Dallas Willard is a professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California. When I saw this, I thought maybe his book “The Divine Conspiracy” would present Jesus as a philosopher or teacher who came to show us how to live a good life. I was pleasantly surprised to find a very Christ-centered look at the Sermon on the Mount.

Willard wonderfully illustrates the fact that Jesus’ sayings in the Sermon on the mount are not just sayings, but a picture of a life joined with Christ. They are not just commands but also promises. They are good news not commands that are impossible to keep.

“The Divine Conspiracy” begins by lamenting the fact that there is so little teaching about the kingdom of God in the church today. The gospel most preached in is what Willard calls the gospel of “sin management.” It is more about getting to heaven than the kingdom of God on earth. Willard skillfully points out that the central teaching of Jesus was not that you get to go to heaven when you die but that the kingdom of heaven had come to earth.

What follows is a verse by verse look at the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters five through seven). He begins by showing that the meaning behind the beatitudes was not that only super spiritual people can enter the kingdom. Rather, it was the opposite. The kingdom of God was for those who were not good at being good. In other words Jesus’ teachings were not words of condemnation but good news.

This joyous look at the beatitudes sets the tone for the rest of Willard’s discourse. Many of his insights are incredibly profound. For instance, I found his analysis of Jesus’ words about men not looking upon a woman with lust to be extraordinary.

“The Divine Conspiracy” highlights the fact that Jesus’ teachings were very subversive. They painted a whole new picture of who is really well off , of who is really free, and of who is really great. Jesus came not only to save us from our sins, He came to turn our world upside down. If we follow Christ, our worldview will be severely shaken.

The last part of Willard’s book gets practical. It talks about how individuals and pastors can lead others into the reality of kingdom living.

“The Divine Conspiracy” is not for everyone. It is 400 pages, and due to Willard’s intensity, it takes work to get through it. Yet, if you are looking for a Christ-centered introduction to the kingdom of God, Willard’s book is an excellent choice.