What Would I Say to a Young Christian Reading John Mark Comer?
I was asked to give a pastoral and general take. Here it is.
A pastor asked me what I would say to a 25-year-old devouring John Mark Comer’s books. And he also wanted to know my general take on JMC.
Pastoral Response
First, I'd be thrilled to see a young man reading! It seems rare to see people reading actual books, let alone Christian books. I would cheer this brother on and be careful not to discourage him.
Next, I'd ask him diagnostic/pastoral questions like, "What did you like? What did you want to learn more about? What stuck with you? Didn't understand? Disagreements?" I'd want to see and hear how he is processing and being formed by what he's reading.
Third, and this is big, I'd ask him if he wants to read a few books together. I suggest going deeper with some of the sources Comer quotes. But I'd avoid the Roman Catholic Mystics that JMC has a strong affinity for. I'd begin with Augustine's Confessions. Then, I would pivot to Luther's A Simple Way to Pray, Calvin's On the Christian Life, John Owen's The Mortification of Sin, and more. Schedule times to meet, discuss the reading, pray together, and teach him how to pray the Psalms. Fill his shelves. Fill his heart. Shepherd him.
My General Take on Comer’s Work
What I love about Comer is how he wants to point people toward fellowship with Christ. It's a Christ-pointing spirituality. One general concern is that he quotes a lot of unsavory mystics—the kind of stuff I wouldn't quote as it could be perceived as an endorsement or even a red carpet to read more. The Puritans offer a doctrinal and affectional spirituality. Go there!
Further, I wish he were more practical. He's very philosophical. Comer is a big Dallas Willard guy (a philosophy professor). This makes Comer insightful but not as straightforward. When listening to Practicing the Way, I remember thinking about his answer on how to be/abide with Jesus: "Just be with Jesus." I said aloud, "C'mon. Tell people to listen to his voice in the Word, to pray to him, to meditate on the Word, his person and work, etc." He does that a little. But I wish he were more straightforward about being in the Word. I almost get the impression that he downplays the intake of the Bible.
In Practicing the Way, I could be wrong or misremembering, but repentance is not featured in his discussion of spiritual formation/the Christian life. Confession is taught, but sadly, repentance is not (p.95). Comer is not going to give a detectable gospel-centered framework. I wish he were more explicit about the atonement and regeneration. I'm concerned that an unbeliever—especially an unbeliever who thinks they are a believer—could read Comer, do what he says, and still be dead in their sins.
A significant concern is found when Comer writes on page 136, as he defines the gospel, “And through apprenticeship to Jesus, we can enter into this kingdom and into the inner life of God himself.” That’s just not true. That’s anti-grace. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ. God’s work of grace, not discipleship, transfers us into his Kingdom (Col 1:13). I get what JMC is trying to say, but it is a clunky and sloppy way to say it. It reads as works-based righteousness and eternal life. I doubt he believes that (I hope he doesn’t!). But it needs clarifying. An editor should have snagged that.
When you read Practicing the Way, you will not be reminded or confronted with the work of Christ. Now, Comer is right to show Jesus as our model. That is Comer's mega-theme. But Jesus is more than just a model for the Christian life. Jesus as the crucified Christ and risen Lord is the message of the Christian life (Matt–John). Jesus is the means of the Christian life (Gal 2:20). And he's the motivation, too (2 Cor 5:15). We need to:
Believe Jesus (initial + ongoing repentance and faith)
Be with Jesus
Become like Jesus (character and love)
Others, like Wyatt Graham, have contributed thoughtful reviews and concerns of Comer’s work. Part of the problem in some spiritual formation talk today is when we frame things in a way—from grammar, word choice, and quotes—so it sounds more profound, ancient, and more "spiritual." So many talk about "naming" things, being in that "space," doing the "work," contemplative prayer, and so on. Here's what I want to clearly say about spiritual formation: Read the Bible, pray the Bible, meditate on the Bible, believe Jesus, depend on the Spirit, fellowship with other believers, serve your church, pursue holiness, and live for the glory of God.
Comer is brilliant, a stellar communicator and writer, nonabrasive, pleasant, and funny. He is tapping into the younger generations' longing for a serious faith. Praise the Lord! So, let's join them in this pursuit. Let’s take them deeper into church history. Let’s go deeper into spiritual formation—deeper with Christ and in his Word.
Summary: What would I say to a young Christian reading JMC? “Hey, wanna read some more stuff on spirituality with me? Let’s go to the 17th century. You’ll love it.”
While I share your unease concerning Comer's work, I'd stop short of dismissing such a broad swathe of Church history. We've been handed down a plethora of wisdom both before and after the reformation, even in the long millennium between Augustine and Luther. To say, "Wanna read some more stuff on spirituality with me? Let’s go to the 17th century" veers too far into the waters of chronological snobbery that Lewis warns us of in Surprised by Joy.
What's more, it might work against the outcome we'd hope for.
The best outcome is what you suggest. The young man comes away from reading the great works you suggested and does so with a greater understanding of God, a full understanding of his sin, of the grace he's been provided, and invigorated to follow the great commission. The second—which I've seen far more often—is that the young man misunderstands this as proof of progressive theology. New equals better. Quite the opposite of what the reformers would have hoped for. The third—though surely not the final—I can think of, is the rising trend of young men who are finding solace in pre-reformation writings and finding no one in their church who will wisely walk through it with them, they go elsewhere to search it out, falling into the welcome arms of priests in greek and roman robes.
There is a great deal of wisdom in the years before the reformation, even in the writings of those we'd disagree with. To be clear, I have no issue with the books you chose, and I'd hasten to recommend your own book, Humble Calvinism, alongside them as I have many times before, but in our current cultural climate I think some nuance is needed here.
I am an almost 25 year old Christian who's read three of JMC's books and consumed a ton of his content in the last 6 years. Thank you for sharing your opinion and inviting dialogue. I appreciate the gentle tone of this article and the suggested reading list. I have my own opinions, hesitations, and concerns about his work, just as I do with almost everyone else's work that I read.
That being said, I must say that there are a few points in this critique that made me cringe very hard, and in the spirit of good faith dialogue, I would like to share a handful of thoughts.
1) I believe that all Christians should have a well-rounded reading list and a well-rounded understanding of each Christian tradition, so to discourage the Christian from reading Roman Catholic works just because they're... dun dun dun... "Roman Catholic" isn't going to do anybody any favors. I think Christians should read Luther, Calvin, and the Puritans. But Luther, Calvin, and the Puritans are not infallible. They get a lot right but they're not perfect.
2) "...he quotes a lot of unsavory mystics—the kind of stuff I wouldn't quote as it could be perceived as an endorsement or even a red carpet to read more. The Puritans offer a doctrinal and affectional spirituality. Go there!" ... Why not read both? Why an either/or? There is much to be gleaned about deep communion with Christ from the many traditions of Christianity. Also, might I ask, who exactly are these "unsavory" mystics he's quoting?
3) I have to completely disagree with you that John Mark is impractical. In fact, in the three books I've read by Him (Live No Lies, The Ruthless Elimination Of Hurry, and God Has A Name), and the hours of other content I've consumed, I've always walked away feeling like there was something I could DO with what he taught. Seriously. He has whole sections in his books specifically about practicing what he teaches. It's kind of his thing. I have not read Practicing The Way, but I've watched some of his video content for it, and it was great. As for "being with Jesus" being a vague statement, I admit that that is a very mystical kind of thing to say... until you realize just how simple it is. It is just about being present as you would with any other person, and practicing silence, humility, and thankfulness, reflecting on His goodness in prayers of adoration.
4) I agree that repentance could explicitly be talked about more. But at the same, for what I understand, by turning to Jesus in all things and living life as Jesus did, you are repenting. It is not a one and done thing that you do. It is a life of submission to Christ. There is a moment that you choose to begin that life of repentance, but it is an active lifestyle of turning to Him from then on.
5) It is a modernist reformationist mindset that demands the atonement of Jesus to only be about transactionally paying for the laws we've broken. Jesus indeed pays for our sins, but not in the way that we're so used to thinking about it. N.T. Wright is obviously a huge inspiration for Comer in this area. Comer (as N.T. Wright does) opts for the ancient view that sin is a disease and power gripping mankind. So Jesus take the punishment that our sins deserve (the wrath of God) onto Himself on the cross, but He does so in order that sin's power can be destroyed in His body; and simultaneously He takes death (the power of satan, Heb 2:14-15) onto himself in order to render it useless over humanity. Therefore there is a penal substitution element and a Christus Victor element working together in the death of Jesus. The atonement is a mosiac; not just a transaction. This is obviously a huge topic, but I've done my best to articulate my thoughts at the moment.
6) JMC does not believe in "works-based righteousness." What he does believe and teach, as the Bible is very clear on, is that discipleship is the heart Christianity. "Go make disciples of all nations!" Obedience to Christ is essential for living a Christian life– there is no life with Christ without following after Him and being a disciple in submission to Him. We will either be formed by Christ or we will be formed by something else. We must choose one master. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously said, "Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ." JMC has done an amazing job of cutting through the majority of shallow, pop Christianity that teaches that you just need "accept Jesus into your heart" or simply "say a prayer" to be saved. Being a Christian is WHOLE LIFE commitment! This is a breath of fresh air for those of us who are sick and tired of "Christianity lite" in America! His teachings on discipleship have been incredibly formative for me and others around me to live a more joyfully obedient life in Christ.
7) “Hey, wanna read some more stuff on spirituality with me? Let’s go to the 17th century. You’ll love it.” ... Yikes. This is probably the point I winced at the most. It seems as though you are willing to largely ignore the first 1500 years of Church history. That is a very unwise move.