From the foreword The Scandal of the Kingdom
The Swiss psychologist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross once wrote, “Beautiful people do not just happen.” Do you know any of these beautiful people? People who shine with an inner luminescence, who radiate a kind of moral beauty? These kinds of people don’t “just happen” by accident; they are formed, or forged, often in the fire of suffering and pain, over a long period of time, into people of love.
Dallas Willard was one of those beautiful people. He was a man who was no stranger to suffering, and yet he grew into a person of defiant joy—a man whose friends and family still speak of his deep capacity for love, the rare kind of saint “of whom the world was not worthy.”
Dallas defined beauty as “goodness made manifest to the senses.” By his own definition then, I would say he was a beautiful soul. And while his body is gone from this earth, his writings still stand as a living artifact of his mind. But be warned, they have the potential to alter the trajectory of your life, as they have mine.
Yet it’s not just the brilliance of his mind that has been imprinted so deeply on my psyche—his highly original thought, wide-ranging knowledge base, and integration of philosophy, psychology, and spirituality back into unified whole. It’s the beauty of his soul, his whole person—his joyfulness, gentle manner, spiritual humility (and authority), and the unhurried pace of his body. Those who knew him best tell stories of hearing him sing hymns throughout the day. This does not surprise me.
And yet he remains an enigma—a happy God-lover captivated by the beauty of the Trinity and deeply aware of God’s inner nature of love, as well as one of the clearest, most uncompromising voices in centuries to call us to a life of obedience and disciplined discipleship, or, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it, to “come and die.” I have rarely met someone who combined such peaceful presence with such passion for the disciplined pursuit of the with-God life. Dallas was unafraid to speak of the cross not only as something Jesus did for us, but also as something we do with him.
In reflecting on the dissonance between what we hear in much of Christian preaching and what we read from the lips of Jesus in the Gospels, Dallas writes one of the most important sentences of the book: “In many of our Christian circles, we substituted the message of Christ with a message about Christ. And when we taught about saving faith, we had replaced the faith of Christ with a faith in Christ.”
Dallas would gently but firmly remind us that this is because we must believe (or trust) in the person of Jesus Christ himself—not just in his death, but his life; not just in his substitutionary atonement, but also in his parables and teachings on how to live with him in God’s kingdom. We must place our confidence in him to show us the way. As we do this, step by step, we will make steady progress into kingdom living.
But this kind of talk is rare. Survey the topography of the modern church, and you will see just what an iconoclast Dallas was, a singularly unique “voice of one calling in the wilderness.”
We still have so much to learn from him. And thankfully we can. Through the gift of The Scandal of the Kingdom, we don’t have to guess at what his follow-up to The Divine Conspiracy would be; we can read it, slowly (as he would) and thoughtfully. We can absorb it into our lives.
My soul came alive on every page of this book. I found myself falling in love with Jesus even more deeply, grasping his parables and teachings more clearly, and experiencing his love in a whole new way.
The more I read Dallas’s words, the more I long to live like he did. Even more, to know God like he did. Because I see something approximating the beauty of Jesus in Dallas’s soul, and there is nothing I want more in all of life.
HOW TO USE THE SCANDAL OF THE KINGDOM BOOK & WORKBOOK
To make the most of The Scandal of the Kingdom and its accompanying workbook in a ministry setting, consider these dynamic and engaging approaches:
- Group Study Sessions: Organize small groups where participants come together to dive into the book chapter by chapter. Encourage lively discussions and reflections on how Dallas Willard's insights can transform personal faith and communal living.
- Interactive Workshops: Host monthly workshops focused on specific themes or teachings from the book. Use the workbook exercises to facilitate hands-on activities that help attendees apply Willard's teachings to their everyday lives.
- Mentorship Programs: Pair up seasoned members with newcomers in a mentoring relationship focused on exploring the book's concepts. Encourage mentors to share how these teachings have influenced their journey and guide discussions around practical application.
- Sermon Series: Develop a sermon series aligned with the book's chapters, weaving its themes into weekly messages. This can inspire the congregation to delve deeper into their spiritual practice, mirroring Jesus's teachings on kingdom living. Download FREE sermon outlines here.
- Retreats and Reflection Days: Plan retreats that incorporate focused sessions on the book, allowing for deeper reflection and personal growth. Use the workbook to lead guided journaling activities that promote introspection and spiritual renewal.
With these strategies, The Scandal of the Kingdom can transform ministry efforts, bringing people closer to a vibrant life with God, just as Dallas Willard envisioned.