Taking 1 Corinthians 13 Seriously

Taking 1 Corinthians 13 Seriously: A 3-Part Series

Dallas Willard taught a 20-part, intensive seminary course on the psychology of redemption (the theology of spiritual formation) for Denver Seminary in 2010. Nested within the expansive series are three talks titled Taking 1 Corinthians 13 Seriously: How to Do It. With today being St. Valentines day, we wanted to point your attention to the three lectures. See the links below for each of the three parts.

Taking 1 Corinthians 13 Seriously: How to Do It Part 1

Taking 1 Corinthians 13 Seriously: How to Do It Part 2

Taking 1 Corinthians 13 Seriously: How to Do It Part 3

Announcing the Finalists for the Dallas Willard Research Center Book Award

The Martin Institute and the Dallas Willard Research Center (MIDWRC) at Westmont College are pleased to announce the five finalists for the 2025 Dallas Willard Research Center Book Award.

Dallas Willard (1935-2013) was a thinker, pastor, and author of such books as The Spirit of the Disciplines and The Divine Conspiracy. Now regarded as modern spiritual classics, these works have inspired thousands of ordinary Christians to become extraordinary Christ-followers and have influenced an entire generation of writers and teachers on Christian spiritual formation. The MIDWRC Annual Book Award program was created in 2015 to help place an enduring emphasis on the intellectual legacy of Dallas Willard by recognizing original written work that shares his vision that invisible things such as soul, spirit, and the kingdom of God are part of reality and can be known via experiential interaction.

These five finalists were selected out of a field of close to 20 nominees. They will be evaluated by a panel of judges and the winner will be announced in May of this year.

Michael W. Austin
Humility: Rediscovering the Way of Love and Life in Christ
(Eerdmans)

John Mark Comer
Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus. Become like him. Do as he did.
(WaterBrook)

Tyler J. VanderWeele
A Theology of Health: Wholeness and Human Flourishing
(University Notre Dame Press)

Rich Villodas
The Narrow Path: How the Subversive Way of Jesus Satisfies Our Souls
(WaterBrook)

Michael Wear
The Spirit of Our Politics: Spiritual Formation and the Renovation of Public Life
(Zondervan)

There were three books nominated that we did not consider for our finalist list because, in one case, it was a posthumous publication of Dallas Willard himself. In the other two cases, the books were written by authors who work closely with the Martin Institute. Nonetheless, these three books are certainly deserving of an honorable mention:

Dallas Willard, The Scandal of the Kingdom: How the Parables of Jesus Revolutionize Life with God (Zondervan).
Gayle Beebe, The Crucibles that Shape Us: Navigating the Defining Challenges of Leadership (IVP).
John Ortberg, Insurmountable: An in-depth look at Jesus’ teachings in The Sermon on the Mount (Become New).