Since September El Jefe and I have been reading Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard for our Sunday School class at church. I was part of the leadership team that facilitated the class. We finished the book just before Christmas, so I thought I would share our experience with it.
This is really more than a book review, it is also a video review because an important part of the class presentation is the accompanying video. In fact, I'm sure that many of those who attended the class (including me and El Jefe) would say that it was the most important part.
Renovation of the Heart is an introduction to spiritual formation. Dallas Willard is a professor of philosophy at USC and a Southern Baptist minister. The book reflects his philosophical training and academic background in that it is very closely reasoned and difficult to follow in several places. The video includes a short summary of each chapter of the book by Willard, followed by a three way conversation, dubbed "Coffee Talk" between Willard, Larry Crabb and John Ortberg on the themes of the chapter. Larry Crabb is a psychologist who stresses the importance of spiritual direction rather than therapy. John Ortberg is also a psychologist and the senior pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in California.
Willard's thesis is that the church fails in its transformational mission because it focuses on behavior rather than spiritual change. The book is a step-by-step guide to beginning that process of spiritual transformation. The three-way discussions in the "Coffee Talk" portion of the accompanying video make the drier text of the book come alive and sparked excellent discussions in the small groups that were formed in the classes. Although these classes were held on Sundays, many of the people who attended were not regular attendees of any particular adult Sunday School class at the church. I was impressed at the depth of the discussions, given that many of the people did not have a previous relationship with each other, and think it is due to the honesty and frankness Crabb and Ortberg shared in "Coffee Talk". El Jefe was among those who gave up trying to read Willard's book but enjoyed the videos and joined in the discussions.
I did read the entire book and found it difficult but ultimately very rewarding. The last chapter which focused on ways in which the church fails in its mission to make disciples and why provided me with many "ah-hah!" moments. Unless you have a group that is committed to working through a difficult philosophical-style text like Renovation of the Heart, I would not recommend it as the subject of a class without using the accompanying video. The video makes the ideas in the book understandable and accessible to those who struggle with Willard's style. I think that the book needs to be read with a group to get the most out of it. I doubt I would have finished it without the support of the class and the supplementary material in the video.
My nephew recommended Willard's Divine Conspiracy to me, and I've just begun reading it. It seems much less academic and difficult than Renovation of the Heart so far. I'll let you know what I think of it when I'm finished. If you've read either of these books, I'd love to see your reaction to them in the comments.
Willard's thesis is that the church fails in its transformational mission because it focuses on behavior rather than spiritual change. The book is a step-by-step guide to beginning that process of spiritual transformation. The three-way discussions in the "Coffee Talk" portion of the accompanying video make the drier text of the book come alive and sparked excellent discussions in the small groups that were formed in the classes. Although these classes were held on Sundays, many of the people who attended were not regular attendees of any particular adult Sunday School class at the church. I was impressed at the depth of the discussions, given that many of the people did not have a previous relationship with each other, and think it is due to the honesty and frankness Crabb and Ortberg shared in "Coffee Talk". El Jefe was among those who gave up trying to read Willard's book but enjoyed the videos and joined in the discussions.
I did read the entire book and found it difficult but ultimately very rewarding. The last chapter which focused on ways in which the church fails in its mission to make disciples and why provided me with many "ah-hah!" moments. Unless you have a group that is committed to working through a difficult philosophical-style text like Renovation of the Heart, I would not recommend it as the subject of a class without using the accompanying video. The video makes the ideas in the book understandable and accessible to those who struggle with Willard's style. I think that the book needs to be read with a group to get the most out of it. I doubt I would have finished it without the support of the class and the supplementary material in the video.
My nephew recommended Willard's Divine Conspiracy to me, and I've just begun reading it. It seems much less academic and difficult than Renovation of the Heart so far. I'll let you know what I think of it when I'm finished. If you've read either of these books, I'd love to see your reaction to them in the comments.
5 comments:
This sounds like a terrific recommendation, QG. (I just finished reading all the Amazon reviews. An excellent method for procrastinating both Greek and laundry, I must say.) As you know, I have been immersed in Ignatian spirituality for the past few years, and I would be hard pressed to identify anyone in the last 500 years with a more perceptive understanding of human religious psychology than Ignatius of Loyola. That said, on my list for 2008 (not a resolution! since I am limiting myself to one!) is exploring morew Protestant writings on spiritual formation than I have in the past, since my life seems to demand a constant melding of both traditions. This sounds like an excellent resource.
I always have found Dallas Willard a cumbersome person to read. I don't know why. He writes some very good things, but it's drudgery for me to read his books, even though they are "worthwhile." Maybe in a group, I'd do better. . . .
Thanks for reviewing this book and for joining my "Reading Challenge"! :)
I second the recommendation of Divine Consipiracy. Even if you don't really read it all, it does present some interesting ideas that provide good food for thought. Don't know if I'll pick up Renovation of the Heart based on the review-- difficult is discouraging. But it does sound like a good class.
GG,
I'd love to hear your reaction to Renovation after you finish it and how it compares to the classical Ignatian understanding of spirituality. That would make a great post! (hint, hint)
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