Yesterday, I attended the Memorial Service for Dallas Willard at The Church On the Way. I don't know whether the video will be made available online at any point.
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J. P. Moreland spoke about Dallas' philosophical work. He talked about his calling to be a light at USC; the enormous notebooks where he stored up notes and thoughts on metaphysics and epistemology; his commitments to the rigorous application of reason and to the defense of metaphysical realism; his great humility when facing intellectual opponents; and his steadfast non-cooperation with being bullied.
There's so much there that inspires but also challenges me. I don't want to commit myself to metaphysical realism just because that's what Dallas would do. But at the same time, I wonder about the extent to which I may have acquiesced or abdicated to an anti-realist or constructivist metaphysics without having really tested any of these options. It's hard to stick your neck out and defend a controversial position--not just about God or religion, but about anything. Given how much debate is part of what philosophers do, and my own very reserved temperament, I sometimes wonder at my decision to go into this field. Of course Dallas shows that one doesn't have to be argumentative in order to succeed in philosophy. But lots of study, rigorous thought, and a commitment to following reason are required.
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Dallas' granddaughter also spoke. She shared one of Dallas' last words to her before he passed. As she was preparing to leave his hospital room at the end of one day, he beckoned her over and told her, "Give 'em heaven." What a great word. Of course, Dallas was full of great words. And he had such a gentle way of offering them to you that you couldn't help but receive them, and before you knew it, they were already at work inside you.
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One of the things that was emphasized over and over about Dallas, and I've heard this from others as well, was his way of being with people. He was always attentive to those who talked with him. "It was like I was the only person in the room." There was an un-hurriedness to his manner and posture and attitude.
That's one of the main things that I want to work on in my own life. I want to be open to people. I want to be able to stop what I'm doing and attend to someone who is in need. But I find that everything else I'm working on and just the guarded attitude I have toward my time keeps me from that. You can sense this in yourself. When you find yourself walking past someone on the sidewalk, what is your reaction. Do your eyes flit toward their face or away from their face? Do you smile at them or assume a blank expression? Does your pace quicken or slow? Is your body oriented toward or away from them? Do you volunteer a greeting or wait for them to acknowledge you? Is your greeting warm and inviting, or cold and dismissive? Are you excited about what contact with a stranger might bring to your day or are you fearful of what a stranger might require of or take away from you? And part of what may be startling, if you just reflect on this for a while, is that all of these contrasts are very, very subtle. The difference I'm pointing to is not a huge one. It's not the difference between being polite and being rude; it's the difference between being open and being politely closed.
How would it be if we really could abandon all thoughts of ourselves--of our welfare, of our security, of our reputation--knowing that we really have been richly provided for in God's kingdom? Learning to lead a life with that sort of texture is no simple thing. There are no cookie-cutter formulae that will give us the desired results each and every time. No substitutes or alternatives will suffice. But while there is no cookie-cutter formulae, there is a reliable process, a long and rich knowledge-tradition that many have successfully looked to for guidance in how to live this different kind of life. And people like Dallas remind us that such a life is, indeed, available to us all.
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In a short essay entitled, "Living in the Vision of God," Dallas wrote: "When you go to Assisi, you will find many people who talk a great deal about St. Francis, many monuments to him, and many businesses thriving by selling memorabilia of him. But you will not find anyone who carries in himself the fire that Francis carried. No doubt many fine folks are there, but they do not have the character of Francis, nor do they do the deeds of Francis, nor have his effects." The ministry of Dallas Willard has been so influential and impactful--in my life as in many others. There's so much more that has been said and could be said and should be said. But, perhaps more important than any words of praise that we might offer concerning him, may it never be said of those of us who have been impacted by the teaching and ministry of Dallas Willard, or who have claimed the name of his teacher and savior, Jesus Christ, that we utterly lacked his character, deeds, or effects.
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God is in this place,
And that reality, seen and understood by the grace of God in Christ Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world.
How would it be if we really could abandon all thoughts of ourselves--of our welfare, of our security, of our reputation--knowing that we really have been richly provided for in God's kingdom? Learning to lead a life with that sort of texture is no simple thing. There are no cookie-cutter formulae that will give us the desired results each and every time. No substitutes or alternatives will suffice. But while there is no cookie-cutter formulae, there is a reliable process, a long and rich knowledge-tradition that many have successfully looked to for guidance in how to live this different kind of life. And people like Dallas remind us that such a life is, indeed, available to us all.
--
In a short essay entitled, "Living in the Vision of God," Dallas wrote: "When you go to Assisi, you will find many people who talk a great deal about St. Francis, many monuments to him, and many businesses thriving by selling memorabilia of him. But you will not find anyone who carries in himself the fire that Francis carried. No doubt many fine folks are there, but they do not have the character of Francis, nor do they do the deeds of Francis, nor have his effects." The ministry of Dallas Willard has been so influential and impactful--in my life as in many others. There's so much more that has been said and could be said and should be said. But, perhaps more important than any words of praise that we might offer concerning him, may it never be said of those of us who have been impacted by the teaching and ministry of Dallas Willard, or who have claimed the name of his teacher and savior, Jesus Christ, that we utterly lacked his character, deeds, or effects.
--
God is in this place,
And that reality, seen and understood by the grace of God in Christ Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world.
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