The Steady Confidence of Dallas Willard
May 14, 2013
Dallas Willard at USC. Courtesy of Becky Heatley.
I met Dallas Willard my first year at USC (1995), as a student in his "History of Western Philosophy" class. I didn’t know anything about him but even the first day I remember being struck by his kindness and gentle presence. His lectures were more like conversations: he would make eye contact with us, smile and encourage us to question him, saying, “Anyone speaking so much is bound to make mistakes, so you make sure you stop me.”
The very first thing that struck me, however, was when reading the class syllabus I noticed he didn’t have the title ‘Ph.D.’ next to his name. It simply said Dallas Willard. I remember being puzzled by this and thinking, “He can’t teach here without a Ph.D.? What’s going on?” A few years later I read in The Divine Conspiracy,
The hunger for titles and public awards in human life--indeed, in religious life--is quite astonishing... The children of the kingdom...are to have none of all this. ‘Don’t seek to be called ‘Professor’ or ‘Doctor,’ Jesus says, ‘for you have only one teacher, and all of you are students (189).
I loved how slow and soft-spoken he was because it allowed me to think through the difficult concepts, and thinking back, I’m convinced, this gave him an opportunity to pray for his students and invite God into our midst, even while lecturing. I was deeply blessed during these lectures as were many others. He was as brilliant as gentle and caring.
One day, a Buddhist monk, also a student, asked Dallas if he could teach the class about Buddhism (this was a philosophy of religion class). Dallas graciously agreed and stepped aside. I remember there was a lively discussion afterwards. I can hear Dallas’s words now, “If there were a better way, Jesus would be the first one to encourage us to take it.” What quiet and steady confidence!
By the time I was done at USC (1997), I had dropped my deeply dissatisfying, atheistic view of the world. I had come to a point where, after desperately seeking God, I could say, “I have finally found Him-- in Dallas Willard.”
Thank you, God, for the gift who was Dallas Willard!
Thank you, Juliet. I never had Dallas Willard for a class, but I experienced most of what you said about him while listening to him teach at two Renovare conferences. I consider myself blessed to have even that limited exposure to him.
How lovely, thank you.
Thanks for this post. I’m thankful for the ministry of Dallas Willard. I heard him speak at a church in Birmingham, Alabama in 2011. He was kind enough to answer a question that I ask him after the last meeting. He will be greatly missed
The fact that Dallas was able to such an impact, considering the venue, brings tears to my eyes. Maybe Christian conversion happens a lot at USC but sadly we don’t hear about it.
I never attended USC, nor did I know Dallas Willard personally, but testimonies like this caused me to seek out his writings, videos, and teachings since his passing. It’s already had a profound impact on my life.