I was in high school when I first came across Dallas Willard's The Divine Conspiracy. Two memories are attached to reading this book for the first time. The first is when I was reading it in English class, and the teacher came by and said that he'd read the book and it changed his life. "Willard's study of the Sermon on the Mount is the best I've ever seen." The second memory is sitting in the back of my Jeep on lunch break at IGA, eating a whole rotisserie chicken and listening to the soundtrack to A Beautiful Mind while pondering Willard's work. The Divine Conspiracy is a sort of magnum opus, the last in a series of books on the availability of God's kingdom and what that means for us. It struck me, in the back of my Jeep, that the Christian life wasn't one of following rules - "Do this and don't do that!" - or of simply abiding by a certain theology while trying to wedge yourself into religious straits. The Christian life is one of participation in something truly grand, something game-changing, and something that changes us from the inside out.
My experience of The Divine Conspiracy is on par with my English teachers praise, for it truly did change the way I approached my faith and, more importantly, the way I related to God Himself. The conviction that I can experience a radically different kind of life - a good and fulfilling and meaningful - paved the way for a more experiential approach to Christianity. It wasn't just that we could be saved by turning to Jesus; we could also become the sort of people we were meant to be, and having that as a motivation is no evil thing. God made us to be human, so it only makes sense that we would naturally tend towards pursuing those things that make us truly human (i.e. as God created us to be). And while the best way to live is in rhythm with God, the best part of that rhythm is our life with God Himself. God isn't just an idea; He isn't just a vague notion; God is an actual Being. He's a personal Being. So many Christians fail to approach God as a Person and approach Him as just another fact (albeit a big one) in their theological beliefs; such an impersonal approach won't deliver the joys of truly knowing Him. The biggest hurdle we need to overcome isn't whether God exists but whether He not only loves us but actually likes us. And I think He does.
Beyond the Goodness of the Scribes and Pharisees
Investing in the Heavens: Escaping the
Deceptions of Reputation and Wealth
The Community of Prayerful Love
Investing in the Heavens: Escaping the
Deceptions of Reputation and Wealth
The Community of Prayerful Love
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