Dallas Willard

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Dallas Willard, Portland, 2008

Dallas Albert Willard (born September 4, 1935 in Buffalo , Missouri , † May 8, 2013 in Box Canyon , California ) was an American philosopher , spiritual writer and evangelical thought leader.

Life

Willard grew up in rural Missouri in a poor family; his mother died when he was two years old. After high school he worked as a migrant farm worker, reading the works of Plato on the side . He studied philosophy at William Jewell College and Tennessee Temple College and graduated in 1956 with a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy. In 1957 he earned a Masters of Arts degree in philosophy and religion from Baylor University . At the University of Wisconsin at Madison , he received his doctorate in philosophy ( PhD ) in 1964 .

In addition to various teaching posts, Willard was Professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles for 48 years . He was considered an important innovator of evangelical thinking in the USA.

Private

Willard married Jane Lakes in 1955 and they have two children. He died of cancer.

plant

In addition to a large number of publications on his main academic topics, Willard has also translated works by the German philosopher and mathematician Edmund Husserl (1859–1938) into American, which have appeared under the title: Early Writings in the Philosophy of Logic and Mathematics .

In addition, his popular spiritual books are considered formative for a number of other authors, including Richard J. Foster , Gordon MacDonald , Brennan Manning , Henri Nouwen and John Ortberg .

Willard himself was significantly influenced by his studies, among others, by Augustine of Hippo , Johannes Calvin , John Wesley and Brother Lorenz . Therefore, topics such as experiencing God's presence , keeping silence , following Jesus Christ , seeking God's kingdom and eternity take up a lot of space. So far he has published in German:

  • The secret of spiritual growth . GerthMedien, Asslar 2011, ISBN 978-3-86591-390-6 (American English: The spirit of the disciplines: understanding how God changes lives . San Francisco 1988. Translated by Jens Uhder).
  • How he talks to us. Brockhaus , Wuppertal 2002, ISBN 978-3-417-24454-0 (Original title: In search of guidance ).
  • The one, gentle voice - learning to hear God in a noisy world. Hänssler , Holzgerlingen 2004, ISBN 978-3-7751-4102-4 (Hearing God).
  • Living from the heart - How Christ wants to shape our personality. Brunnen , Giessen 2004, ISBN 978-3-7655-1868-3 (Renovation of the Heart).
  • You get younger on the way. Following Jesus as a lifestyle. 2nd Edition. Neufeld , Schwarzenfeld 2011, ISBN 978-3-86256-008-0 (The Great Omission).
  • Younger live in the middle. With contributions by John Ortberg. Neufeld , Schwarzenfeld 2014, ISBN 978-3-86256-055-4 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Obituary by John Ortberg on Dallas Willard in: Christianity Today
  2. ^ The Life and Ministry of Dallas Willard. Retrieved August 4, 2019 .
  3. ^ Obituary Dallas Willard in the magazine AufAtmen 3-2013
  4. John Ortberg: Guardian of my soul. Gerth Medien, Asslar 2015, p. 5: For Dallas Albert Willard (1935–2013). A spiritual person who was destined to live forever in God's great universe.