Christian philosopher, author Willard dies at 77

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. — Dallas Willard, Christian philosopher and author, died May 8 in Woodland Hills, Calif., from cancer. He was 77. Willard is best known for his work on Christian spiritual formation, which he described as “the process of establishing the character of Christ in the person” in a Christianity Today interview in 2005. Willard also had taught philosophy at the University of Southern California since 1965 and headed the philosophy department there from 1982–85. 

His Christian thinking led to books like “The Spirit of the Disciplines,” “The Divine Conspiracy” and “Renovation of the Heart.” In writing about spiritual formation, he noted it was not merely behavioral modification but a focus on whether someone was becoming more like Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.