The Divine Conspiracy Bible Study Participant's Guide: Jesus' Master Class for Life

by Dallas Willard

Renowned teacher, writer of the acclaimed The Spirit of the Disciplines , and one of today's most brilliant Christian thinkers, Dallas Willard, now offers a new six-session small group Bible study (DVD/digital video sold separately). This guide offers a timely and challenging call back to the true meaning of Christian discipleship. Gracefully weaving biblical teaching, popular culture, science, scholarship, and spiritual practice into one cohesive group study, Willard shows Christians everywhere the necessity of making profound changes in how we view our lives and live out our faith. This study masterfully captures the core of Christ's teachings in a fresh, relevant light, revealing a revolutionary way to experience God … by knowing Him as an essential part of the here and now, rather than only as a part of the hereafter. Based on the Sermon on the Mount, Willard calls Christians into an authentic faith and then offers a practical plan by which we can answer the call. In light of sales of the groundbreaking print book, thousands of Christians will enroll in “Jesus’ Master Class for Life” … The Divine Conspiracy . This Participant Guide is designed for use with the companion DVD (sold separately). It’s filled with insights, questions for discussion, and applications that will help you connect a new way of thinking to actual deeds and a different approach to life. Out on the risky waters of faith, Jesus is waiting to meet you in ways that will change your forever, deepening your character and your trust in God. Sessions
1. The Divine Conspiracy
2. The Path to a Blessed Life
3. Becoming a Good Person
4. Treasuring What Matters Most
5. Becoming a Community of Prayerful Love
6. Living as a Disciple of Jesus Designed for use with the Divine Conspiracy Video Study (sold separately).

Genres: Theology, Christian, Spirituality, Nonfiction

96 pages, Paperback

First published March 16, 2010

About the author

Dallas Willard was a widely respected American philosopher and Christian thinker, best known for his work on spiritual formation and his expertise in phenomenology, particularly the philosophy of Edmund Husserl. He taught philosophy at the University of Southern California from 1965 until his death in 2013, where he also served as department chair in the early 1980s. Willard held degrees in psychology, philosophy, and religion, earning his PhD in philosophy from the University of Wisconsin–Madison with a focus on the history of science. He was recognized as a leading translator and interpreter of Husserl's thought, making foundational texts available in English and contributing significantly to the fields of epistemology, philosophy of mind, and logic.
Though a serious academic, Willard became even more widely known for his books on Christian living, including The Divine Conspiracy and Renovation of the Heart, both of which earned major awards and helped shape the modern spiritual formation movement. He believed that discipleship to Jesus was an intentional process involving not only belief but transformation through spiritual disciplines like prayer, study, solitude, and service. For Willard, spiritual growth was not about earning God’s favor but about participating in the divine life through active cooperation with grace.
His teachings emphasized the concept of apprenticeship to Jesus—being with him, learning to be like him—and his influence extended to ministries such as Renovaré, the Apprentice Institute, and the Dallas Willard Center for Spiritual Formation. He served on the boards of organizations like the C.S. Lewis Foundation and Biola University, and his intellectual and spiritual legacy continues through Dallas Willard Ministries and academic institutions inspired by his work.
Willard was also a deeply personal writer who shared candidly about the challenges of balancing academic life with family. Despite his own admitted shortcomings, those closest to him regarded him as a man of deep love, humility, and grace. His enduring impact can be seen in the lives and works of many contemporary Christian thinkers and writers, including Richard J. Foster, James Bryan Smith, and John Mark Comer. As both philosopher and pastor to the mind, Dallas Willard remains a towering figure in the dialogue between rigorous thought and transformative Christian practice.