It has been a few years since I have had a substantial number of people reach out to ask my view on a particular author. Do you know anything about him? Have you read him? Would you consider reviewing some of his books? But after this break of a few years, it has recently begun anew with John Mark Comer. I, too, have heard his name and seen his books on the lists of bestsellers. Yet I had not read anything by him. Eventually, based on all the inquiries, I decided to buy and read his most recent title, Practicing the Way, which seems to be a kind of culmination of his earlier works.

Practicing the Way

There is often a certain degree of sameness to Christian publishing and, sure enough, I was only a few pages in before I thought, “Oh, we’ve been here before!” About twenty years ago many popular authors were discovering or rediscovering the traditions of the mystics and monastics. As they did so, they curtailed or dismissed certain aspects of traditional Protestantism in favor of elements drawn largely from Roman Catholicism. And in many ways, this is what Comer has done for a whole new generation of readers.
Practicing the Way has an understandable appeal. Comer focuses a lot of attention on some of the obvious and frustrating shortcomings of contemporary Evangelicalism. He addresses the common longing for a faith that is more substantial than what so many churches teach and more grounded in ancient practices. If you are living as a Christian and sometimes feel that there must be more to the faith than this, he wants to affirm that there is. I understand the appeal of an author who addresses the longing for more and who provides a neatly produced program you can follow—especially one that purports to meet the challenges of the modern world while drawing on the deep history of Christian practice. But, of course, much depends on the nature of that program.
Comer is a self-professed mystic and agrees with Karl Rahner who says, “The Christian of the future will be a mystic or he will not exist at all.” He does not quite define the term other than saying it indicates “a disciple of Jesus who wants to experience spiritually what is true of them theologically,” but it generally indicates an expectation of receiving original and unmediated revelation from God. It is associated with practices like lectio divina, contemplative prayer, and with meditation, stillness, and silence—practices Comer endorses and regards as essential. He draws upon a broad group of thinkers and practitioners who come from Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Quaker backgrounds and who are united primarily by their mysticism. This includes the ones well-read readers will probably expect: Dallas Willard, Richard Foster, Henry Nouwen, Brother Lawrence, and so on. Comer does add some other elements to his beliefs—a dose of charismatic theology (e.g. words of prophecy; deliverance from demons; speaking in tongues) and, what he is becoming known for—a Rule of Life. He also tells about the importance of at least one Jesuit spiritual director who has shaped and formed him. (And on that note it is probably worth remembering that the Jesuit order was founded specifically to counter the teachings of the Reformation and, therefore, to combat the Protestant faith—a purpose it has never revoked.)
Comer writes often about the gospel and expresses the importance of telling others about it. He is somewhat vague about the content of his gospel, though he makes it clear that it is not the gospel of Evangelical churches—a gospel of penal substitutionary atonement. He especially abominates the gospel of street preachers and its message of “repent of your sin so you won’t go to hell.” Rather, his gospel is something like “live like Jesus and live for Jesus so other people can become interested in Jesus.” In fact, the major divisions of his book, and hence the major themes of the Christian life, are: be with Jesus, become like him, and do as he did. While he includes a section about suffering for the gospel, I cannot see anything in his gospel that is offensive enough to earn the disapproval and hence persecution of others.
He begins the book with a lengthy section on what it meant to be one of the original disciples of Jesus, though he prefers the term “apprentice.” Here he draws heavily on early Rob Bell and Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus to teach what it meant for Jesus to be a rabbi and for his disciples to follow him in “the Way.” (He much prefers speaking of “the Way” then “the Christian faith” or “Christianity.”)
To be with Jesus is to essentially embrace the practices of mysticism, to turn abiding with God into a life-long and life-consuming practice—what some might call practicing the presence of God. It is to engage in lectio divina and contemplative prayer. It is to pray without words and to focus on mindfulness. It is to “practice the way” and, in the words of one of his previous books, “to ruthlessly eliminate hurry.”
To become like Jesus is to pursue spiritual formation. This is to rest in Christ in such a way that he transforms us from the inside out so that we become people of love. “This, then, is spiritual formation: the process of being formed into a person of self-giving love through deepening surrender to and union with the Trinity.”
To do as Jesus did is to live a life that imitates Jesus. It does not so much involve asking “What would Jesus do?” as “What would Jesus do if he was living my life?” This involves three rhythms: making space for the gospel, preaching the gospel, and demonstrating the gospel. “The gospel,” he says, “is that Jesus is the ultimate power in the universe and that life with him is now available to all. Through his birth, life, teachings, miracles, death, resurrection, ascension, and gift of the Spirit, Jesus has saved, is saving, and will save all creation. And through apprenticeship to Jesus, we can enter into this kingdom and into the inner life of God himself. We can receive and give and share in Love Loving. We can be a part of a community that Jesus is, ever so slowly, forming into a radiant new society of peace and justice that one day will co-govern all creation with the Creator, in an eternity of ever-unfolding creativity and growth and joy. And anyone can be a part of this story.” To demonstrate this gospel is to live it out through healing, deliverance from demonic forces, prophecy, and justice.
How do we ensure that we are doing this? Through a Rule of Life, a term that is gaining a fair bit of traction today. The book culminates in a substantial section that teaches how to understand and implement it. Rule of Life is a Benedictine practice that, taken in isolation, is simple enough and perhaps even useful. It is less a rule and more a set of disciplines—disciplines customized to the individual or community that provide guidance and restraint so Christians can live meaningful and satisfying lives. It may include devotional habits, limitations on the use of devices, and the practice of a sabbath. Comer’s version of it is notable for what it includes and excludes. It includes mystical and charismatic practices, for example, and excludes the evangelistic proclamation of the gospel and explicit direction about feeding the mind or growing in understanding of Christian doctrine.
It also seems to exclude what we might understand as a traditional local church. Comer is clear that Christianity is meant to be pursued in community and in a type of community different from Evangelical or Reformed churches, but offers little guidance on what this might look like. I suspect, though, that it is similar to the communities so many people tried to build in the era of what became known as the Emerging Church—a movement that drew upon many of the same thinkers and treasured many of the same values. While he often mentions the church he has founded so that he and others can practice the Way, he provides few details about it.
If you, like me, were reading Christian books 20 or 25 years ago, much of this will sound familiar, and rightly so. I would not necessarily say that Comer is creating Emergent 2.0, but I do see that he is advocating something that expresses similar concerns and rejects similar components of Evangelicalism, and something that shares similar influences and is built on a similar foundation. It would seem likely to me, then, that it will eventually trend in a similar direction and suffer a similar fate—becoming first sub-biblical, then unbiblical, and then altogether unrecognizable as a faithful expression of the Christian faith. I hope that I am wrong but, frankly, would be surprised if that proves true. Feel free to circle back in 10 or 15 years and call me out as necessary.
That’s not to say that Comer doesn’t offer any legitimate critiques or valuable insights or that he fails to teach any useful practices. There is much in his book that is true and useful. Yet there is much that is false and unhelpful and therefore much to be concerned about. I am especially concerned that people who feel that longing for more—that sense that there must be more to the Christian life than this—will allow their disquiet to draw them into his teachings, into his practices, and ultimately, perhaps, right out of recognizable Christianity. What he offers is not merely a different perspective on the Christian life or an alternate set of practices, but a different gospel and ultimately a different faith.
I would suggest great caution with Comer’s teaching and urge you to count the cost of embracing it.Share
Thus, I would suggest great caution with Comer’s teaching and urge you to count the cost of embracing it. As I understand it, if you follow his counsel and adopt his teaching, your life will need to change, your understanding of theology will (probably) need to change, your practice of devotion will need to change, your church will need to change, and your gospel will need to change. It is not overstating the matter that almost the whole of your life will need to become different. You will need to reject much of what you believe and practice in order to embrace new beliefs, new priorities, new convictions, and new practices. The cost, I’d say, is high. Too high.

As you know, I like to do my best to comb through the new Christian books each month to see what stands out as being not only new, but also particularly notable. I received quite a number of new titles in February and narrowed the list down to the ones below. I have included the editorial description for each. I hope there’s something here that catches your eye!

The God Who Judges and Saves: A Theology of 2 Peter and Jude by Matthew S. Harmon. “Even though Peter and Jude wrote their canonical letters almost 2,000 years ago, the church today still faces similar challenges as their original readers. What do these short, overlooked books have to teach Christians today about God, humanity, and God’s redemptive plan? In this addition to the New Testament Theology series, Matthew S. Harmon examines the unique themes of 2 Peter and Jude as well as their common ground, addressing topics such as false teaching, God’s authority, and the new heavens and the new earth. Analyzing the historical and biblical context of both books, Harmon helps readers understand how these key themes apply to them today—giving Christians comfort and motivation in the face of serious challenges and opposition to the gospel.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)
Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation by Collin Hansen. “Millions have read books and listened to sermons by Timothy Keller. But which people and what events shaped his own thinking and spiritual growth? With unfettered access to Keller’s personal notes and sermons–as well as exclusive interviews with family members and longtime friends—Collin Hansen gives you unprecedented understanding of one of the 21st century’s most influential church leaders. Spend any time around Timothy Keller and you’ll learn what he’s reading, what he’s learning, what he’s seeing. The story of Timothy Keller is the story of his spiritual and intellectual influences, from the woman who taught him how to read the Bible to the professor who taught him to preach Jesus from every text to the philosopher who taught him to see beneath society’s surface. For the first time, Hansen introduces readers to Keller’s early years: the home where he learned to tell stories from the trees, the church where he learned to care for souls, and the city that lifted him to the international fame he never wanted.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)
Evangelical Pharisees: The Gospel as Cure for the Church’s Hypocrisy by Michael Reeves. “Scripture warns believers of hypocrisy—called the ‘leaven of the Pharisees’—and its potential to spread quickly in the church. Outwardly appearing as devout religion, this legalism hides destructive pride, idolatry, and even apostasy. Unfortunately, pharisaism is still a problem among evangelicals today. How does Jesus instruct the church to recognize and defeat one of its deepest theological issues? In this clear, compelling call to spiritual reformation, Michael Reeves helps believers reject pharisaism and embrace gospel integrity. Studying 3 essentials of Christian doctrine that the Pharisees misunderstood—their approach to Scripture, understanding of salvation, and disregard of regeneration—Reeves shows readers how to embrace a biblical, Trinitarian, and creedal understanding of the gospel necessary for true reformation.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)
Refreshment for the Soul: A Year of Daily Readings from the ‘Heavenly Doctor’ by David MacKinnon. “A pastor of forty years who has throughout his ministry found the Puritans to be a great source of spiritual encouragement, David MacKinnon presents here 366 extracts from the works of the Puritan pastor Richard Sibbes, which may be used each day of the year by readers as an aid to devotion. Each extract has been carefully selected, and a suitable accompanying Scripture text provided at the start of each daily reading. Occasional antiquated words in the original have been updated, and overly long sentences have been shortened, but all with a view to retain Sibbes’ flow and meaning for present-day readers. For those who have never encountered Sibbes before, this volume will serve as an excellent introduction. All will find in these daily readings spiritual refreshment for the soul, coming from one who in his day was known, appropriately, as the ‘heavenly doctor.’” (Buy it at Amazon)
Truly, truly, I say to you: Meditations on the Words of Jesus from the Gospel of John by Adam Ramsey. “The most precious words this world has ever heard came from the voice of Jesus. ‘It is I, do not be afraid’; ‘I am the Light of the World’; ‘I go to Prepare a Place for You’; ‘It is finished.’ These are just some of the powerful, life-renewing words spoken by Jesus in the first century. As we read them in John’s Gospel, the Holy Spirit makes these same words come alive in our hearts today. With devotions and prayers from Adam Ramsey, along with insights from the 19th-century “Prince of Preachers,” Charles Spurgeon, you will encounter Jesus through these pages and experience the transforming power and tender comfort of his voice. These 40 devotions are ideal for Lent, with two extra special reflections added for Easter Sunday and Monday. They can also be used at any time through the year, to deepen your own walk with Jesus. As Jesus’ words of grace and truth shine a light into your heart, you’ll learn more about yourself. But more importantly, you’ll learn more about him, as you marvel at his character and find yourself captivated by his presence.” (Buy it at Amazon)
Right Thinking for a Culture in Chaos: Responding Biblically to Today’s Most Urgent Needs edited by John MacArthur & Nathan Busenitz. “In an age of moral and spiritual decline, you will inevitably face pressure to view truth as something subjective, shifting, and ultimately unknowable. Yet the Word of God stands in bold contrast against this postmodern sentiment. The absolute truth of Scripture is timeless, extending even to today’s most heated controversies. From the bestselling team behind Right Thinking in a World Gone Wrong comes Right Thinking for a Culture in Chaos: a biblical response to contemporary issues like gender identity, government authority, deconstruction of faith, critical race theory, and more. Each chapter illuminates how the principles of God’s Word equip you to honor Him in an increasingly corrupt world. You’ll also be encouraged by the profound hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ—the only remedy for humanity’s brokenness. No matter what society teaches, God’s Word cuts through the haze of confusion with the light of truth. Right Thinking for a Culture in Chaos encourages you to ground your convictions in Christ and His all-sufficient Word.” (Buy it at Amazon)
Don’t Hold Back: Leaving Behind the American Gospel to Follow Jesus Fully by David Platt. “The New York Times bestselling author of Radical challenges Christians to break free from an American gospel that prostitutes Jesus for comfort, power, prosperity, and politics—and fully pursue the true gospel that exalts Jesus above all. Pastor David Platt believes we’ve gotten really good at following a really bad gospel—one that worships American ideas over biblical truth. It’s time for disillusioned, discouraged, and divided Christians, and the next generation, to follow Jesus into a different future. But we have to make a choice: an American gospel or the biblical gospel. Worldly division or otherworldly unity. Compromise with the idols of our country or commitment to God’s call in our lives. In Don’t Hold Back, Platt encourages followers of Jesus to take necessary risks and find unimaginable reward as we: work for—not against—each other, especially when we disagree; turn the tide on centuries of racial division in the church; trust all of God’s Word with conviction while loving everyone around us with compassion; do justice with kindness, and experience the good life according to God; play our part in spreading the gospel to all the nations of the world. We can experience the full wonder of Jesus and transcendent beauty of his church here and now. But in order to do so, some things need to be different. Starting not in ‘those people,’ but in each one of us. With the gospel in our hearts and God as our prize, let’s press on and don’t hold back.” (Buy it at Amazon)
5 Puritan Women: Portraits of Faith and Love by Jenny-Lyn de Klerk. “The writings of the Puritans have had a recent resurgence, but many Puritan women have often been overlooked or misunderstood. As mothers, daughters, grandmothers, and wives, the vibrant faith of Puritan women has much to teach modern day readers. In 5 Puritan Women: Portraits of Faith and Love, Jenny-Lyn de Klerk shows how the lives and writings of Christian women encourage the beauty of holy living and provide practical wisdom for the home and the church. Each chapter portrays a different Puritan woman—Agnes Beaumont, Lucy Hutchinson, Mary Rich, Anne Bradstreet, and Lady Brilliana Harley—telling their stories of devotion, lament, and family. By studying their faith journeys, modern readers can learn more about their roles in church history and glean insights into the Christian life.” (Buy it at Amazon)
Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh: New Clues for an Old Problem by Kenneth Berding. “Paul’s enigmatic ‘thorn in the flesh’ in 2 Corinthians has baffled interpreters for centuries. Many offer suggestions as to the identity of Satan’s messenger; others despair that the puzzle is unsolvable. In Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh: New Clues for an Old Problem, Kenneth Berding reopens the case. He follows a trail of clues that includes ancient beliefs about curses, details from Paul’s letters, Jesus’s own suffering, and the testimony of the earliest Christian interpreters. Berding offers twenty criteria―some familiar, others neglected―that any proposal must explain. While the usual suspects fall short, Berding suggests a new solution―one that satisfies all the evidence and gives us a fuller view of Paul. Far from an abstract puzzle, Paul’s own suffering is relevant to Christians today. Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh is an accessible study that casts new light on Pauline studies, first–century background, and theological and pastoral concerns.” (Buy it at Amazon)
The Coming of the Holy Spirit: Why Jesus Sent his Spirit into the World by Phillip D. Jensen. “When we seek to understand the person and work of God’s Spirit, we are often so concerned with personal theories or current controversies that we fail to listen carefully to what God himself teaches in the Scriptures. The Coming of the Holy Spirit begins with the very centre of what the Bible teaches about the Spirit: Jesus will fulfil the Old Testament prophecies and pour out the Holy Spirit on his people. The book explores the five promises of Jesus about the Spirit in John 14-17 and then traces the fulfilment of those promises through the rest of the New Testament—in the Pentecostal outpouring of Acts 2, the progress of the Holy Spirit’s world mission throughout Acts, and the ongoing work of the Spirit in initiating, continuing and completing the Christian life in all its dimensions (personal and corporate). In this important and unique work, Phillip Jensen draws on a lifetime of biblical exegesis and preaching to unfold not only the depth and richness of the Bible’s teaching about the Spirit, but its centre and emphasis. Having done this important work, he then goes on to deal with many of the secondary issues that have often dominated our discussion of the Spirit. This is a groundbreaking book of immense importance because it follows the Bible’s own emphasis in teaching about the Spirit, and in doing so teaches us to know the true and living God, who is the Spirit.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)
The Holy Spirit by Robert Letham. “The Holy Spirit is God and indivisible from the Father and the Son. Robert Letham thus develops a holistic and canonical view of the Spirit in the context of the Trinity, the person and work of Christ, and redemption. Heeding the cumulative wisdom of God’s people through the ages, he touches on disputed matters with care and grace—ultimately providing a deeply biblical, irenic, and engaging contribution to our understanding of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)

There are a few trends that seem universally associated with a modernizing society. Wealth increases, for example, and standards of living rise. Meanwhile, marriage and fertility rates decline. So too does the average age of marriage. Over the past few decades, marriage in many Western countries has transformed from a rite-of-passage into adulthood to something more like an optional add-on to middle-age.
Contra the culture both within and outside of the church, I remain an advocate of marrying young. That’s not to say that there is anything wrong with waiting to marry until you are older or that you should marry young. However, I do I suggest you at least be open to the possibility of it. It’s not to say you should plow recklessly ahead with your first crush, but that you should move forward only with the guidance and wisdom of parents and Christian community. And it’s definitely not to say you should marry when you are still a child—so perhaps we can define “young” as being something like twentyish to twenty-sixish—ages that are within the bounds of adulthood but still significantly younger than the contemporary average.
With that in mind, I direct this brief article to Christian young people and offer them several reasons they should be open to marrying when they are young.

There is something sweet and significant about building a life together. While there is nothing wrong with building separate lives and then combining them in your late twenties or thirties, it is a special joy to begin with nothing and build it all as a couple.

While the Bible offers no explicit directives on the age of marriage, it does at times seem to assume or commend it as an aspect of being younger rather than older. For example: “Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth” (Proverbs 5:18). Sure, part of this may be related to the realities of an ancient agrarian culture, but still, the Bible’s assumption for marriage generally seems to point to youth more than age.

Once you are certain that you have found the person you would like to marry, there is often little benefit in remaining unmarried for a long period of time. Conversely, there may be difficult struggles and temptations.

It is powerfully counter-cultural to not only reject cohabitation, but to embrace marriage. Everyone expects you will get married someday, but few expect you will get married until you have tried many partners and trialed many relationships. Young marriage testifies to God’s plan for men and women to form exclusive and lifelong partnerships—to not only choose to build a life with another person but to forever reject all other possibilities by deliberately closing out your options. Such a decision is guaranteed to provoke interesting and biblically-based conversations.

When I have spoken to couples who have reached their 50th, 60th, or even 70th anniversaries, they have always lamented that it feels too short. More years together, they insist, are better than fewer years.

Part of the beauty of marriage is that it involves a second person coming alongside to help, strengthen, encourage, support, and care for you. More years of such blessings may prove a greater benefit than fewer years. This is perhaps especially true when those blessings come in your formative twenties.

Part of the beauty of marriage is that it involves a second person coming alongside to help, strengthen, encourage, support, and care for youShare
You may hear that marrying young is more likely to lead to problems in marriage or even to divorce. I have only anecdotal evidence to offer here, but it has been my personal and pastoral observation that Christians who marry older are just as likely (and maybe even more likely) to experience difficulties in their marriage. Which is to say, neither youth nor age are necessarily associated with either strength or weakness. Other factors play a more crucial role in marital health.

While many cultural conventions dictate the importance of establishing a certain level of wealth or achieving a certain level of vocational success before getting married, the Bible does not. You can get married without owning a home or beginning your first career. You can even get married before finishing college. There will certainly be matters of wisdom to consider, but God nowhere forbids or warns against it. It may take a lot less than you think it does to survive quite happily together.

Though this is obvious, it also merits consideration: The younger you are, the greater the pool of available potential spouses. The older you are, the greater the number who have already settled down with others.

On a somewhat similar note, I have observed that major decisions often become more difficult as you age. As it pertains to marriage, you may experience more doubts, second-guessing, and struggles deciding on a spouse in your thirties than in your twenties. In this way the naïveté and straightforwardness of youth may actually prove a blessing.

Sexual desire tends to be strongest and sexual ability freest when men and women are young rather than old. One purpose of marriage is to join together with a willing partner who will explore and enjoy sexual satisfaction with you. It is a blessing to have a willing and available sexual partner in those years of greatest desire.

It is generally true that the younger you are, the easier it is to conceive children. Societal norms about the age of childbirth have changed substantially and so too have reproductive technologies. But human biology has not. Society does not tell the truth when it implies or explicitly states that it is best to pursue a career first and consider children only later. (Did you know that if a woman is due to give birth after her 35th birthday—which is not very old!—, doctors already refer to it as “advanced maternal age” or, formerly, a “geriatric pregnancy” because of the increased complications age can bring?)

The younger you get married, the younger you can start to have children. This opens more options when it comes to the number of children you can have. If you begin to have children in your late-thirties, time necessarily restricts the size of your family. But the possibilities remain greater when you have your first a decade or more earlier.

The younger you have children, the younger you will be when you have grandchildren and thus be able to have longer and deeper involvement in their lives. Just consider the differences in becoming a grandparent at 50 versus 60 or 70. This may not seem important when you are 19 or 20 years old, but take it from me and a host of grandparents that someday it will be very important indeed.

I will conclude where I began, by insisting that I am not saying there is anything wrong with waiting to marry until you are older. Neither am I saying you should marry when you are young. Rather, I am saying that you should not exclude the possibility of it. Instead, as you reach your late teens and early twenties and head into adulthood, begin to think, “I am now old enough to marry.” Then begin to pray and consider whether it would be wise and good to marry sooner rather than later.