In the Beginning

For the sake of an exhaustive work, I shall begin with the Foreword of the work. I often find marvelous gems of thought are contained in these simplified summaries that are so often overlooked in modern works. Indeed, some books can be completely summarized by what the author chooses to include in the introduction. All else becomes extrapolation on a point that has already been stated. I do not believe this to be the case with The Divine Conspiracy (but speaking of summaries, I might have to start referring to it as TDC for the sake of sanity).

The Foreword to TDC is written by Richard J. Foster, a man I have not heard of. He writes that TDC is "the book I have been searching for all my life." He ranks Willard's writings with that of Martin Luther, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and even St. Augustine. The strange thing is that, even after only a chapter into it, I find myself wanting to agree with him. 

Foster lists three main properties of the book that astound him. First is comprehensive nature of the book (hence my desire to also be comprehensive in my study of it). The book is a finale of three works, and yet it is marvel unto itself, completing the task it sets out to do. The other two books are not in my possession at this time, but that will probably change depending on the success of my endeavor here. 

But back to the book at hand. Foster describes it as creating a Weltanschauung (I love that he uses that exact word), meaning a worldview. In layman's terms, the basics that this book sets down allow for me as a reader to make sense of everything else in the world. This is because it allows me "to make sense out of the whole of the biblical record." Logically it follows that once I make sense out of God's handbook for life, the rest of life will also make sense. 

For those of you who enjoy sneekpeaks, Foster then goes into the highlights we can expect to see... if only you will continue following for the next twenty weeks. :) These include an authentic look at the Sermon on the Mount, contemporary materialism, and the destructive church ideology of "sin management", a concept which I am all too familiar with. I have been told by others who have read this book, that that chapter alone was enough to save their faith.

The second appealing factor to the book is the accessibility. Yes, it's written by a "world-class philosopher", but it is written for the common person. It's meant to be practical. It's meant to be applicable. It's meant to be understood. Dallas Willard does not theorize on life-changing ideas without figuring out how exactly they can change your life. For this reason alone I can recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding the world and their place in it.

The third property listed is the book's depth. It is clear that Willard regards Jesus as a "serious, intelligent, fully competent Teacher. He writes, 'Jesus is not just nice, he is brilliant.'" Jesus is brilliant. I don't know that I've ever considered that thought before. Wise? Yes. Clever? Yes! Have you ever read how he outsmarts the greatest intellectuals of his day? His answers leave them speechless, so much so to the point that they stop asking him questions altogether. But brilliant as a teacher? In what way? I think he means quite brilliant in the manner and approach he uses to reach everyone of every type of life every where. And I don't mean today, I mean at the time when Jesus was teaching. Willard, who has studied Jesus' life far more than I, must have learned something about the way Jesus taught that was ingenious. I also happen to be a teacher, so naturally I am eager to find out what this is.

Finally, Foster is impressed by the book's warmth. He describes it quite simply as "a feast for the mind and the heart." I will be honest with you, as I always hope to be. I am a glutton when it comes to my mind. To me, wisdom and knowledge are like ice cream and cake, without the gnarly side-effects of diabetes and cavities. I devour books. I consume them. I sink my eyes into them until I find their sweet and savory core, then I throw them away as I move on to my next meal. Yet here, in the pages of this book, I find myself becoming so full that I must excrete my thoughts upon these pages lest my brain explode. There you have it. I've just compared my thoughts to excrement. The blog can only go up from here. And yet you now have an answer to the question why I chose to start doing this, and will likely continue doing this, until my feast is consumed. Until next time, I bid you good reading.