The allure of gentleness was collated from talks, notes and conversations by Dallas Willard. It was edited by his daughter, Rebecca, and mostly she has done a great job. Only occasionally was it apparent that the material wasn’t originally intended to be a book.
Willard is most concerned about our attitude when we present arguments for faith and writes that we should be like Jesus, and speak with gentleness and respect for others. Often, in the past, apologetic material has been presented in an aggressive or defensive tone which may win an argument, but doesn’t impact the enquirer’s beliefs. After writing about our attitude, Willard moves onto some of the more traditional issues, faith and reason, the problem of pain and suffering etc. He presents his thoughts from a philosophical point of view which I found interesting, but sometimes an intellectually challenging way of looking at these issues.
Willard concludes that the best apologetic is the witness of a life lived in relationship with God. People should look at our lives and know there is something that makes us joyful and keeps us peaceful regardless of our circumstances. This was an excellent point. It doesn’t matter if we have well-reasoned arguments if our lives don’t display God’s love and grace.
Overall an insightful read.
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