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Revolution of Character: Discovering Christ's Pattern for Spiritual Transformation
This book will help you reflect on the spiritual significance of each element of your human self--heart, mind, body, social life, and soul--so that God can transform you. Includes discussion questions.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published October 5, 2005
68 people are currently reading
594 people want to read
About the author
Dallas Willard
117 books1,121 followersDallas 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
May 23, 2024
First spiritual formation book I’ve read! Lots of helpful and practical outside the box ideas of how to grow in spiritual disciplines. Some chapters were a bit wishy washy (especially sections regarding the soul) but mainly helpful and gets me keen to read more on this!
May 24, 2022
Revolution of Character walks through the different aspects of what it looks like to see spiritual transformation in our apprenticeship with Jesus. Focuses on the heart, thoughts, feelings, body, relationship with others and our soul and how each element is essential for spiritual formation. Also talks about the practical steps to see change in these areas and gives questions for reflection and passages of Scripture to meditate more deeply on. Really enjoyed this book!
January 6, 2021
This is a condensed and distilled version of Willard's "Renovation of the Heart." Both books are outstanding. In fact, I would rate these as among the five most important works I have ever read for living a life as a disciple of Jesus. Willard literally changed the way I look at my whole self rather than aspects of myself. While not a three or twelve step "how to" book, it is nonetheless actionable. I highly recommend this for both reading and periodic revisiting.
April 25, 2019
I did not enjoy this book. How can a book be so vague yet so obvious at the same time??? I did not feel challenged. Most times I felt bored or confused about what was actually trying to be said. Never so happy to be finished with a book!!!
January 25, 2024
A "distillation" of Willard's Renovation of the Heart which has been one of the most impactful books on my spiritual life. It takes the content in Renovation of the Heart and makes it more digestible. This is a book I want to re-read every few years.
January 5, 2019
This is an abridged version of Dallas Willard's Renovation of the Heart, and is an excellent adaptation of it. I've read the original three times, and while reading this version I felt like it missed very little from the original, while also making the content much more accessible. Another plus was that it was formatted for use with time of retreat or reflection, with reflection questions at the end of each chapter that were actually quite good.
A very faithful, well-executed, significantly shorter, and more accessible version of the original.
A very faithful, well-executed, significantly shorter, and more accessible version of the original.
May 13, 2023
The only reason it's not 5 stars is because this is an abridgment of "Renovation of the Heart," and the longer work is (unsurprisingly) more complete. We read this for a weekly discussion group and the chapter length was nicely digestible for that format, but if I was just going to pick up a book, I'd get the full, unabridged "Renovation of the Heart."
January 16, 2024
This is an adaptation of Dallas Willard’s “Renovation of the Heart.” In Christian circles there is often talk of God “changing you from the inside out.” To me, this book was a great expansion with practical insight to that phrase. I loved this book and it will definitely be a re-read for me.
November 27, 2017
This book was actually written by Don Simpson from the work of Dallas Willard. It’s like the very approachable Willard. I enjoyed it a lot.
July 1, 2023
Read everything by Dallas Willard that you can - incredible thinker and disciple of Christ!
March 15, 2024
Such a fantastic encouragement for how to walk with Jesus and to do it well. Really grateful for my professors suggestion to read this
December 2, 2024
Очень глубокая книга. Заставляет молиться и размышлять над изменением характера.
February 20, 2015
Philosopher and popular Christian author Dallas Willard has earned a reputation for both his insight into the human person and his love for spiritual formation. In Revolution of Character, a condensed and more accessible version of Willard’s Renovation of the Heart, Willard and co-author Don Simpson present their case for a new awakening in the understanding of the nature of both the human person and also the process of spiritual formation as necessary correctives to the spiritual apathy and immaturity prevalent in many Western cultures today. Composed of twelve chapters, Revolution of Character can be broken down into three main movements. Chapters 1-5 describe the problem facing the body of Christ, provides an in-depth analysis of the nature of human personhood, and describes Jesus’ revolutionary pathway of personal spiritual transformation. Movement two, comprised of chapters 6-11, take each of the dimensions of the person described in movement one to the “spiritual woodshed” and asks the reader to examine that particular part of their life. The concluding movement of the book, chapter 12, asks the reader to consider the wider missional applications that being the person Jesus wants them to be entails.
Dallas Willard’s central thesis in Revolution of Character is that for too many in the Church today, a life “in Christ” doesn’t look all that much different from a life “without Christ.” Many believers lack the victory over sin, hurt, and pain that they expected to find when accepting Jesus’ call to believe the Gospel. Rather than being an indictment of Christianity however, Willard asserts that this failure to thrive in the Christian life comes down to a failure to “accept the life Jesus offers us in the right way” (Willard & Simpson 11). In many cases we, the believer, do not do our part in the radical transformation that Jesus offers us with the Gospel. The Gospel then, is not just Good News on a cosmic scale—a promise of a renewed and revitalized cosmos in the eschaton—but also at the individual human person scale—an invitation to a new life empowered by God’s Spirit that offers a true renewal of the human person.
The process of renewal and restoration of the person is synonymous with spiritual formation for Willard. Indeed, he defines spiritual formation as “the Holy Spirit-driven process of forming the inner world of the human self in such a way that it becomes like the inner being of Christ himself” (Willard & Simpson 16). This transformation of the inner person into Christ-likeness takes place in six aspects of the human person in Willard’s understanding of personhood: Thoughts, Feelings, Heart (spirit/will), Body, Social context, and Soul. The central portion of the book, movement two, challenges the reader to spend a great deal of prayerful time examining each aspect of their own personality in turn.
For Willard, the dimensions of “thoughts” and “feelings” make up the human mind and are key diagnostic tools of what is operating in the heart. The heart then is the center of volition in Willard’s understanding and represents the seat of human character. The body is the vessel in which the heart resides and the incarnational vehicle of our diving image bearing. Our social context consists of our relationships, particular with those few who make up our inner circle. Finally, the soul in Willard’s understanding is that area of our person in which all of the other dimensions of personhood integrate. When we interact with other humans, the Creation, and with God we do so as integrated souls.
Throughout the book, Willard asks the reader to prayerfully reflect on their true spiritual condition. From the “magnificent ruin” he describes in chapter three, how far have we truly come? What does Jesus want us to give up? Willard’s short answer is “the self.” As Jesus commanded, we are to die to self. It is only through this death, a sacrifice of immense proportions, that we can be truly free—but free for what? We are free to be transformed. Free to open our lives to the transforming power of God’s spirit, to let it well up inside of us until that which kept us in slavery is purged. The purpose of this transformation is two-fold. First, we are called as chapter 12 informs us, to be a “light to the world.” As we yield and cooperate in the revolution of our characters, we begin to shine with the inner light of God. We can then truly guide others along the way to their own transformations. Finally, the ultimate purpose of this revolution is to prepare us for the day in which we participate in the life of God fully—when we are cleansed and transformed and will be like Jesus and share in his inheritance eternally.
Dallas Willard’s central thesis in Revolution of Character is that for too many in the Church today, a life “in Christ” doesn’t look all that much different from a life “without Christ.” Many believers lack the victory over sin, hurt, and pain that they expected to find when accepting Jesus’ call to believe the Gospel. Rather than being an indictment of Christianity however, Willard asserts that this failure to thrive in the Christian life comes down to a failure to “accept the life Jesus offers us in the right way” (Willard & Simpson 11). In many cases we, the believer, do not do our part in the radical transformation that Jesus offers us with the Gospel. The Gospel then, is not just Good News on a cosmic scale—a promise of a renewed and revitalized cosmos in the eschaton—but also at the individual human person scale—an invitation to a new life empowered by God’s Spirit that offers a true renewal of the human person.
The process of renewal and restoration of the person is synonymous with spiritual formation for Willard. Indeed, he defines spiritual formation as “the Holy Spirit-driven process of forming the inner world of the human self in such a way that it becomes like the inner being of Christ himself” (Willard & Simpson 16). This transformation of the inner person into Christ-likeness takes place in six aspects of the human person in Willard’s understanding of personhood: Thoughts, Feelings, Heart (spirit/will), Body, Social context, and Soul. The central portion of the book, movement two, challenges the reader to spend a great deal of prayerful time examining each aspect of their own personality in turn.
For Willard, the dimensions of “thoughts” and “feelings” make up the human mind and are key diagnostic tools of what is operating in the heart. The heart then is the center of volition in Willard’s understanding and represents the seat of human character. The body is the vessel in which the heart resides and the incarnational vehicle of our diving image bearing. Our social context consists of our relationships, particular with those few who make up our inner circle. Finally, the soul in Willard’s understanding is that area of our person in which all of the other dimensions of personhood integrate. When we interact with other humans, the Creation, and with God we do so as integrated souls.
Throughout the book, Willard asks the reader to prayerfully reflect on their true spiritual condition. From the “magnificent ruin” he describes in chapter three, how far have we truly come? What does Jesus want us to give up? Willard’s short answer is “the self.” As Jesus commanded, we are to die to self. It is only through this death, a sacrifice of immense proportions, that we can be truly free—but free for what? We are free to be transformed. Free to open our lives to the transforming power of God’s spirit, to let it well up inside of us until that which kept us in slavery is purged. The purpose of this transformation is two-fold. First, we are called as chapter 12 informs us, to be a “light to the world.” As we yield and cooperate in the revolution of our characters, we begin to shine with the inner light of God. We can then truly guide others along the way to their own transformations. Finally, the ultimate purpose of this revolution is to prepare us for the day in which we participate in the life of God fully—when we are cleansed and transformed and will be like Jesus and share in his inheritance eternally.
May 27, 2020
This book seems to be a simplified version of Willard’s Revolution of the Heart rewritten by Simpson to be more understandable to the non-academic. They propose the best way to pursue spiritual formation is by working through the elements of a person and realigning them to God. According to the authors, the basic parts of a person, arranged in broadest to most distinct, are the soul, the social life, the body, the mind (which includes thoughts and feelings) and the heart, which comprises spirit and will. They suggest the best order for working through the parts of the person to attune them to God and the book somewhat follows this reasoning.
The biggest issue I see with Revolution of Character is that the parts of personhood outlined by Willard and Simpson are not nearly as distinct as they present them. The biblical authors use many of these parts, like heart, spirit and soul as interchangeable. In the verse quoted by the authors, Psalm 16:9, heart and soul are used as a poetic device called parallelism where the same idea is expressed twice for emphasis. “My heart is glad, and my soul rejoices” says David as a poetic way of saying he’s happy. Soul and heart are used synonymously. So to base an entire system of spiritual formation by dividing the person into parts that do not actually exist apart from each other is a bit forced. Can we treat the heart without touching on the soul? Would pain be a product of the mind or the body? Is love a part of the social context or the feelings of the mind? If we choose to love someone is that of the mind or the heart? I do not believe the person should be so split up, categorized and mapped on a diagram.
The biggest issue I see with Revolution of Character is that the parts of personhood outlined by Willard and Simpson are not nearly as distinct as they present them. The biblical authors use many of these parts, like heart, spirit and soul as interchangeable. In the verse quoted by the authors, Psalm 16:9, heart and soul are used as a poetic device called parallelism where the same idea is expressed twice for emphasis. “My heart is glad, and my soul rejoices” says David as a poetic way of saying he’s happy. Soul and heart are used synonymously. So to base an entire system of spiritual formation by dividing the person into parts that do not actually exist apart from each other is a bit forced. Can we treat the heart without touching on the soul? Would pain be a product of the mind or the body? Is love a part of the social context or the feelings of the mind? If we choose to love someone is that of the mind or the heart? I do not believe the person should be so split up, categorized and mapped on a diagram.
October 9, 2020
It’s been 11 years since I first read this and I need to make it an annual thing. Other than the Bible it may be the most transformational book for my inner life. Can not more highly recommend it.
August 21, 2014
As many have pointed out, this book is a more accessible version of Dallas Willard's Renovation of the Heart. In fact, Willard is cited as a co-author. This is an excellent book. Quite frankly I didn't really expect it to be this good. I've also read the student edition of RoH co-authored by R. Frazee and found this book to be much clearer. It go goes beyond making a case for the need for personal transformation to explaining how that change actually happens in the life of the individual. This would be a great book for a book group that would take the time to explore the ideas presented in a deliberate and mindful way.
September 27, 2016
Revolution of Character by Dallas Willard and Don Simpson is an accessible overview of Willard's work Renovation of the Heart. Simple, without being simplistic or, as John Ortberg would say, "Dallas for Dummies." It is a useful little book for those seeking to understand what revolution of character might look like. Personally, I preferred Renovation of the Heart, but I think many readers may actually prefer this one.
Also, a not insubstantial observation: This book was written by Simpson and not Willard, though it is heavily indebted to Willard. That fact should not ultimately detract from the book, but is important to share.
Also, a not insubstantial observation: This book was written by Simpson and not Willard, though it is heavily indebted to Willard. That fact should not ultimately detract from the book, but is important to share.
October 26, 2021
Wow--another very important book, from what I've read so far! A super accessible version of Willard's very helpful book Renovation of the Heart. I read that, and so thought I wouldn't really be interested in this one. Au contrair! This book by Don Simpson offers me a way to go back and comprehend concepts that were grueling to digest in my first two read-throughs of that Renovation. I hope Simpson re-writes all Willard's works!
June 23, 2010
This book is re-write of Willard's "Renovation of the Heart". Many find the University of Southern California professor to be difficult to read. Here he teams up with Simpson to create a shorter version of "Renovation" that is much simpler to read.
To me this is a foundational book that every Christ follower should read. It dives into what it takes to transform a person's character into the character of Christ.
To me this is a foundational book that every Christ follower should read. It dives into what it takes to transform a person's character into the character of Christ.
April 1, 2009
a book that you cannot just read.
You must interact with it to make
it work. a great resource for
your study time early morning
or late night. one that you want
to work through, not simply get through.
You must interact with it to make
it work. a great resource for
your study time early morning
or late night. one that you want
to work through, not simply get through.
January 28, 2014
this book is a shorter version of Dallas Willard's Renovation of the Heart. It makes a great devotional that challenges all dimensions of our being - mental, emotional, physical, spiritual and social. its a great reminder that all is not lost in our desire to become totally abandoned to Christ.
July 24, 2011
Read JAN 2007
This is an excellent book that explains how all Christians "should" be working on the transformation of their being to God's glory.
This is an excellent book that explains how all Christians "should" be working on the transformation of their being to God's glory.
May 21, 2012
This is a simplified and very helpful version of Renovation of the Heart. I recommend it. This is serious and good stuff.
July 29, 2014
This is a great book, a kind of "cliff notes" for Renovation of the Heart. Dallas Willard has many useful things to say about Christian living.
November 2, 2014
An amazing book on the spiritual growth of a Christian. Read it, it is so good.
September 7, 2016
This book is Don Simpson's short readable interpretation of Dallas Willard's "Renovation of the Heart". It's a good intro. to willard's work and way of thinking.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews