The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives

This review, like any review of a book written by Dallas Willard, borrows from his other writings as it is difficult to unpack his main points without reference to his entire program. After the unfortunate and recent passing of Dallas Willard I purchased "The Theology of Dallas Willard: Discovering Protoevangelical Faith" written by Dr. Gary Black, Jr. This fantastic book is largely based on Dr. Black's Ph.D dissertation, it is the first and only of its kind, solely focused on Dallas Willard's teachings. The newest book, "The Divine Conspiracy Continued," is also coauthored by Dr. Black. After reading through the first 100+ pages it dawned on me that it was time to read or re-read one of Dr. Willard's books (allegedly Dallas preferred to dispense with the title of Ph.D next to his name [see `The Steady Confidence of Dallas Willard' on JP Moreland's website at jpmoreland.com]). Believing this statement to be true, I shall refer to Dr. Willard by his first name in the remainder of this review--no incivility intended to those of you that have known this man personally. The book I chose to start reading was "The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives ("SD")." Just like all of his other writings and teaching, every single sentence of SD oozes with an intoxicating profundity and theological/moral incumbency and authority prompting one to reconsider what it actually means to be an active follower of Christ. Although some reviewers complain of "redundancy" (repetition may be the proper term), these reviewers likely do not understand the context for the content in SD, they have not been exposed to the entire divine conspiracy, or they were simply not in the proper stage of life or state of mind to fully appreciate the import of "repetition"--and there is no actual culpability of redundancy in SD. (Dr. Black summaries the Dallas' divine conspiracy in `The Divine Conspiracy Continued,' stating "God's divine conspiracy is to overcome the human kingdoms of this world with love, justice, and truth. This includes the whole world and all of human society--at the individual, corporate, and governmental levels" [page 2]). Any alleged redundancy is wholly intentional and this is a fairly large theme in SD: interactive learning utilizing our actual bodies as we imbibe truths to be utilized for God's Kingdom, defined by Dallas as the range of God's effective will. Again, this is where those exposed to Dallas' wider vision and other teachings are able to glean the import of SD. For example, Dallas teaches that we are created in such a way that learning comes by way of participation, an "interactive" participation that requires repetition and the use of our physical bodies. Rather than simply read a book or listen to a sermon, if we want the real benefit of learning we ought to write out the main points (the actual use of our body--our hands in conjunction with our intentions--that is required in practicing spiritual disciplines). The result is an ability to retain what we read or are taught is increased by 8 times. We are interactively utilizing our physical bodies and minds, much like my typing this review. It is somewhat difficult to write a review of SD without being a tad autobiographic. I do not believe that Dallas would have had any aversions. In fact, he would likely embrace such a review as an application and/or conclusion of a purpose of SD. To be honest, then, like many of my brothers and sisters, my thought life has been terribly skewed with feelings of failure and my actions have become marginalized. Worldly circumstances, recent and childhood traumas have manifested and become overwhelmingly difficult to deal with leading to the marginalization of my relationship with Jesus. I have felt this for years, and this became all the more clear after reading SD and Dallas is quick to point out that he is not seeking to condemn to reader. I am 45 years of age, my wife and I have been committed believers for 20 years, I graduated from a well-known seminary and I have been formally involved in the culture war for well over a decade. My focus has been against the relegation of Christian truth claims placed into the category of mere belief and taken out of the category of knowledge. (For those well read or those in the academy this is known as the epistemic aspect of a worldview (a.k.a. knowledge). SD is also meant to provide a practical medium to combat this marginalization or relegation. However, this says nothing of my relationship, or lack thereof, and the present use of Jesus as a co-worker [or as my Teacher and general] in this fight). I have become so entrenched in reading the requisite materials to help me engage the culture war that I lost sight of the real power and purpose that lay behind this calling. It took the contents of SD to show me where I have wavered off of the lighten path as Dallas writes and speaks with insights that are brilliantly haunting and difficult to shake. My feelings of failure are by no means a result of reading SD or being exposed to any of Dallas' materials (as I have read and heard some unfortunately critics suggest). Rather, as a Christian I intuitively know that I am falling short--I am not condemned because of my present state--but I need help at this time of my life and I have found it again in the Christian worldview. I have far to go so it will be interesting to read this review a year from now. In short, I need relational help, counseling, and so forth, and this is where the contents of SD shine. For those of you suffering (even suffering a similar problem) I highly recommend using SD in conjunction with other avenues of help (e.g., counseling). Up until his final days, Dallas was always very concerned about the same issues and his SD is one part of his overall solution, or divine conspiracy. As a world class philosopher, Dallas taught there is an external world and we can have actual knowledge of the world. In the context of spiritual growth, Dallas teaches that unless we realize we have the power to be like Christ now and to act in accordance with the range of His effective Will, then the answers Christians provide to four fundamental questions will have little import in the public square and the culture war. In his book `Knowing Christ Today: Why We Can Trust Spiritual Knowledge,' Dallas states that it is his hope for everyone to understand "knowledge, but not mere belief or commitment, confers on its possessor an authority or right--to act, to direct action, to establish and supervise policy, and to teach" (page 17). What are the four fundamental questions? (1) What it real or what is reality? (2) Who has it made [well-being or blessedness]? (3) Who is a really good person? And (4) How does one become a genuinely good person? For Dallas, the answers to these questions comprise one's worldview. One of the magnificent aspects of all of Dallas' SD is that he masterfully unpacks, in a very thoughtful and gracious manner, how one can presently begin living a properly full (or fuller) life, manifesting purpose, intention and the character of Christ versus focusing in the so-called "good days" when we were saved by God's grace. Dallas points out that focusing on our salvation and Christ's death (via God's grace) can undermine the full Christian life that is available now, by not simply focusing on an "instant" of God's actualized purpose for our lives when we are saved. The divine conspiracy as encapsulated by Dr. Black. This is by no means an easy read and I suggest reading SD slowly when you are awake, and are psychologically and emotionally ready or you would be wasting your time (this is apparent in some of the reviews). The core of SD is unpacked in chapter 1 through 3 and 7 through 11. Dallas reserves chapters 4 through 6 for a biblical explanation of who we are and what spiritual life is all about, and he informs the reader to read chapters 7 through 11 and return to 4 through 6 as these are the chapters that focus on human nature and discipleship, including unembodied spiritual power--i.e., the spiritual life. Like some of his later writings, these chapters introduce the reader to God's view of the human persons, the flesh, our bodies working interactively with God's effective will. Chapter 8 presents a rich "history and meaning of the disciplines" and chapter 9 Dallas presents the spiritual disciplines within two contexts: (1) disciplines of abstinence (solitude, silence, fasting, frugality, chastity, secrecy, and sacrifice); and, (2) are the disciplines of engagement (study, worship, celebration, service, prayer, fellowship, confession, and submission). This list is by no mean exhaustive. Each discipline is accompanied by incredibly unique biblical, theological and philosophic insights unlike I have ever read before. SD, like all of his writings, must be read slowly and intently, readers should take notes, and they ought to re-read those sections that are most relevant to your life in order to put the contents into action. Unlike many other books on spiritual growth, the end of chapter 9 provides the reader to put the disciplines into practice as we are provided a basis to gauge how committed we are in following Jesus. That is to say, Dallas is wise enough to recognize that we are all in different places in our relationship with Jesus. Some readers desire to change and others merely have the desire to want to want to change. Therefore, as a starting point Dallas' informs us that the "range of the disciplines is largely determined by our own established tendencies to sin that must be resisted . . . [hence] (w)hich disciplines must be central to our lives will be determined by the chief sins of commission and omission that entice or threaten us from day to day" (page 191). In other words, we begin with those discipline(s) that are correlated to contravene those worldly habits that we exercise the most. In closing, I have much to do as I am now steeped in Willardian theology, a practical theology, and I look forward to being an active participant in the divine conspiracy.

In this book, Dallas Willard describes Christ's "easy yoke" of discipleship and corrects some erroneous beliefs as to what a life of discipleship entails. This does not replace the Gospel but is rather a fuller understanding of how to access the benefits available to us in our salvation. Just as an athlete's entire life is devoted to the discipline of exercise, practice, diet, rest, etc. to result in the attainment of excellence that we see briefly during a sporting event, so a Christian's spiritual maturity and Christlikeness is not an accident but must be an ongoing intentional activity. Willard describes a series of "disciplines" which can be of value as we apply them to our lives: The disciplines of abstinence: solitude silence fasting frugality chastity secrecy sacrifice These make way for the disciplines of engagement: study worship celebration service prayer fellowship confession submission As we follow the Spirit's leading, we can utilize these disciplines to cultivate a deeper experience and awareness of Christ in our lives. Willard also reviews how these disciplines have been abused and perverted over past centuries, resulting in the Protestant rejection of asceticism that has led to superficial contemporary churches that are devoid of spiritual depth and fruits of the Spirit. There are also two very important chapters regarding poverty and wealth, and engagement with worldly power structures. Willard suggests that rather than "disengagement" with the world whereby we divest ourselves of our assets and worldly positions to become more "spiritual," instead we should steward these God-given responsibilities to work within our sphere of influence to advance the priorities of the Kingdom of Heaven. As Willard says, "there truly is no division between sacred and secular except what we have created. And that is why the division of the legitimate roles and functions of human life into the sacred and the secular roles does incalculable damage to our individual life and to the cause of Christ. Holy people must stop going into 'church work' as their natural course of action and take up holy orders in farming, industry, law, education, banking and journalism with the same zeal previously given to evangelism or to pastoral and missionary work." Willard says that the proper focus of the church is to cultivate disciples of Christ: "Ministers pay far too much attention to people who do NOT come to services. Those people should, generally, be given exactly that disregard by the pastor that they give to Christ. The Christian leader has something much more important to do than pursue the godless. The leader's task is to equip saints until they are like Christ, and history and the God of history waits for him to do this job." As the church collectively and believers individually apply the "spirit of the disciplines" to cultivate Christ's nature within and among us, God's influence will be spread more effectively within the world. This book is a manual showing us how to go about it. As Willard says, we really have no other choice than to become disciples of Christ - or not. When we count the cost of each alternative, it is evident that the "easy yoke" is better than living according to the spirit of the world.

Dallas Willard’s The Spirit of the Disciplines is a profound and intellectually rich exploration of how spiritual disciplines shape the Christian life. Willard masterfully argues that true transformation into Christlikeness requires not just belief but active participation in the practices that Jesus Himself engaged in. Key Insights from the Book: 📖 Theology Meets Practice – Willard bridges the gap between spiritual formation and everyday life, showing that disciplines like prayer, fasting, solitude, and service are essential for true discipleship. 🧠 Deep Yet Accessible – While intellectually stimulating, the book remains practical and applicable, encouraging readers to see spiritual disciplines as pathways to grace rather than burdens. ⚡ Holistic Christian Living – Willard emphasizes that salvation is not just about eternity but about living a transformed life here and now, following the rhythms of Jesus. 🙏 A Call to Action – The book challenges Christians to move beyond passive faith and embrace disciplines that cultivate intimacy with God. Who Should Read This? This book is ideal for pastors, seminary students, and serious believers who desire a deeper understanding of spiritual formation. If you appreciate authors like Richard Foster, John Ortberg, or Eugene Peterson, you will find The Spirit of the Disciplines to be an invaluable resource. Final Thoughts: Willard’s work is both convicting and encouraging, offering a compelling vision of what it means to follow Jesus wholeheartedly. If you’re longing for a more disciplined, grace-filled walk with Christ, this book will be life-changing.

There is a lot of excellent direction and explanation in this book, especially in the first half. It gets a little long and perhaps redundant in the second half. Worth reading as the discussion of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus is of great value. Religion/church today seems to favor a more passive approach to our salvation but the Bible calls us to follow in Jesus’ example (not to be saved but to live as a disciple as Jesus bid us to do). The book is helpful if you want a deeper understanding of what Jesus instructs in the Gospels.

The is a great book.

"What Would Jesus Do?" is an excellent question to ask in those critical moments when we're challenged by trials and temptations. But Dr. Dallas Willard asks a different question: "How Did Jesus Live?" In this book, he answers that question by telling us that Jesus integrated routine disciplines into his "ordinary" daily life, which prepared him for the "extraordinary" challenges he faced. Like all of us, Jesus lived a typical human life: a continuum of ordinary daily routines punctuated by random crises. In order to know what Jesus would do in the crises, we must also know how he routinely lived to prepare for them. This is analogous to the life of professional athletes, who spend countless hours routinely training and practicing the same repeated exercises and tasks, over and over again, so that they're fully prepared to excel and succeed on game day. They earnestly and eagerly run laps, lift weights, learn plays, drill actions, etc. On their own, most of these activies don't even resemble the game for which they are training. But an athelete must do them regularly and consistently, if they expect to perform well and win the big game. Spiritual disciplines are the "training exercises" every Christian can integrate into their daily lives to prepare themselves for the inevitable trials and temptations that challenge everyone. More than that, they are the tangible methods and means to seek, follow, serve, and love our Lord Jesus Christ. They allow us to be "more than conquerors" -- they're how we draw near to God, and allow Him to bless us with His love, grace, mercy, and provision. Dr. Willard gives us a preliminary list of spiritual disciplines, such as prayer, Bible study, fellowship, service, solitude, meditation, fasting, etc. But more than that, he explains why they're important, giving us a solid theology behind their significance. This helps the reader understand that spiritual disciplines are not complusory, obligatory, or merely dry duty. The reader is motivated by the thrill of taking honest-to-goodness, real, tangible actions that routinely improve their relationship to Jesus. Dr. Willard does not provide or explain a complete list of spiritual disciplines in this book, for that is not his intent. Rather, he intends (and succeeds) in telling us why they're important and how we benefit from them. For more specific details on the disciplines themselves, Dr. Willard recommends "The Celebration of Discipline", by Richard J. Foster. (http://www.amazon.com/Celebration-Discipline-Path-Spiritual-Growth/dp/0060628391/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364153520&sr=8-1&keywords=the+celebration+of+discipline)

This book will challenge the way you live your life as a follower of Jesus. If you claim to be a Christian, you need to read this book to see how you can take that to the next level.

This was the first book by Dallas Willard I ever read, way back in 1990. I’ve just re-read it in digital format, and it meant even more to me this time. Willard defines discipline, then spiritual disciplines … describes Jesus’ spiritual disciplines … demonstrates why we need to practice these same spiritual disciplines to follow Jesus … and details why we so easily give up doing so and settle for much less (being a non-discipled Christian vs. being a disciple). Add in the appendix which is his 1980 essay for Christianity Today entitled “The Cost of Non-Discipleship” and you get a profound book on what it means to be rooted, grounded, and growing in Jesus Christ. I highly recommend it!

Excellent theological study to really understand the link between spiritual and psychological wellbeing, the trinity and faith with a relational God.

Enjoyed the book and it arrived in great shape.

Un libro vero e sincero. Mi ha fatto bene leggerlo, spero di leggere altre cose cosi' in futuro. Grazie. Saluti

great thought from a great christian mind. Very worth your time if you would follow Jesus

I have gained a great deal from Prof Willard’s book and look forward now with greater knowledge and confidence that before, to practicing the spiritual disciplines, with God’s help. Thank you