesus, who intended that His followers become His disciples, and taught that we have access now to the life we are only too eager to relegate to the hereafter. The author calls us into a more authentic faith and offers a practical plan by which we can become Christ-like. He challenges us to step aside from the politics and pieties of contemporary Christian practice and inspires us to reject the all too common lukewarm faith of our times by embracing the true meaning of Christian discipleship.
Customer Reviews
Willard is one of the Spiritual greats of our time
This work is practically an encyclical covering practically every major aspect of what is wrong with contemporary Christian practice as well as offering inspired understanding of how the Christianity should be practiced and taught. He demonstrates a deep grasp of classical and contemporary philosophy and logic, psychology, church history, along with thorough biblical and theological knowledge, of both his evangelical bent and other persuasion and traditions. Willard's depth of spirituality exceeds most religious educators I have read and can be compared with others considered greats in that field. I would venture to say it is already a classic for anyone serious about spiritual formation, discipleship, and theological training. As a pastor and religious educator of over thirty years, I place this work at the top of my favorites.
Must read
Highly recommended; will read and study it again.
Classic in the Making
While being less that two decades old, TDC will no doubt be destined a classic for many years to come. Willard uses deep thought, insightful analogy and anecdote to take the readers back to the heart of the gospel, Christ, and what it means to truly walk in faith. Although it seems like a long work by contemporary standards, it is well worth the investment in the rich pages.