Dallas Willard
Dallas Willard
Dallas Albert Willardwas an American philosopher also known for his writings on Christian spiritual formation. Much of his work in philosophy was related to phenomenology, particularly the work of Edmund Husserl, many of whose writings he translated into English for the first time. He was longtime Professor of Philosophy at The University of Southern California, teaching at the school from 1965 until his death in 2013 and serving as the department chair from 1982 to 1985...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPhilosopher
Date of Birth4 September 1935
CountryUnited States of America
Spiritual formation for the Christian basically refers to the Spirit-driven process of forming the inner world of the human self in such a way that it becomes like the inner being of Christ himself.
As we mature in Christ, it is actually possible to outgrow fear.
We are invited to make a pilgrimage – into the heart and life of God.
God's address is at the end of your rope.
As Augustine say clearly, God being God offends human pride. If God is running the universe and has first claim on our lives, guess who isn't running the universe and does not get to have things as they please.
We are built to live in the kingdom of God. It is our natural habitat.
Unless you have already put God first, for example, what you will have to do to be financially secure, impress other people, or fulfill your desires will invariably lead you against God's wishes. That is why the first of the Ten Commandments, “You shall have no gods who take priority over me,” is the first of the Ten Commandments.
Sometimes we get caught up in trying to glorify God by praising what He can do and we lose sight of the practical point of what He actually does do.
Spiritual people are not those who engage in certain spiritual practices; they are those who draw their life from a conversational relationship with God.
We are becoming who we will be-forever.
My central claim is that we can become like Christ by doing one thing -- by following him in the overall style of life he chose for himself.
Fasting confirms our utter dependence upon God by finding in Him a source of sustenance beyond food.
Suppose our failures occur, not in spite of what we are doing, but precisely because of it.
It would be strange if we came to shun the genuine simply because it resembled the counterfeit.