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Knowing Christ Today: Why We Can Trust Spiritual Knowledge

Dallas Willard

4.23 · Rating details · 572 ratings · 74 reviews

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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Oct 27, 2018 Jacob Aitken rated it really liked it

Shelves: epistemology, kingdom-power, evangelism

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

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Jun 14, 2013 David rated it it was amazing

Shelves: apologetics, christian-spirituality-advanced

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 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 mere opinion.

Honestly, having read my share of apologetics books, I did not expect apologetics here. So I was somewhat surprised when Willard began rehearsing familiar arguments for God’s existence and miracles as part of his reasoning for why we can trust spiritual knowledge. I am not sure how I expected him to argue for how we can trust spiritual knowledge when I began the book, but I didn’t expect arguments for God’s existence. That said, apologetics of the usual sort only supplies a portion of Willard’s arguments (plus, his casting of the arguments is a bit different then those familiar with them might expect). He goes on to talk about how we can know Christ where we are. His method for this are the spiritual disciplines, “time-tested spiritual practices that can help us in our learning process.” In other words, we grow in knowledge as we interact with God. It should be said then that while we can trust spiritual knowledge, it is still not the exact same as scientific or historical knowledge. We can trust all these things, but we learn what each says in its own way (i.e., the scientific method is not how we learn spiritual truth).

Perhaps the most important chapter is the second-to-last where he discussed pluralism. If, as Willard argues, there is spiritual knowledge and this truth rests in Jesus Christ, then how one handles diversity and disagreement becomes vital. In other subjects where knowledge exists, those who take a minority view may be shunned – think of those who question the received view of science or history. Religion, more like politics or philosophy, has a myriad of views. Willard greatly emphasizes humility and that even though there is spiritual knowledge, we know that none of us are perfect in our understanding of it.

Overall, this is a fantastic book. ...more

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Mar 27, 2015 Alexander Velasquez rated it really liked it

Shelves: nonfiction, religion, christian, philosophy, theology

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 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 it actually is, on an appropriate basis of thought and experience. Knowledge involves truth or accuracy of representation, but it must also be truth based upon adequate evidence or insight. The evidence or insight comes in various ways, depending on the nature of the subject matter. But it must be there." (Pg. 15) He then uses the rest of the chapter to also define belief and commitment; things that are separate from knowledge but can also play a role alongside knowledge. He then sets out to prove that being a Christian is not based off 'blind faith' or a 'leap of faith' (Kierkegaardian type faith), but rather it is based on a firm foundation of knowledge that is available to all who seek after it.

Chapter 2 discusses the consequences for our lack of knowledge, specifically the worldview that society deems as the correct worldview in contrast to the one Jesus gives in the gospels. Chapter 3 elaborates on Chapter 2 by discussing the disappearance of moral knowledge within our institutions of higher learning and educational institutions in general. This is because, according to Willard, the worldview which Christ preached has been displaced by a secular one which does not give definite answers in the ethical realm.

Chapters 4 and 5 are where Willard proves his thesis. In Chapter 4 he proves God's existence using a form of the contingency cosmological argument. Without getting too technical, he basically argues that the reason for my existence, your existence, your parents' existence, their parents' existence - lies outside of ourselves and themselves. Now the 'universe' is simply the totality of all of these contingent objects. Therefore, there has to be something that can explain the contingency of the universe outside of the universe itself. This being would be the explanation for not only the universe, but also be self-sufficient to Himself as the first cause of the universe. And then he gives rebuttals to major objections for this argument. In Chapter 5, after making the case for a transcendent creator, he proves that Christ was the revelation of this Transcendent Creator through Christ's resurrection. He shows the possibility of miracles in our universe to make this the case, and he quotes a leading scholar in the New Testament - N.T. Wright - to back up his point.

After proving God's existence and Christ's resurrection, the last three chapters give details of the consequences for these facts. Chapter 6 gives details on what it is to live in Christ's Kingdom (which is probably one of Willard's bests chapters I've read in any of his books), Chapter 7 explains Christian pluralism, or what the consequences are in matters for other religions or people outside of Christ's Kingdom, and Chapter 8 details how pastors must play an influential role in disseminating real knowledge in today's contemporary world - both in the Church and the secular world.

Overall, I gave the book 4/5 stars because I felt that Chapters 4 & 5, which are set to prove his main thesis, could've been done better. He could've given a better proof for God's existence in my opinion, and in Chapter 5 he could've gone over more supplemental evidence for Christ's resurrection. I was a bit disappointed by the lack in those areas. Also, I read this with a friend in hopes that he would see the truth values behind the Christian faith, but I feel that he didn't appreciate the style it was written and came out slightly more skeptical. Maybe this book is better for those who are already disciples of Christ and are already believers, or for those who believe but would like a bit more evidence for their beliefs rooted in a firm foundation of knowledge. ...more

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Feb 14, 2015 Jeff rated it it was amazing

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. ...more

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Jan 02, 2017 Jason Kanz rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017

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. ...more

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Jun 19, 2020 Fred rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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 ...more

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Jun 02, 2017 Mark Knight rated it it was amazing

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. ...more

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Jul 06, 2009 Tim rated it it was amazing

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 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 believes? Religious faith is treated as an optional extra (either cute or sinister, depending on one’s perspective) some might entertain, but not regarded seriously as actual knowledge. Faith is equated with opinion.

Willard, however, argues that in the same way one can have knowledge of anything which exists in reality, if God does exist then there can be actual knowledge about him. Such knowledge may not be comprehensive, but one may evaluate their beliefs to see whether or not they are tied to actual knowledge. Willard goes on to talk about the good reasons to believe that the God of the Bible is indeed real and the reasons we can trust the knowledge we have of him. Willard asserts that having knowledge, and treating that knowledge as knowledge, is indispensible as a foundation to life in Christ.

I found his perspective here to be unique, and very helpful. As a pastor, I couldn’t help but think of many I lead who see their own religious knowledge much as the world sees it – as a collection of quaint notions about something no one really knows anything about. How much more robust our faith would be if we did the intellectual work needed to see how our beliefs are grounded in knowledge! And his exhortations to pastors, as having the important calling of imparting knowledge of God to others, was very enriching.

One chapter will likely be somewhat controversial, as he outlines a form of “Christian pluralism” which speaks to the issue of whether those outside of Christianity have any hope of salvation. Willard does not assert that such people can, but based on God as revealed in Christ as perfectly loving and just, he leaves open the possibility that some may encounter and trust in the cosmic Christ without knowing him as such. His perspective is very close here to that of C. S. Lewis, as he maintains that no one is saved apart from Christ and no one is saved apart from grace (aka no one can earn salvation by their good behavior), and ultimately expresses a hopeful agnosticism on the issue. This is a difficult issue, and I’m yet to encounter a position on it which I am entirely comfortable with, but Willard’s position is grounded in both Scripture and reason and is very challenging.

An excellent book – highly recommended!

...more

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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.' 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.' Nor did those who heard him and followed him understand him in that way. They understood him as conveying a true picture of profound realities, and as doing so on the basis of knowledge he had gained from his thought and experiences." The same holds true for Moses, Jesus, and others. Knowledge is not our enemy, but our friend. In this book, Willard seeks "to show the way in which knowledge is a friend of faith, essential to faith and to our relationship with God in the spiritual life." This is not to say there isn't "bad" religious truth or truth that is applied in "bad" ways - just as exists in any field of knowledge. Jesus himself was the greatest critic of "bad religion." But the fact that religion offers genuine knowledge has great practical import to those who seek to live in accordance with that truth.

To this end, I quote an extensive passage from Willard: "To know Christ in the modern world is to know him in your world now. To know him in your world now is to live interactively with him right where you are in your daily activities. This is the spiritual life in Christ. He is, in fact, your contemporary, and he is now about his business of moving humanity along toward its destiny in this amazing universe. You don’t want to miss out on being a part—your part—of that great project. You want to be sure to take your life into his life, and in that way to find your life to be 'eternal,' as God intended it. There is a real danger that you will miss out on this involvement with eternity and thereby miss the entire point of your existence. Eternity is now in process. Silently it moves along. But it will not run over you. You have to really want it—deep down—or you will miss it. That is why Jesus said to seek it more than anything else. Today, given the prevailing intellectual and cultural atmosphere, you are likely to pick up from your surroundings, with no special thought on your part, the conviction that there is no knowledge to be had of good and evil, no knowledge of God, and no divine presence in our world that enables us to transcend its merciless regularities. If that conviction settles in on you, you will live in terms of it and never enter the kingdom of God. 'Let it be done for you according to your faith' (Matt. 8:13). ...more

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Jun 24, 2015 Derrick rated it it was ok

Shelves: library-books, christianity, religion

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 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 Universalism that is making some Christians (at least in the amazon reviews) uncomfortable. Those are the best parts.

But for me, the book fails in its title premise. He says you have to have spiritual knowledge, but he never makes a convincing case for why we can trust this knowledge.

Along the way, he trots out the usual apologetic arguments for the existence of god, including:

Prime Mover/First Cause
No Morality Without God
Intelligent Design
2000 Years of the Church proves Jesus was resurrected

And so on. (That last one cracks me up. So 1000 years of Islam's world effect proves Mohammad and the Koran are true? 5000 years of Hindusism proves the Gita is true?) He offers nothing new here on the argument front, frequently coming up with "we don't know how things began, therefore god" type answers and starting the discussion with the old standby about how spiritual knowledge is different than material knowledge and thus doesn't follow the same rules for proof. At least he's willing to admit that his arguments for the existence of god don't lead to the Christian god - but then he proceeds on the assumption that the Christian god is the best answer anyway.

Willard also operates on the assumption that the Bible is a trustworthy and true document. He never once that I recall made a case for why it could be trusted - he simply assumes that what it says about Jesus, for instance, is completely accurate. In fact, at one point he even says something along the lines of "if all we had was the Bible for the proof of Jesus, then he could understand people not accepting it." Then he simply states that we have more than the Bible and proceeds as if his case has been proven. LOL whut?

In the end, Willard's argument comes down to subjectivism. Disciples of Jesus will know Jesus, and they will know that they know Jesus. And anyone who doesn't subscribe to this circular reasoning is simply being stubborn and refusing to accept spiritual "truth".

Umm, okay. ...more

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Sep 23, 2018 Valerie rated it it was ok

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

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May 31, 2009 Laurie rated it really liked it

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. ...more

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Feb 09, 2010 Shep rated it it was ok · review of another edition

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." ...more

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May 24, 2015 John Wilson rated it it was amazing

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! ...more

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Oct 07, 2012 Alan Rathbun rated it it was amazing

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.

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Mar 25, 2018 Dorothy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I inhaled sharply

I found myself intently reading every word, not skimming as I sometimes do. This message of knowledge in Christ is crucial for an honest walk with God. Please read with the Holy Spirit helping to give you eyes to see and ears to hear.

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May 02, 2020 Sam rated it liked 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 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 believe what is false. Belief involves the will in a way that knowledge does not. (e.g. Believing we are out of gas) Commitment is not the same as belief. You can commit yourself to something you don’t believe or know. It is choosing and implementing an action. (e.g. rollercoaster, relationship) Profession is even less, you can profess without belief or commitment. Knowledge then confers upon its possessor an authority or right or responsibility to act, to direct action, to establish and supervise policy and to teach. Knowledge depends on truth, secured by experience, method, and evidence generally available. We want people to know what they are doing!
James 1:6-8. The problem is on the receiving side. Because the double-minded are on again off again, they can’t get what they ask for, they are unable to act upon it. One day they are asking for wisdom, and the next day or hour they are relying on themselves or others. They are really relying on two different things, incompatible. They aren’t fully relying on God. They are limping between two opinions (Elijah).
Evidence for a miraculous event is also to be derived from its consequences.
How will we enter into this interactive relationship with Christ, knowing him in the kingdom of God? The first is humility. We must humble ourselves and become like children. Turned around and converted from the normal human attitude that says, We are in charge of our life and that we are quite competent and capable of managing it on our own. Little children on the other hand come to others for guidance and help and presume upon them for it. They do not think they have another option, except for occasional outbursts of self-will.
Living life with Jesus in the kingdom of God: Humility. The intention of inward transformation and the practice of Christ’s constant presence and progressive overall obedience. Taking together, these are the Christ focus.
We must live an ordered life that focuses on 4: Humility. Pursuit of inner transformation. Constant receptivity to the presence of God. Unqualified obedience to Jesus. In this way, the life of a disciple takes shape. To come to Jesus, means to enroll, to go to school as his student. Our faith grows as our knowledge grows along with time tested practices.
Settled intention carried into practice to become good and righteous on the inside, in the hidden dimensions of self that make up human character, not just outward behavior. This is what Jesus called going beyond the goodness of the Scribes and Pharisees. This is more about making it into heaven, though it takes care of that at the appropriate time. It’s about interacting with the kingdom in your life now. It’s God’s gift of himself to humans, referred to being born from above. You receive it, welcoming God into every dimension of our character and life, holding nothing back. It is to be total surrender. God is actually looking for people to do this.
We must abandon ourselves to a total transformation of who we are on the inside, to taking on the character of Christ through living with him day by day, hour by hour. Only that is trust in Christ.
Apologetics: What about John 14:6? Where there really is a way to God, where there is truth about God, where there is genuine life of God, Christ is there. That helps us to know better who Jesus is (without specifically knowing Jesus of Nazareth).
Obeying Christ is scary, but with Him with us, we can see and do what is best. It is deciding by God’s grace to do what He said. ...more

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Sep 08, 2020 Nathan Albright rated it really liked it

Shelves: challenge-2020

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 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 contemporary world and how that has made our thinking dangerously sloppy when it comes to matters of great intellectual and moral importance. As a work of logic and reason this book certainly ranks highly, but as a book of rhetoric in terms of seeking to appeal to its audience, this is a book that will be far more successful at converting the faithful than it will be at bringing the disobedient to repentance. Whether or not this failure is to be credit to the author or not is not a matter that I feel qualified to judge, despite the fact that this book is definitely within my own personal wheelhouse as a writer.

This book is a bit more than 200 pages long and is divided into eight chapters. The book begins with an introduction. After that the author discusses whether faith can ever be knowledge (1) and comes to the conclusion that they are ultimately different things. This leads to a discussion of how we can perish for a lack of knowledge (2), and how it is that moral knowledge disappeared within Western society over the past couple hundred years (3), not least because of the failures of Christian leaders to uphold that knowledge and apply it to the conditions of their world. After that comes a discussion on how we can know that God exists (4), as well as know the miraculous and Christ's presence in our world (5). AFter this comes a discussion of the knowledge of Christ in the Spiritual life (6), as well as what Christian pluralism means (7) and how it offers an escape from the follies of so much thinking about God and about pluralism that exist in general. Finally the author talks about pastors in their role as teachers of the nations (8), before ending the book with notes, acknowledgements, a subject index, and a scripture index.

What does it mean to make a claim that God's word is a matter of knowledge? It means that it has truth and relevance and that it is something to be taken seriously. It means that there is something there there when we read the Bible rather than simply being human thinking that does not have to be taken seriously. The author, as is entirely appropriate to do, makes truth claims for scripture even when he does not always understand this correctly. And the author is quick to note in this book, and also correct in so noting, that there are a lot of ways that many ministers have failed in their job as teachers of the nations, with the responsibility of explaining the responsibility that people and authorities have in this world according to the laws and Word of God. This is a high responsibility, and the fact that so many Christian leaders have sought to dodge that responsibility because it is not politically popular speaks poorly for the moral sense of many who which to be seen as scriptural authorities. And yet the failure of people to live up to the biblical demands of giving a prophetic warning to the world as to where the world falls short of obedience does not make the Bible itself of no importance; it merely speaks to the failure of those who claim to follow God. ...more

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Jul 14, 2017 Eric rated it it was amazing

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 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 on to argue that we have failed to know because if we did, we would have to face the facts of what we don't want. Bingo. He cites examples, but this is 100% true. The sin here is idolatry (he cites Hosea). A mistake about reality, and an error in worldview level is idolatry. He says,"it arises from the crying need of human beings to gain control over their lives." He further goes on citing how modern today it could be government, marketplace, technology, etc. World views are dangerous.

Further trust in our idols has led us to put our trust in feeling good, and further idolatry. We put trust in our government, or our justices that we like, further promoting our feelings and not putting in something like knowledge and truth. Willard puts forth Jesus' worldview answers.

He then goes toward somewhat apologetically on can we know God exists, the miraculous, etc. Then, spiritual formation. This is what a person needs to step toward after Lewis. Willard has stood by formation and spiritual disciplines as tools to be Christlike; to be his students and disciples. I don't know how much this is catching on in the church, but by appearances I would lean toward not much. Spiritual formation connects knowledge and faith quite well. To not want to be more Christlike or just thinking that you will magically have character formation is wrong. You might as well be an atheist.

He discusses pluralism and Christianity. I get the vibe he follows a weak pluralism over a strong one. It's important to note that Jesus is after the hearts of people, not people who say they believe in a creed and then act like jerks.

His final chapter is on pastors/teachers being teachers of the nations. He firmly believes this is the pastors job and I agree. If your a pastor, it's your job to be aware of Christ and conflicting views. It's your job to present it without manipulation, because God's word should be able to stand up for itself, right? Otherwise you don't really believe it yourself. It's your job to be present with all you can muster. If you think you need Greek/Hebrew to better serve, do it.

Willard argues against discipleship only for the church, as that way leads to death. Discipleship, being a student of Christ, applied to all life. If I spend most of my time at my job, that's where discipleship ought to happen. None of this double life crap. This is why Christians have come across is hypocritical; of saying they believe one thing and then doing another if not the opposite. Jesus did not come to make Christians or churches. He ends it with discipleship is for all the world to be lived purely.

The book is a gem. I'm happy to know that truth is still out there, and yet I'm saddened to find so little of it in reality. Here's hoping. ...more

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Dec 02, 2018 Jeremy Manuel rated it liked it

Shelves: christianity, philosophy, apologetics

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 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 feel that it is something I should state. Not so much because I think it influenced my thoughts on the book, but more because I can't imagine I'm the only one who could make a mistake like this. Personally I thought this book was decent. I wavered between reviewing it either a three or four stars while I was reading it, but by the end I thought that too much was off and rated it a three.

In general this is one of those books that I don't find myself so much disagreeing with the main ideas and thoughts, but more how those thoughts are argued and presented. I agree that some have placed knowledge within a rather small box (usually the physical world and what is considered "scientific" or testable), however I feel that Willard beats this drum perhaps too much and presents more of an us vs. them picture than he really needs to.

I also agree with his ideas behind why belief in God is reasonable, but I'm not sure that such a brisk presentation of those ideas will convince much of anyone else. I also think his work on saying why the Christian view is most likely is rather weak here and could have used to be fleshed out more than what he did.

These are a couple examples of ideas that I don't disagree with, but just don't quite jive with how he lays out everything. Add to this that I'm just not sure who this kind of book is for. It's fairly academic, but not what I would consider a major academic work on refuting the philosophical challenges to Christianity. It's more for geared towards Christians, as I doubt many skeptics would really resonate with the tone of the book. So this leaves fairly educated Christians, but I wonder how many wouldn't have already run into most or at least some of the ideas Willard presents here. It would seem like a very narrow group.

Overall, I can't say this is a bad book, but it's not one I'd call that good either. It's decent, but I'd say it's very uneven. I don't disagree with Willard on a lot of his main points, but don't always agree with how he presents things or how far he pushes some of his thoughts. I also think this book will be hard to access for many people, but won't really be super informative to those who would be able to understand him easily. ...more

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Jan 23, 2020 Stinger rated it liked it

Shelves: christian, willard, spiritual-formation

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

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Apr 30, 2019 Ahn, Hang San rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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

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Aug 04, 2020 Wes F rated it really liked it · review of another edition

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 ...more

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Jul 15, 2017 Paul Dubuc rated it it was amazing

Shelves: apologetics, christianity, spirituality, discipleship, epistemology

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 ...more

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Sep 10, 2017 John Martindale rated it liked it

Shelves: apologetics, audiobook, theology

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 ...more

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Nov 29, 2017 Joey rated it really liked it

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

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Oct 15, 2018 P.Marie Boydston rated it it was amazing

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 ...more

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Feb 01, 2021 David rated it it was amazing

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 ...more

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Sep 07, 2017 Dale Critchley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

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

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Nov 02, 2017 April Bumgardner rated it really liked it

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. ...more

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About Dallas Willard

Dallas Willard

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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