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Knowing Christ Today: Why We Can Trust Spiritual Knowledge
by
At a time when popular atheism books are talking about the irrationality of believing in God, Willard makes a rigorous intellectual case for why it makes sense to believe in God and in Jesus, the Son.
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Hardcover, 256 pages
Published
May 26th 2009
by HarperOne
(first published April 21st 2008)
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Start your review of Knowing Christ Today: Why We Can Trust Spiritual Knowledge

Thesis: A life of steadfast discipleship to Jesus Christ can be supported only upon assured knowledge of how things are, of the realities in terms of which that life is lived (Willard 7). Correct knowledge gives us secure access to reality.
Interplay between faith and knowledge
What is it to possess knowledge? “We have knowledge of something when we are representing it….as it actually is, on an appropriate basis of thought and experience” (15).
Faith is contrasted with sight, not true knowledge. Fa ...more
Interplay between faith and knowledge
What is it to possess knowledge? “We have knowledge of something when we are representing it….as it actually is, on an appropriate basis of thought and experience” (15).
Faith is contrasted with sight, not true knowledge. Fa ...more

This was the first of three Willard books I read this summer. His purpose in the book is to argue that Christianity, discipleship to Jesus, rests on actual knowledge. Our world tends to reserve “knowledge” for one sort of thing, such as science. Religion, it is said, is mere opinion. Hence people can assert that all religions are the same, since they are all equally devoid of truth or knowledge. But if there is truly spiritual knowledge, truly a way things really are, then religion is more than
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Dallas Willard's theme in this book is knowledge and the role knowledge plays in the Christian faith. He argues that Christ's Kingdom does not simply rest on what he calls 'blind faith' or a 'leap of faith' of being the correct worldview. Rather, he argues that there is actual knowledge that Christ's Kingdom actually rests its foundations upon.
In Chapter 1, Willard defines knowledge: "We have knowledge of something when we are representing it (thinking about it, speaking of it, treating it) as i ...more
In Chapter 1, Willard defines knowledge: "We have knowledge of something when we are representing it (thinking about it, speaking of it, treating it) as i ...more

Another wonderful book by Dallas Willard. "Knowing Christ Today" explains in clear fashion how it is that Christians have available to them knowledge that is not available to those that live within the confines of the modern scientific worldview that dominates Western culture and society. In typically Willardian fashion the author writes with both gentleness and humor as he takes apart so much of what passes for deep-thinking on the part of Christianity's (and other faith's) cultured despisers.
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Knowing Christ today by Dallas Willard is a useful, informative understanding of Christian worldview particularly as it pertains to moral knowledge. Willard is a gifted communicator and a clear thinker. In my opinion, chapter 6, "knowledge of Christ in the spiritual life" is worth the price of the book alone.
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This is a short book filled with great wisdom and inspiration. It is classic Dallas Willard. He is confidently articulate, supremely confident in his material, and yet careful of overstatement. In our post-modern world, when Evangelical thought is highly fractured and there are no authoritative voices, Willards confidence is stunning. He will say things like "these people have no idea what they are talking about," as he says about the "new atheists." Or "there is no reason why anyone cannot live
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Great book on knowledge. I'm still grasping some of what he is saying but his argument for the existence of God and thus Jesus is worth the price of the book.
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As always, Dallas Willard is brilliant in this latest book. Unlike most of his books, spiritual formation occupies only one (very good) chapter, while the bulk of this volume deals with the more philosophical question of spiritual knowledge.
Willard is responding to the pervasive assumption in society and the academy that when it comes to religious faith, a person can believe whatever they want because we can’t really know anything about God (if he even exists). So what does it matter what one be ...more
Willard is responding to the pervasive assumption in society and the academy that when it comes to religious faith, a person can believe whatever they want because we can’t really know anything about God (if he even exists). So what does it matter what one be ...more

Apr 26, 2018
Pastor2112
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
theology,
philosophy
Willard utilizes his philosophical skills by arguing that religious knowledge is true knowledge, and deserves a hearing equal with that of physics, mathematics, sociology, and other intellectual endeavors. Religious truth is not mere opinion, but truth that applies to reality. This is true for all major religions. For example, he writes, "One cannot seriously imagine the Buddha, for example, presenting his teachings merely as his sentiments, guesses, 'personal commitments,' or a 'leap of faith.'
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Came across this one at the library on an endcap and remembered Willard as a big name for me when I was still into that sort of thing. Had a few hours, so I sat down and read it.
Willard is a lovely writer, though not as complex as he claims to be when he warns readers how complicated and difficult the book will be. He does start out with a thought-provoking discussion about the difference between knowledge, faith, belief, and commitment. And towards the end, he makes a case for a kind of Univer ...more
Willard is a lovely writer, though not as complex as he claims to be when he warns readers how complicated and difficult the book will be. He does start out with a thought-provoking discussion about the difference between knowledge, faith, belief, and commitment. And towards the end, he makes a case for a kind of Univer ...more

Yikes. I've never read Willard before. A friend has been recommending him to me. Maybe this was not the one to start with. I liked a couple of chapters near the end, but the first 2/3 fell completely flat with me. How can one write a book about "knowledge" without discussing the many ways we know (or don't) the many things that we think we know? Even a short treatment would take three chapters at least. I appreciated when he discussed how we "know" Christ through primarily "heart" knowledge, or
...more

An excellent intellectual defense of the foundational truths of the Christian worldview, beginning with the logical necessity of postulating a supernatural intelligence as the source of the universe. Willard at his most thorough and understandable. Digest this book, really grapple with the arguments and make them your own, believers! We need to be able to speak persuasively for the truth of what we KNOW..."belief" or "faith" is NOT divorced from knowledge and reality.
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Willard's book is largely unhelpful. His apologetic method is a weak version of Thomism, he appears to argue for religious pluralism, and he makes a number of pseudo-Gnostic sorts of statements. I disagreed with Willard a lot and found his arguments and his methods of arguing unpersuasive and floppy. Overall I was disappointed in this book, which seems content to lead its readers to a vague theistic version of Christianity rather than to truly "Knowing Christ Today."
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The fact that the Lord has taken Dallas Willard home to be with him is a testament to Willard's finished work for the sake of Christ and his kingdom. In "knowing Christ Today" Dallas Willard gives us perhaps his most important work today--teaching and showing that Christian knowledge can truly be known and that knowledge of Christ deserves and must be recognized as truth in the public domain of knowledge world wide. An amazing and poignant read!
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Loved it! This is not an easy read, but definitely worth the effort. A combination of spiritual formation plus foundational apologetics. I highly recommend it if you would like encouragement and deeper understanding about standing up for Christ in a reasonable and calm way. Many will wrestle with chapter 7, but it is helpful to wrestle with it.

We have knowledge of something when we are representing it, thinking about it, speaking of it, treating it as it actually is, on an appropriate basis of thought and experience. Knowledge involves truth, but it must be truth based on evidence or insight. Knowledge is what we require in service people, professionals, leaders, to know and be right, not just lucky! (brain surgeon, electrician, government official, car repair) Belief in contrast has no necessary tie to truth or good evidence. We can
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This is a book of Christian philosophy that is taken quite intentionally in the style of C.S. Lewis and other related thinkers who did not think it either right or wise to concede the common belief that matters of religion are not matters of knowledge at all. The author engages in the difficult and tricky philosophical business of dealing with the unwarranted assumptions that lie at the basis of so much thinking about science and knowledge and also comments on the sad state of logic in the conte
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First off, if you are to read Mere Christianity by Lewis and wonder what book should you read next, this would be it.
First, Willard goes after faith and knowledge. Too often people separate the two and live their lives. Willard argues this as a huge fault, and demonstrates how higher ed was held responsible for displaying what knowledge is; including moral knowledge. The church embraced a leap of faith route and became skeptical of knowledge. Well both institutions have failed.
Willard then goes ...more
First, Willard goes after faith and knowledge. Too often people separate the two and live their lives. Willard argues this as a huge fault, and demonstrates how higher ed was held responsible for displaying what knowledge is; including moral knowledge. The church embraced a leap of faith route and became skeptical of knowledge. Well both institutions have failed.
Willard then goes ...more

This wasn't the book I was expecting. You hear Dallas Willard talked a lot about in regards to his work on the spiritual disciplines and I expected a book that was somewhat related to that. Knowing God through the daily and trusting in the spiritual knowledge of Christ and the Gospel. This wasn't that book. This book is more of a defense of the faith kind of book, an apologetic work, much more than a spiritual formation or Christian life kind of book.
This doesn't make it a bad book, but I do fee ...more
This doesn't make it a bad book, but I do fee ...more

3 & 1/2 stars
Not Willard's best book, it is nonetheless helpful. Here is a Christian apologetic addressed to Christians. As someone who is very interested and well-read in Christian apologetics, I was not aware that Willard had made a contribution, but this is his, one that is logically ordered and cumulative by chapter-being based upon a series of talks he gave.
The overall takeaway is that Christians do not just possess a set of beliefs but knowledge of reality. If Christianity is true, for whi ...more
Not Willard's best book, it is nonetheless helpful. Here is a Christian apologetic addressed to Christians. As someone who is very interested and well-read in Christian apologetics, I was not aware that Willard had made a contribution, but this is his, one that is logically ordered and cumulative by chapter-being based upon a series of talks he gave.
The overall takeaway is that Christians do not just possess a set of beliefs but knowledge of reality. If Christianity is true, for whi ...more

a book all followers of Jesus must study
It was so impressive to see author putting the arguments for the Christian theism in the right sequence: solidifying the existence of omnipotent, omniscient, and caring God first and only then starting to deal with the problem of evil and sufferings. His 2-3 examples for the necessity of the non-physical first cause of the universe were very intuitive and convincing.
His treatment of why the bodily resurrection of Jesus is the best explanation for the publi ...more
It was so impressive to see author putting the arguments for the Christian theism in the right sequence: solidifying the existence of omnipotent, omniscient, and caring God first and only then starting to deal with the problem of evil and sufferings. His 2-3 examples for the necessity of the non-physical first cause of the universe were very intuitive and convincing.
His treatment of why the bodily resurrection of Jesus is the best explanation for the publi ...more

Another Dallas Willard book in the bag. Willard is always solid; always thought-provoking. In this book, I would say more of his academic background as a philosopher comes out--as he discusses logical, philosophical reasons for the existence of God. Willard taught philosophy for many years at USC in LA; wish I'd known that while I was studying there--I would have sought him out or taken one of his classes as an elective! Willard goes on to build from God's existence to who God is, according to t
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A wisely nuanced, carefully balanced and insightful book. Here Dallas Willard outlines the essential basis that Christianity has in knowledge, not just belief. The book is only lightly apologetic in that sense. The real, and most important, message of the book is in the implications of that knowledge for the way Christians live, think and act toward others; true love of God and others being the primary characteristic. The final chapters on the "Spiritual Life," "Christian Pluralism" and the role
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I loved the historical overview, and Willard did a great job laying out why there is a need to true knowledge. I thought however his apologetic what he considered true was quite weak, I suppose after all the talk of needing solid knowledge in which one can be completely confident, that he'd do a better job arguing for what he considered to be such. Instead it seemed like a two dimensional gospel tract, no interaction with or countering the philosophical criticism leveled towards the "truths" he
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This was a great book about what it means to have true knowledge about God through Christ. That is to say, Christians fall into the trap of simply pushing belief, when in fact Christians have knowledge about reality that must be acted upon.
Dallas Willard does a masterful job of laying out the verifiable knowledge claims of Christianity, while inspiring the reader to not shy away from those claims about reality.
This book will change how you think about belief, faith, knowledge, and reality. It wi ...more
Dallas Willard does a masterful job of laying out the verifiable knowledge claims of Christianity, while inspiring the reader to not shy away from those claims about reality.
This book will change how you think about belief, faith, knowledge, and reality. It wi ...more

By far, the most personal and powerful book written by Dallas that reveals what it is to be in deep fellowship with a real and living and loving Savior. Dallas' words are powerful insights providing meaning to those spiritual experiences that aren't fabricated or contrived for feel good mountaintop rushes but for soul- sustaining "deep calling unto deep" life journeying endeavors. Must revisit this time and again throughout my own journey to be renewed, revived and restored to be an accurate ref
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Not the easiest book to read at some turns but one of the best books I’ve read on apologetics without being apologetics. Willards comes at knowing Christ as a field of knowable knowledge. So helpful to make a step in theism before proclaiming Christ. But he obviously goes further in building a foundation for knowing Christ, initially as knowledge and then intimately. He does such a good job of billing each step onto the next. He also leans into classic Willard and helps you see Jesus, the Kingdo
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Good overview of the relationship between faith and reason. Faith is not blind, and Willard gives an overview of what that means. This is a general overview and doesn't get deep for those with a lot of interest in apologetics, but it's a good primer with some good nuggets to draw out.
Definitely has some specific theological emphases that I disagree with, but that's the difference between our theological traditions. ...more
Definitely has some specific theological emphases that I disagree with, but that's the difference between our theological traditions. ...more

Although the middle section on Christian apologetics and the identity of Christ became a little tedious, this book was refreshing. It assumes a high view of faith, and the book's end on discipleship, living for the sake of the world, is particularly good. Willard challenges us to live daily and grow experientially in our knowledge of the man Jesus Christ, and to pass that knowledge on to those around us.
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DALLAS WILLARD was a Professor in the School of Philosophy at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He taught at USC from 1965, where he was Director of the School of Philosophy from 1982-1985. He has also taught at the University of Wisconsin (Madison, 1960-1965), and has held visiting appointments at UCLA (1969) and the University of Colorado (1984).
His undergraduate studies wer ...more
His undergraduate studies wer ...more
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