Rating: 
Summary: Jesus: Not Just Nice--Brilliant
Review: Paul wrote to the church at Colossae that "in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." The greatest virtue of Dallas Willard's the Divine Conspiracy is that it compels us to come to terms with the implications of that sweeping declaration.It is sometimes worth reading an entire book to find one life-changing paragraph, or even one life-changing sentence. Many books do not have one. The Divine Conspiracy does, in Chapter Three: "Jesus is not just nice; he is brilliant." For the most part, Dr. Willard does a solid job in working out the implications of that radical declaration. He focuses his attention on Jesus's Sermon on the Mount. Almost all of the chapters contain good expositions of Jesus's teachings in that sermon. And, as a good disciple of Jesus, Dr. Willard illustrates his points nicely with some memorable stories. The story with which he opens the book--the airplane pilot who flies upside-down without knowing it--is a memorable parable of our times. It is a good indication of this book's overall quality that, in such a lengthy work on the Sermon on the Mount, I can think of only two places where Dr. Willard makes potentially dangerous errors in interpreting Jesus's teachings. Here they are: First, Dr. Willard's view of the Beatitudes--that the Beatitudes do not say anything about the kind of people we should be, and are simply a declaration of the kinds of people who can begin living in the Kingdom of God--doesn't fit the text. (I do, however, agree with Dr. Willard that an overly simplistic "Be like that" view of the Beatitudes is incorrect and spiritually hazardous.) Second, when I read Dr. Willard's take on Jesus's teaching on divorce, I got the impression that he was trying to be more brilliant than Jesus. According to Dr. Willard, Jesus prohibited divorce "as divorce was then practiced." But that qualification can't really stand up in view of Matthew 19. There, we see that Jesus rooted his teaching on divorce in the nature of humankind ("God made them male and female") and the nature of the first marriage ("the two became one flesh"). He did not plant his teaching on divorce in the shifting sand of cultural norms. Thus, Dr. Willard's statement that Jesus opposed divorce "as divorce was then practiced" contains a qualification that is simply too big. In an era in which divorce was generally disfavored, this error might not prove too dangerous, but in a divorce-happy culture like ours it could provide a convenient rationalization for people who just don't want to hang in there. The Divine Conspiracy also contains a few unfortunate remarks on theological matters. For example, in Dr. Willard's discussion of whether God changes his mind, he presents two alternatives as to the kind of God in whom one can believe: (1) believe in a God who can change his mind, or (2) believe in an "unblinking cosmic stare." That is exactly the kind of false dilemma I'm used to seeing from authors who deny God's foreknowledge: you can either believe in a loving, interactive, personal God, or you can believe in a bullying, neurotic micromanager. It is unfortunate that Dr. Willard would perpetuate this kind of false dilemma. It is equally unfortunate that, in a mostly perceptive chapter on "the gospels of sin management," Dr. Willard takes a few between-the-lines shots at the doctrine of the imputation of Christ's righteousness. We always need trenchant critiques of cheap grace--that is, grace without discipleship--and Dr. Willard provides one here. But in the process he also chips away at the priceless truth that God clothes those who believe in Christ with Christ's righteousness. I do not want to overplay these reservations, however; they are peripheral to the overall message of this book. There is much, much more gold than dross in the Divine Conspiracy. Dr. Willard's high view of Jesus's intelligence, which he discusses in detail in Chapter Three, the book's best chapter, is especially refreshing. We should all have such conscious respect for the mind of our brilliant Christ. And because the Divine Conspiracy extols Jesus's intelligence so persuasively, I cannot help but think that the overall effect of reading the book should be exactly what its author intended: that people today will give Jesus a fresh hearing and become his students "in the master class of life."
Rating:
Summary: A Powerful Book on Spiritual Formation
Review: This is, without doubt, one of the most powerful books on Spiritual Formation that has ever been written. Dallas Willard tackles issues of discipleship and discipline in a fresh and invigorating way. Willard is rightly convinced that "the practical irrelevance of actual obedience to Christ" has weakened the effectiveness of Christianity in today's culture. "Discipleship or apprenticeship to Jesus is, in our day, no longer thought of as in any way essential to faith in him," Willard says. "It is regarded as a costly option, a spiritual luxury, or possibly even an evasion." This concern led Willard to write the third book in his trilogy on the spiritual life (along with In Search of Guidance and The Spirit of the Disciplines) which "presents discipleship to Jesus as the very heart of the gospel." Willard's path is a well-traveled one, though he views some of the familiar sights a bit differently than most of us are accustomed to. The Kingdom of the Heavens is seen primarily as the realm of God's rule (kingdom) which is as near to us as the atmosphere around us (the heavens). A new thought for me, and one I'm still mulling over. Eternal Life is mainly a quality of life - an eternal kind of life. Willard's reading of the Sermon on the Mount is certainly unique. Frankly, his understanding of the Beattitudes is one of the more novel and unbelievable parts of the book. But his analysis of Matthew chapters 6 and 7 is very helpful. The heart of the book, found in chapters eight and nine, tackles what it means to be a student, or disciple, of Jesus, along with developing a curriculum for Christlikeness. Those two chapters alone are worth their weight in gold. I found them immensely helpful. Willard stresses the necessity of intention in our pursuit of the disciple's life and the importance of changing beliefs in order to shape behavior. Regarding a curriculum for Christlikeness, Willard helpfully shows that the objective is NOT "external conformity to the wording of Jesus' teachings about actions in specific contexts" or "profession of perfectly correct doctrine." Not that these things are unimportant - but they are not the goal. The goal is not faithfulness to activities in church or special religious experiences, either. The goal, very simply, is coming to "dearly love and constantly delight in" the Father and removing the "automatic responses againt the kingdom of God" so that we are free from the dominion and enslavement of "old habitual patterns of thought, feeling, and action." The goal is to develop automatic, reflex responses to life that mirror those of Christ. Willard's exposition of this is very good and will be eye-opening for many young disciples. The strategies which help us develop this Christlike character are the spiritual disciplines. The disciplines, which Willard groups into two catagories (disciplines of abstinence and disciplines of engagement) are designed to help us enthrall the mind with God and aquire new habits of goodness, as we interact with both the work of the Holy Spirit and the testings and trials of life in our pursuit of Christlikeness. Willard fleshes this out briefly with a discussion about the disciplines of solitude, silence, study, and worship. The final chapter is a glorious discussion on the Restoration of All Things, as Willard describes where this whole Christian thing is headed. Now, my brief caveats. I do have a couple of qualms about this book, but I tack them on the end and really do not want to overplay them, because they are really peripheral to Willard's message. My concerns are these: 1) In the helpful chapter "Gospels of Sin Management," I think Willard overreacts to Evangelicals (the Right, as he calls us) in his discussion of the atonement and "Lordship Salvation." In particular, the criticisms of John MacArthur seem completely unwarranted to me. I wondered if Willard had really read or heard anything by MacArthur apart from this one issue. 2) In chapter four on the Beattitudes, Willard is just out to lunch. I think he totally missed it on this point. 3) Willard's discussion (very brief) on the relationship of God's sovereignty and human responsibility reflects a very Arminian perspective. "God has paid an awful price to arrange for human determination," says Willard. Other statements hint at a sympathetic view of Open Theism. Disappointing. In Willard's zeal to preserve the truth that prayer does change things, he has gone to the unhelpful and unbiblical extreme of elevating human autonomy too high. 4) In the midst of a very good discussion on the "elephant in the church" which everyone tries to ignore (namely, the lack of discipleship) Willard strongly states that he does not believe that only true disciples make it to heaven after death. In light of the overall message of Willard's book, it is hard to see how he can say this. It certainly doesn't comply with Jesus own words in John 8. So, those four things give me a little pause concerning this book. But not much. Just enough to make it a four star instead of a five star recommendation. The material I balk at could be contained in less than thirty pages of the book (out of 400!). So, I still say "read it." Just be careful on the finer points of Willard's theology.
Rating: 
Summary: A few great insights, but some limitations as well...
Review: This book was recommended to me. If it was not, I probably wouldn't have made it through - for two reasons: First, the beginning chapters deal with topics that I believe have been covered better by others. Secondly, the theology on the Beatitudes (Blessed is the...etc.) is inaccurate. His interpretation just doesn't fit the text. He is a philosopher, not a theologian, and it shows. However, as the book progresses, it really improves. His emphasis on discipleship is right on. If you can get through the first half of the book, you will be rewarded. There are some great insights and challenges. It will make you really think about the life you are living and whether it really fits within God's will for you.
Rating: 
Summary: It will change how you think - period
Review: Willard challenges, provokes, encourages, and chastises those of us who have been brought up in a traditional way and have become far too comforatable with accepting the status quo. This book is a breath of fresh air, but you need to beware - don't read it if you don't really want to change at your core being! Willard clearly explains how God demands change at the core and nothing else will truly cut it. I'll never view the Kingdom in the same way again.
Rating:
Summary: Rare and thought-provoking
Review: "The Divine Conspiracy" is one of the more unusual Christian books I have ever read, as it attempts to deliver a contemporary, systematic theology that won't overwhelm non-theologians. The author, Dallas Willard, does a very good job of capturing a topic that eludes many Christians: "What does it mean to truly live in the Kingdom of God?" The primary source of Willard's theology is the Sermon on the Mount. By examining this sermon of Jesus' in light of Jesus' own perspective of the Kingdom of Heaven, Willard posits a fresh thinking about Jesus' commands and His reasoning behind the carefully chosen words of the Sermon, particularly The Beatitudes. The conclusion of this examination is not so much that Jesus is adding to the expansive set of Mosaic laws, but that the Lord is merely showing how a person who dwells in the Kingdom of God acts and believes. Legalism brings no life, in short, and Jesus already knew that. He is instead saying that as we come to live more in God's Kingdom and less in the world's corrupted kingdom, what we see in the Sermon is how our lives will be. The exegesis of the passages Willard covers is not traditional by any means, but as he develops his ideas and looks at them within the context of the Kingdom, his explanations make perfect sense. For instance, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven" does not mean that we need to become spiritually bankrupt in order to get into Heaven. Willard instead turns this around and says that Jesus is telling those who are already in that state of bankruptcy that now the Kingdom of Heaven has come in Him, and for those that are willing to receive it, it can be theirs. This shift in perspective is then used to examine the rest of the Sermon. Touching on all the major themes of Christian discipleship contained within Matthew chapters five through seven, "The Divine Conspiracy" is very complete and would serve anyone who is trying to better understand some of the difficult statements of Jesus. Willard's continual reinforcement of Jesus' Kingdom ideals truly does force a shift in thinking and I would recommend this book to anyone, no matter their level of Christian maturity. Are there sticking points? Yes - not everything works. Some of that may be the intractability of this reviewer, but perhaps not. The author's insistence that Matthew 7:7-8 ("Ask and it will be given....") applies not to prayer but to how we should conduct our interpersonal relationships with fellow humans falls flat. Also, the illustrations used in the book are usually well-suited for Willard's points, but occasionally they have unintended, secondary meanings that don't serve to help their cause. And while this book is written well and simply, the ideas espoused here are not always easily grasped the first time around. You'll find yourself reading sections more than once in order to catch the subtlety of Willard's arguments. At four hundred pages in length, this is not a breezy, afternoon read, either. My biggest complaint lies, though, not in Willard's words, but how they are set. I have excellent vision, but found the choice of type and its size to only compound the difficulties in reading this book. Even in its hardback form, the book's format is trade-sized, so you don't have many options. Willard liberally sprinkles the book with italicized text and the font used here has an italic format that further hindered my reading. Pages seemed to contain paragraphs that were scrunched or justified strangely, all due to italicized text. One of the slowest reading books I have ever seen. Even if you don't buy into Willard's arguments, "The Divine Conspiracy" is still a truly thought-provoking book that will challenge you to break out of your theological molds. Well recommended.
Rating:
Summary: The Best of the Best on Living the Christian Life
Review: Only five stars as a rating hardly come close to the true value of this book. I am now on my sixth reading and am still gleaning pearls of wisdom from Dr. Willard's insight on what it means to really live in "the Kingdom Now Among Us." I have purchased copies for my pastor and several friends. Dr. Willard speaks to the heart and to the mind and the points he makes( especially concerning the Beatitudes) have made a profound impact on my Christian life, walk and way of thinking. If I could recommend one book, other than the Bible, for the person who seriously wants to change from a luke-warm Christian to a true disciple of Jesus Christ, THIS IS THE ONE.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Outstanding
Review: One of the best Christian books I have read! Clarifies many questions I had regarding various passages in the bible.
Rating:
Summary: Can We Mature and Grow?
Review: Willard's aim is nothing less than a reconceptualization of what life in Christ amounts to, not a get-out-of-hell-free card and not a laundry list of demands, but a process of transformation. This book is particularly worthwhile for its emphasis on that process, and on the actions we can take (Willard's "disciplines") as a part of that process. Here is a healthy dose of the Pauline concept of "not yet, but already", and a realistic roadmap for progress. The writing achieves some C.S.-Lewis-like moments of clarity and polish, and at other places is pedestrian and in need of some editing. As well, Willard combines moments of philosophical profundity with folksy preacherly illustrations, and the result can be awkward and uneven. Still, the book is well worth reading and rereading for its ideas, and Willard (certainly a great mind) is by and large a fine writer. If you finish and hunger for more, follow the excellent footnotes, where you can discover writers who have influenced Willard's thinking and whom you ought to read for yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Thought-Provoking Insights on the Christian Life!
Review: Willard does an excellent job in this work of making the gospel appealing to the modern mind. He gets to the heart of the Christian message by using refreshing new terminology to communicate timeless Biblical truths. His insights on the Sermon on the Mount were particularly helpful to me. I recommend this book to all Christian leaders and teachers, particularly preachers. Willard makes the message of Christ come alive through his keen mind and sensitive spirit. This freshness will breathe new life into sermon preparation and personal devotions. This book is well-worth its price!
Rating:
Summary: Divine Intellectualism and Inspiration
Review: The book's density and insight into God-centered Christian living left me in complete awe. I have read numerous Christian classics by authors including C.S.Lewis, Henri Nouwen, and Richard Foster, but Willard's spiritual insight, intellectual and logical reasoning, and impeccable writing style just took me by such surprise. Many of the thoughts and questions I've harbored over the years have been addressed and answered by Willard's incisive writing. Particularly as a law student, I truly appreciate Willard's ability to entertwine spiritualism and intellectualism. If I could have one conversation w/ anyone alive today, it would be with none other than Mr. Willard. I recommend this book to anyone who has dared to ask some dangerous questions about the Christian faith.
| 
