Edited by Steven L. Porter, Gary W. Moon, and J. P. Moreland
Because Transformation Is Possible
At a popular level, Dallas Willard wrote with remarkable clarity about spiritual formation. But his writings also addressed academic concerns such as shifts in modern moral philosophy, the nature of education, and the psychology of the human self. Until Christ Is Formed in You brings together ten authors who knew Willard well to introduce his wide-ranging vision and consider again the overall significance of this one-of-a-kind teacher.
This collection explores topics including the Beatitudes, the relationship of body and soul, the kingdom of God, discipleship to Jesus, the nature of formation, and Ignatian spirituality. The book begins with a comprehensive overview of Willard’s understanding of formation, and it concludes with practical applications of this understanding to the disciplines of psychology and counseling.
STEVEN L. PORTER serves as Professor of Theology and Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology and Rosemead School of Psychology, Biola University. He is also the editor of the Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care.
GARY W. MOON is the Executive Director of the Martin Institute for Christianity and Culture and the Dallas Willard Center for Christian Spiritual Formation at Westmont College. His research focuses on the theoretical and practical integration of psychology and theology.
J. P. MORELAND is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. He has authored and coauthored over thirty books, including Love Your God with All Your Mind, and more than seventy journal articles.
Darrell L. Bock is Executive Director of Cultural Engagement and Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. He has earned recognition as a Humboldt Scholar (Tubingen ̈ University in Germany) and is the author of over 40 books, including a two-volume commentary on the Gospel of Luke (1994), Jesus in Context: Background Readings for Jesus Studies (2005), and Jesus the God-Man: The Unity and Diversity of the Gospel Portrayals (2016). He was president of the Evangelical Theological Society for 2000–2001, is a consulting editor for Christianity Today, and serves on the board of Wheaton College.
Klaus Issler is Professor of Practical Theology at Talbot School of Theology (Biola University). He has authored, co-edited, or contributed chapters to twelve books, including Living Into the Life of Jesus: The Formation of Christian Character (2012), Jesus in Trinitarian Perspective: an Introductory Christology (2007), and Wasting Time with God: A Christian Spirituality of Friendship with God (2001). He has published articles in journals such as Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care, and the Christian Education Journal.
Catherine Looker, SSJ, a Sister of St. Joseph of Philadelphia, holds a master’s degree and certification in Holistic Spirituality and Spiritual Direction from Chestnut Hill College, an MA from Villanova, and a DMin. from Lutheran Theological Seminary. She has published articles and chapters in publications such as Imaging the Other: Essays on Diversity (2009), Sisterly Love (2015), and the Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care. She also serves as an editorial consultant for the Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care.
Gary W. Moon is the Executive Director of the Martin Institute for Christianity and Culture and the Dallas Willard Center for Christian Spiritual Formation at Westmont College (Santa Barbara, CA). He has served as the Executive Director of the Renovaré International Institute for Christian Spiritual Formation and as Editor-in-Chief of Conversations Journal. Moon has also served as an instructor at Fuller Graduate School of Theology, and Fuller Graduate School of Psychology and on the faculties of Erskine Theological Seminary, Regent University, Richmont Graduate University, Azusa Pacific University, and Westmont College. He conducts research concerning the theoretical and practical integration of psychology and theology and has published and presented over 300 professional and popular papers.
J. P. Moreland is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. He received a PhD in philosophy at the University of Southern California where he studied with Dallas Willard. Moreland has authored, edited, or contributed papers in more than ninety-five books, including Does God Exist? (1993), Universals (2001), Consciousness and the Existence of God (2008), The Blackwell Companion to Natural Theology (2009), and Debating Christian Theism (2013). He has also published about 90 articles in journals such as Philosophy and Phenomenological Research and American Philosophical Quarterly.
John Ortberg is the senior pastor at Menlo Church in Menlo Park, California. He graduated from Wheaton College with a degree in psychology and earned a MDiv and PhD in clinical psychology from Fuller Seminary. His teaching centers around how faith in Christ can impact our everyday lives with God. He has written several books on spiritual formation including, The Life You’ve Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People (2015), Soul Keeping: Caring for the Most Important Part of You (2014), and most recently I’d Like You More If You Were More Like Me: Getting Real about Getting Close (2017). Ortberg is a member of the board of trustees at Fuller Seminary and is on the board for the Dallas Willard Center for Spiritual Formation.
Steven L. Porter serves as Professor of Theology and Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology and at Rosemead School of Psychology (Biola University). He completed his PhD in philosophy under the supervision of Dallas Willard and has contributed articles to Faith and Philosophy, Journal of Psychology and Theology, Themelios, Religious Studies, Journal of Analytic Theology, and Journal of Psychology and Christianity. He authored Restoring the Foundations of Epistemic Justification (2005) and has co-edited two books: Christian Scholarship in the Twenty-First Century: Prospects and Perils (2014), and Neuroscience and Soul: The Human Person in Philosophy, Science, and Theology (2016). Porter serves as editor of the Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care and Scholar-in-Residence at Biola University’s Center for Christian Thought.
Aaron Preston is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Valparaiso University. He holds a PhD in philosophy from the University of Southern California and may be the only person to have studied under Dallas Willard as both an undergraduate and a graduate student. He also has a MTh in Systematic Theology from the University of Edinburgh. Along with Steve Porter and Gregg Ten Elshof, he has helped to complete Willard’s last book, The Disappearance of Moral Knowledge. He has also written on the metaphysics of substance, personalism, religious epistemology, and on topics at the intersection of philosophy, psychology, and theology.
Gregg A. Ten Elshof is Professor of Philosophy at Biola University and Scholar-in-Residence at Biola’s Center for Christian Thought. He has published articles in such journals as Midwest Studies in Philosophy, Grazer Philosophische Studien, and The Journal of Philosophical Research. His book, I Told Me So: Self-Deception and the Christian Life (2009) won Christianity Today’s 2009 Book Award for Christian Living. He is also author of Confucius for Christians (2015) and has co-edited two books: Christian Scholarship in the Twenty-First Century: Prospects and Perils (2014) and Neuroscience and Soul: The Human Person in Philosophy, Science, and Theology (2016). Ten Elshof studied under Dallas Willard at University of Southern California.
Kevin J. Vanhoozer is Research Professor of Systematic Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He previously served as Blanchard Professor of Theology at Wheaton College and as Senior Lecturer in Theology and Religious Studies at New College in the University of Edinburgh, where he also served on the Panel of Doctrine for the Church of Scotland. He has edited and authored many books, including The Cambridge Companion to Postmodern Theology (2003), The Drama of Doctrine: A CanonicalLinguistic Approach to Christian Theology (2005), and Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible (2005).
Acknowledgements
Preface | Steven L. Porter, Gary W. Moon, and J.P. Moreland
1. | An Overview of Willard's Primary Writings: The Willardian Corpus | Steven L. Porter
Engaging Willard
2. | Body and Soul: Tweaking Dallas Willard's Understanding of the Human Person | J.P. Moreland
3. | Neither Because nor In Spite of: A Critical Reflection on Willard's Read of the Beatitudes | Gregg Ten Elshof
4. | Redeeming Moral Formation: The Unity of Spiritual and Moral Formation in Willardian Thought | Aaron Preston
Extending Willard
5. | "Living with the Lord Always Before Them": Considerations of Spiritual Guidance Offered by Ignatius of Loyola and Dallas Willard | Catherine Looker
6. | Embracing Jesus in a First Century Context: What Can It Teach Us about Spiritual Formation? | Darrell L. Bock
7. | Putting on Christ: Spiritual Formation and the Drama of Discipleship | Kevin J. Vanhoozer
8. | Learning from Jesus to Live in the Manner Jesus Would If He Were I: Biblical Grounding for Willard's Proposal Regarding Jesus' Humanity | Klaus Issler
Enacting Willard
9. | Rethinking the Kingdom of God: The Work of Dallas Willard and Some Applications to Psychotherapeutic Practice | John Ortberg
10. | A Tribute to Dallas Willard: My Favorite Psychologist | Gary W. Moon
List of Contributors
ISBN: 9781684260904
Pages: 256
Dimensions (inches): 9 x 6
Weight (pounds): .80
