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The Scandal of the Kingdom by Dallas Willard (https://amzn.to/3AcE7bT) was released on 10/15/24. Dallas Willard passed away in 2013, so I was surprised to see he had a new book coming out. The content of this book comes mostly from a thirteen-week teaching series in 1983 called The Parabolic Teaching About Christ’s Kingdom by Christ Himself. It was supplemented by other content from published and unpublished sermons, talks, and writings.
Article Snapshot
Book Review Rating: 9/10
This Book Is:
- A great posthumous addition to Dallas Willard’s body of work.
- Written in the same pastoral/conversational style as other Dallas Willard books (e.g. Life Without Lack).
- An application of Dallas Willard’s theology to the parables of Jesus about the Kingdom of God.
- Written at a more accessible level than longer works by Dallas Willard (e.g. Divine Conspiracy).
This Book Is Not:
- A comprehensive study of the parables.
- A theology textbook.
- A repackaging of other books already published.
My Takeaways:
Make the Most of the Small Things
Dallas Willard uses the parable of the Talents (Luke 19) to show how life in the kingdom of God means reigning with creativity alongside God for eternity. We are responsible for making the most out of the things God has given us, even the small things. It is a challenge to think about how I can make an impact in the spheres of influence that I have. We are often misled into thinking that we have very little and therefore very little to give. Dallas Willard points out how we need to take God seriously and believe that we are worth the investment that God has made in us. Believing that God has given me specific gifts to use to reach people for his kingdom gives me the courage and freedom to step out of my comfort zone and see where God leads me.
Think Big
God is able to accomplish more than we can ask or imagine. I don’t think I have ever set out to do something for God’s glory that could only be possible with God’s power. I tend to aim small and limit my aspirations to things that I can achieve with my own power, probably to avoid disappointment. It is also very easy for me to jump from wanting to do something significant to wanting to be recognized as having done something significant. It is helpful to think about what seeking a God-sized goal from a place of humility could look like in my life.
Wealth In the Kingdom of God
Dallas Willard uses the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12) to teach about wealth in the kingdom of God. Wealth can take hold of our hearts and become an idol. God transforms our relationship with money and frees us from the pull of wealth by teaching us to be content with the gifts God has generously provided. Wealth in the kingdom of God is not based on money, possessions, or treasures. Wealth is based on our own character and the investment we make in the lives and character of others. It can be easily fall back into relying on my bank account balance for my security. It is easy to focus on spiritual growth and character formation from a place of privilege. I need to learn to be vulnerable and trust God for my security beyond what makes sense from my logical, human perspective.
Persistence in the Kingdom of God
Dallas Willard uses several parables to show how persistence in forgiveness, service, prayer, and humility are prerequisites for growth. For me, the hardest of these four areas are prayer and humility. Prayer can sometimes feel more like a duty or chore than a conversation with a friend or father. I pray that God gives me a greater desire to seek him. Humility helps us trust in God and not in ourselves. I can easily view myself as superior to those around me, but this judgmental attitude comes from a place of insecurity and desire for meaning through recognition. I ask God to give me humility to see and value others as God does.
My Evaluation – The Scandal of the Kingdom by Dallas Willard
I was skeptical about the quality of the content for a book published more than a decade after the author’s death. Having read many of Dallas Willard’s books already, I wasn’t sure what needed to be added to his body of work that would add value. Reading The Scandal of the Kingdom was a pleasant surprise!
There are many connections to the ideas and underlying theology that underlies many of Dallas Willard’s other books, but the concepts are more clearly stated here. Jesus taught using parables because they are the most effective way to teach what Jesus wanted his audience to learn. Dallas uses the same parables to help us learn the same lessons in a way that we can apply to our lives today.
The book is written in the same pastoral/conversational tone with personal anecdotes that can be found in his other writings. It makes for an enjoyable read. This book would make for a great group Bible study.
Check out our article What Did Dallas Willard Believe? 8 Spiritual Formation Insights That Will Propel Your Growth to learn more about Dallas Willard’s ideas.
Book Summary – The Scandal of the Kingdom by Dallas Willard
Willard begins the book by asking why it is so hard to get people to come to church today when Jesus had to hide from the crowds who couldn’t get enough of his teaching. Dallas Willard diagnosed what had changed and what we need to do about it.
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.
The Scandal of the Kingdom by Dallas Willard page 6
Faith in Christ is where faith starts, but it should be the entryway to the faith of Christ. If we want to obtain the faith that Jesus had, we need to teach what Jesus taught in the way that Jesus taught it. In the Bible, we see that Jesus taught about the kingdom of God through parables.
The Kingdom of God
The good news (gospel) that Jesus taught is the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is here and now, open to everyone, and brings new life.
The aim of this gospel is to create new persons. The mode is the impartation of life. The instrument is the Word of the kingdom that imparts new life.
The Scandal of the Kingdom by Dallas Willard page 8
Jesus brought an open invitation to the kingdom of God by grace. The “will of the heart” to follow Jesus is all that is required. As we learn to live in the kingdom of God, we become disciples and friends.
Parables
The teaching of Jesus didn’t just focus on behaviors, but on the heart and motivations. Jesus didn’t teach to inform but taught to transform. Jesus used images that would have been part of the daily lives of his audience (seeds, sheep, money, feasts, etc.). He taught in a way that was easy to remember because it often left his audience puzzled.
He challenged the cultural assumptions of the time. The kingdom of God turns the kingdom of mankind upside down. Many of his teachings would have sounded scandalous. Jesus was redefining things like justice in a whole new way.
“Parable” comes from the Greek word parabole, which means “to place beside”. It is a story where two things are placed beside each other to learn more about them through comparing and contrasting. Many parables begin with “The kingdom of God is like…”. Parables are well suited to the way the human mind works. They are not teaching general principles that apply universally.
Parables are effective because humans are limited by their capacity and their willingness to hear the truth. Stating the truth as a cold hard fact can be easy to reject. A parable is more indirect and can be used to soften hearts and create a greater capacity and willingness for us to be opened to the truth. It sparks the imagination and prompts questions that bring us slowly to the truth as directed by the Holy Spirit.
The Scandal of the Kingdom Through Parables
Dallas Willard explores these parables to help us learn more about what the kingdom of God is like.
- Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13)
- The Kingdom of God is like a seed
- Parable of the Great Supper (Luke 14)
- Parable of the Wheat and the Tares (Matthew 13)
- Parable of the Talents (Luke 19)
- Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Luke 20)
- Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15)
- Parable of the Faithful and Unfaithful Servant (Luke 12)
- Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25)
- Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18)
- Parable of the Hours (Matthew 20)
- Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12)
- Growth requires persistence in forgiveness, service, prayer, and humility
- Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10)
My Top Takeaways – The Scandal of the Kingdom by Dallas Willard
Reigning in the Kingdom of God
Make the Most of the Small Things
Dallas Willard uses the parable of the Talents (Luke 19) to show how life in the kingdom of God means reigning with creativity alongside God for eternity. We are responsible for making the most out of the things God has given us, even the small things. We rely on God to achieve the greatest good for God’s glory. For me, this is a challenge to think about how I can make an impact in the spheres of influence that I have at work, at home, and in the community. What would it look like to seek God’s glory in a meeting with a coworker or customer? What would it look like to seek God’s glory at dinner with my family? Without intentionality, it is easy to go through the motions and miss what God has for us in our daily interactions.
We are often misled into thinking that we have very little and therefore very little to give. Dallas Willard points out how we need to take God seriously and believe that we are worth the investment that God has made in us. The kingdom of God has an outward focus and involves generosity toward others. This feels like a challenge for me as an introvert who is more comfortable with my books that other people. Believing that God has given me specific gifts to use to reach people for his kingdom gives me the courage and freedom to step out of my comfort zone and see where God leads me.
Think Big
God is able to accomplish more than we can ask or imagine. I don’t think I have ever set out to do something for God’s glory that could only be possible with God’s power. I tend to aim small and limit my aspirations to things that I can achieve with my own power, probably to avoid disappointment. It is also very easy for me to jump from wanting to do something significant for God’s glory to wanting to be recognized as having done something significant for God’s glory. It is helpful to think about what seeking a God-sized goal from a place of humility could look like in my life.
Wealth in the Kingdom of God
Dallas Willard uses the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12) to teach about wealth in the kingdom of God. Wealth can take hold of our hearts and become an idol that motivates our choices, damages our relationships, and creates anxiety. God transforms our relationship with money and frees us from the pull of wealth by teaching us to be content with the gifts God has generously provided. Wealth in the kingdom of God is not based on money, possessions, or treasures. It is based on our own character and the investment we make in the lives and character of others.
This is a hard lesson for me to internalize. I easily fall back into relying on my bank account balance for my security. It is easy to focus on spiritual growth and character formation from a place of privilege surrounded by the comforts of the American middle class. I need to learn to be vulnerable and trust God for my security beyond what makes sense from my logical, human perspective.
Persistence in the Kingdom of God
Dallas Willard uses several parables to show how persistence in forgiveness, service, prayer, and humility are prerequisites for growth. For me, the hardest of these four areas are prayer and humility. Prayer can sometimes feel more like a duty or chore than a conversation with a friend or father. Learning to listen in prayer more than speak has helped me in this area, but I still have a ways to go. I pray that God gives me a greater desire to seek him and to be open to transformation.
Humility helps us trust in God and not in ourselves. It is having a proper view of God and a proper view of others. I can easily view myself as superior to those around me, but this judgmental attitude comes from a place of insecurity and desire for meaning through recognition. I ask God to give me humility to see and value others as God does.
Conclusion
At Faithful Intellect, our goal with book reviews is to explore the ideas and implications of the author and also share the top takeaways and critiques that shape our thinking. We hope that you will benefit from these insights even if you aren’t able to read the book yourself.
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Books by Dallas Willard:
- The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard (https://amzn.to/3vJe49F)
- Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard (https://amzn.to/42apMGG)
- Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard (https://amzn.to/424GnLT)
- Hearing God (https://amzn.to/47nptcm)
- Life Without Lack (https://amzn.to/3tCM7jc)
Other Related Books:
- Practicing the Way (https://amzn.to/42aScjB)
- Becoming Dallas Willard by Gary Moon (https://amzn.to/3NN9n4)
- Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster (https://amzn.to/3SjkjtN)
Also take a look at our Resources page for what has influenced our thinking.
Take a look at our other Blog posts for articles engaging culture with faith and reason.
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