Dallas Willard - The Divine Conspiracy Continued - Fulfilling God’s Kingdom on Earth

William Collins

an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 77–85 Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith, London W6 8JB

www.WilliamCollinsBooks.com

First published by HarperCollins Publishers 2014

FIRST EDITION

Copyright © Dallas Willard and Gary Black Jr 2014

Cover design: Dwight Been

Cover image: © Getty Images/The Bridgeman Art Library

Dallas Willard and Gary Black Jr assert the moral right to be identified as the authors of this work

Unless otherwise noted, all biblical quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

Find out about HarperCollins and the environment at www.harpercollins.co.uk/green

Source ISBN: 9780007589937

Ebook Edition © May 2014 ISBN: 9780007589944 Version: 2014-06-02

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Praise

Foreword: Remembering Dallas, by Gary Black Jr .

ONE God’s Call to Leaders

TWO Following the Good Shepherd

THREE Leaders Who Follow the Shepherd

Discussion Questions

FOUR Servant Leadership

Discussion Questions

FIVE Moral Leadership

Discussion Questions

SIX Moral Knowledge

SEVEN The Common Goods

EIGHT Illuminating the Good Life

Discussion Questions

NINE Knowledge and Education

Discussion Questions

TEN Economics and Politics

Discussion Questions

ELEVEN Business

Discussion Questions

TWELVE Professionals

THIRTEEN Physicians, Lawyers, and Pastors or Priests

Discussion Questions

FOURTEEN The Kingdom of Our God

Discussion Questions

Notes

Scripture Index

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

About the Publisher

“I know of no more important voice on spiritual truth in our day than that of Dallas Willard. To be able to receive fresh words from him along with Gary Black Jr. on the reality of the kingdom in our midst is a priceless gift to every follower of Jesus.”

—John Ortberg, author of Who Is This Man?

“I consider The Divine Conspiracy to be the most important book in the field of Christian spirituality written in my lifetime. So, I welcome the publication of The Divine Conspiracy Continued . Gary Black Jr., working on this project with Dallas Willard right up until Dallas’s death, helps to expand and enrich the themes that moved us so deeply, articulating the same grand vision as the original text and adds many penetrating insights into our life in the kingdom of God. May The Divine Conspiracy Continued find an eager audience ready to grow in the life that is Life indeed.”

—Richard J. Foster, author Celebration of Discipline and Sanctuary of the Soul

“The name Dallas Willard is one you hear a lot in our house. He’s somewhere between a family member and a saint to us, as we’ve been so deeply shaped by his words and ideas. What’s so deeply special about this book is that Gary Black Jr.’s respect and love for his friend and mentor shines through every page, but never stands in the way of Dallas’s extraordinary wisdom. I’m so thankful for this beautiful book.”

—Shauna Niequist, author of Bread & Wine

“ The Divine Conspiracy Continued is a continuation of the divine conspiracy to implement kingdom principles in the professions and to influence the structure of our institutions for good and for God. In my search for evidence of kingdom practices in business, I have found them in the exemplary practices of many executives in the U.S. So I know this can be done just as Willard and Black describe. The question is, ‘how to proceed?’ I believe it must start in the church and much effort should be devoted to mentoring lay leaders in the kingdom principles as described in this book. I will return to its teachings again and again. May the kingdom come!”

—Joseph Maciariello, The Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management, Claremont Graduate University

“ The Divine Conspiracy is a Christian classic that deserves to be mentioned in the same breath with Augustine’s Confessions and Brother Lawrence’s Practicing the Presence of God . For years, I have longed for a sequel. Unfortunately, Dallas—a genuine treasure to the body of Christ—passed away. However, unknown to me, Gary Black Jr., who did his doctoral dissertation on Willard’s thought and knows as much about Willard’s ideas as anyone living, and who spent considerable time with Dallas before his departure, gathered Dallas’s ideas, added his own, and has produced a truly coauthored book that satisfies the hunger of so many of us. The Divine Conspiracy Continued focuses on extending important ideas about the Kingdom of God into the areas of spiritual, moral, and cultural leadership, and into the spheres of education, economics, and politics. For those of us who desire to influence the culture in a distinctively Christian way, this is must-reading. I thank God for its release.”

—J. P. Moreland, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Biola University and author of The Kingdom Triangle

“ The Divine Conspiracy shaped an entire generation. Now Willard and Black have turned their attention to leaders becoming Christlike disciples instead of institutionalized church members . . . reshaping our thinking at an even wider and deeper level.”

—Scot McKnight, professor of New Testament, Northern Seminary

“If I could have one spiritual guide alongside me in life’s deeper waters, it would be Dallas Willard. Dallas, and his protégé Gary Black Jr., have given us all a guide in The Divine Conspiracy Continued . Picking up where Dallas last left us in The Divine Conspiracy, this sequel lays out a sweeping vision of what we as leaders can and must do both within our fields of influence but also in our own hearts. This is the book for every follower of Christ who seeks to be a light in and through every vocational and professional arena of contemporary life. Willard and Black tell us all how we can live truly significant lives in God’s Kingdom—now. The Divine Conspiracy Continued is a must-read.”

—Bob Buford, cable-TV pioneer, philanthropist, founder of Leadership Network, and author of Halftime and Drucker & Me

“Willard and Black offer leaders a hopeful vision that steers the wobbly structures of this world onto the road of love, justice, and truth.”

—Richard Swenson, M.D., author of Margin

“You hold in your hand a deep and compelling continuation of The Divine Conspiracy . The outworking of an individual’s life in the kingdom of God is the effect of one’s calling for the greater good of the world and the glory of God. Willard and Black have given us a prophetic writing, so bold that if embraced and embodied might just produce a Christian community that actually is ‘salt and light’ to a world in desperate need of it! I recommend this book with great enthusiasm.”