John Mark Comer believes that confusion has crept into the Church. His testimony: We often hear people use “disciple” as a verb, but “disciple” is a noun. It’s something you are, not something you do.
Comer has written several books on practical theology, and much of his recent work warns Christians against restlessness and looks to ancient wisdom as a guide to faith. His new book, Practicing the Way (WaterBrook 2024), takes these same themes and applies them to this question of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. But the answer he gives is wrong.
Since “disciple” has become such a familiar word in churches, Comer prefers to use “apprentice,” emphasizing that believers are students and Jesus is our teacher. The goal of an apprentice is threefold: to be with Jesus, to become like him, and to do like him.
Being with Jesus includes reading the Bible and praying, which evangelicals typically consider “quiet times,” but Comer desires more for his readers. He recommends meditating on Jesus, feeling his presence. He wants Christians to look God in the face and bask in his light, knowing that God looks back.
Becoming like Jesus involves what is generally considered spiritual formation, which Comer defines as “the process of becoming people of love in Christ.” Spiritual formation does not just happen to a person. Comer says that more willpower and Bible study do not lead to a changed life characterized by love, and that people resist spiritual formation because our sinful hearts have already conformed to this sinful world. Comer asserts that teaching coupled with intentional practice in the context of community leads to change.
When it comes to doing like Jesus, Comer reminds Christians of their mission to make disciples. He says we must “make room for the gospel” in our lives, which means showing hospitality to those who need the gospel. Finding time for hospitality often requires getting rid of other commitments, but once we make room for others in our schedule, we have the opportunity to preach to them and demonstrate to them the Gospel.
Most of the advice Comer offers is helpful, but Practicing the Way is an eclectic book, blending typical evangelical Protestantism with elements of the Charismatic movement and Roman Catholicism.
In the final section of the book, Comer draws on the medieval church, arguing that Christians should follow a “rule of life” that mimics the rule that governs a monastery. Here, Comer misses the essential point of a monastic rule: practitioners do not create the guidelines themselves, while Comer tells his readers to be flexible and establish their own rule of life. He offers suggestions like fasting, seeking solitude, and practicing the Sabbath, but ultimately it’s up to the reader to decide what’s right for them.
Likewise, his discussion of the importance of being in the presence of God goes astray when he draws on the experiences of Christian mystics who were part of the 16th century Counter-Reformation during which Catholicism attempted to regain ground on the newly formed Protestant churches. He speaks of mysticism as if it were at the heart of Christianity, but mysticism is not distinctly Christian, appearing in various religious traditions, and throughout Church history it has remained on the periphery, having more critics than supporters.
Comer ends up implicitly creating a two-tiered Christianity in which Jesus’ super-spiritual “apprentices” ascend to a more exalted state through the practice of spiritual disciplines and the rest of the Church is simply saved. The book contains some interesting suggestions, but readers should be wary of any temptation to return to this spiritual dichotomy rejected by the Protestant Reformation.
