{"id":45282,"date":"2026-01-24T09:50:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-24T17:50:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com\/blog\/?p=45282"},"modified":"2026-09-19T08:00:29","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T15:00:29","slug":"practicing-john-mark-comers-wayward-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com\/blog\/practicing-john-mark-comers-wayward-way\/","title":{"rendered":"NEW BOOKLET RELEASE: Practicing John Mark Comer&#8217;s Wayward Way"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/BKT-PTW-COMER-COVER-new-6-377x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-45297\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.6283400177092557;width:284px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lighthouse Trails is pleased to release our latest topical booklet<em>, Practicing John Mark Comer&#8217;s Wayward Way&nbsp;<\/em>by the Editors at Lighthouse Trails. The booklet is 18 pages long and sells for $1.95 for single copies. Quantity discounts are available. Our booklets are designed to give away to others or for your own personal use. Below is the content of this new booklet.&nbsp;<strong>To order copies of<\/strong>&nbsp;<em>Practicing John Mark Comer&#8217;s Wayward Way<\/em>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lighthousetrails.com\/discernment-resources\/2838-booklet-practicing-john-mark-comer-s-wayward-way.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">click here. <\/a> Note: Italics in quotes are in the original texts of <em>Practicing the Way<\/em> unless otherwise indicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>Practicing John Mark Comer&#8217;s Wayward Way: How His Mystical, Monastic, Catholic Teachings Are Preparing the Church for a False New Age Christ<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>By the Editors at Lighthouse Trails<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Practicing the Way<\/em> by John Mark Comer was released in 2024 and since then, it has become a <em>New York Times<\/em> best-seller, ECPA\u2019s book of the year in 2025, and is being used by individuals, churches, and group studies around the world. Unfortunately, the book is filled with Comer\u2019s strange mixture of \u201cMasters of the Way,\u201d who teach various unbiblical aspects of the New Age (e.g., panentheism,* universalism,* mysticism). Interwoven into these teachings is Comer\u2019s distorted view of salvation and even of Jesus Christ Himself. The following are ten reasons why Comer\u2019s book should not be viewed as a way leading to spiritual truth but rather a way leading to spiritual deception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"h-one-the-dust-of-john-mark-comer\"><strong>ONE: The \u201cDust\u201d of John Mark Comer<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the very beginning of his book, John Mark Comer chooses to introduce his overriding theme of <em>Practicing the Way<\/em> of Jesus with a mysterious ancient blessing\u2014\u201cMay you be covered in the dust of your rabbi.\u201d Comer footnoted that this \u201ccovered in the dust\u201d concept that he later elaborates on is taken directly from a Rob Bell sermon posted on YouTube back in 2008. Bell, of course, is the controversial and polarizing former pastor who left evangelicalism, embraced universalism, and later traveled and taught with New Age leader Oprah Winfrey. Bell praised Oprah, saying, \u201cShe has taught me more about what Jesus has for all of us, and what kind of life Jesus wants us to live, more than almost anybody in my life.\u201d<sup>1<\/sup> This is the Oprah whose New Age \u201cChristianity\u201d teaches that because Christ is \u201cin\u201d everyone \u201ca slain Christ has no meaning.\u201d<sup>2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The \u201ccovered in the dust\u201d concept that Comer has adopted from Rob Bell describes how some disciples followed their Rabbi (teacher) so closely, they became literally and figuratively covered in his dust as they traveled along together. And what becomes apparent is that Comer\u2019s readers are not only indirectly exposed to the dust of Rob Bell, but to the direct dust of Comer\u2019s Catholic Jesuits, mystics, monks, and other New Age-sympathizing figures. For Comer to open his book by using a clip from a Rob Bell YouTube is a sure signal that John Mark Comer\u2019s way is a wayward way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"h-two-comer-s-catholic-priests-jesuits-monks-and-mystics\"><strong>TWO: Comer\u2019s Catholic Priests, Jesuits, Monks, and Mystics<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The following are the names of 17 Roman Catholic priests, Jesuits, monks, and mystics Comer includes in <em>Practicing the Way.<\/em> This is significant when you consider what is taught by the Catholic Church in its 1995 <em>Catechism<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the Son of God became man so that we might become God.\u2014(#460)<sup>3<\/sup><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Brother Lawrence (1614-1691)\u2014French Catholic monk and God \u201cin\u201d everyone author of <em>The Practice of the Presence of God<\/em>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>David L. Fleming (d. 2011)\u2014Catholic Jesuit priest and author of <em>What Is Ignatian Spirituality<\/em>?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Francis MacNutt (d. 2020)\u2014Catholic leader (and former Catholic priest) in the charismatic \u201cinner-healing\u201d movement.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Henri Nouwen (d. 1996)\u2014Catholic priest who encouraged mystical practices and, like Brother Lawrence, taught that God is \u201cin\u201d everyone. Nouwen said, \u201cThe God who dwells in our inner sanctuary is also the God who dwells in the inner sanctuary of every human being.\u201d<sup>4<\/sup> And, contrary to Jesus\u2019 teaching not to use repetitive prayer (Matthew 6:7), Nouwen taught, \u201cThe quiet repetition of a single word can help us to descend with the mind into the heart\u201d<sup>5<\/sup> (mantric meditation). Nouwen is referenced numerous times throughout <em>Practicing the Way.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>James A. Conner\u2014Catholic contemplative author and former Jesuit priest.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Jean-Pierre de Caussade (1675-1751)\u2014A Catholic Jesuit mystic.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Karl Rahner (d. 1984)\u2014A German Catholic Jesuit priest who said \u201cthe Christian of the future will be a mystic, or he will not exist at all.\u201d<sup>6<\/sup><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Madame Guyon (1648-1717)\u2014A French Catholic mystic.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mark E. Thibodeaux\u2014Roman Catholic Jesuit priest and promoter and teacher of Ignatian spirituality.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Robert J. Karris\u2014Roman Catholic priest.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ronald Rolheiser\u2014Catholic priest who is an advocate of contemplative spirituality.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Saint Benedict (480-543)\u2014A Catholic monk and mystic whose teachings and beliefs formed the Rule of Life (monasticism).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Saint Gregory of Nyssa (circa 335-394)\u2014A universalist and mystic, venerated by the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Saint Isaac the Syrian (circa 613-700 AD)\u2014A mystic, venerated by the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. Both Gregory and Isaac are recognized by the Catholic Church as Catholic saints.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591)\u2014A Roman Catholic panentheistic priest.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)\u2014A Spanish Catholic nun who levitated during esoteric mystical experiences.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Thomas Keating (d. 2018)\u2014A Catholic priest and a major figure in the New Age-sympathizing contemplative prayer movement. In a book he co-authored with Catholic priest Basil Pennington, he said, \u201cMany Christians who take their prayer life seriously have been greatly helped by Yoga, Zen, TM and similar practices.\u201d<sup>7<\/sup><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"h-three-practicing-the-way-s-new-age-new-spirituality-figures\"><strong>THREE: <em>Practicing the Way\u2019s<\/em> New Age\/New Spirituality Figures<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">New Spirituality is synonymous with New Age in many respects, but it is couched in Christian terminology. So while it can appear Christian on the outside, it is grounded in mysticism, occultism, panentheism, interspirituality (all paths lead to God), and universalism. Below are 22 New Spirituality figures found in <em>Practicing the Way.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Bishop Kallistos Ware (d. 2022)\u2014Author of <em>The Orthodox Way<\/em>, of which Comer says, \u201cWhen I read this absolutely wonderful book, it felt like coming home\u201d (237). The Orthodox Way is a primer on monasticism and contemplative prayer, as well as a promo for the Eastern Orthodox Church.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dallas Willard (d. 2013)\u2014Pioneer of the contemplative prayer\/Spiritual Formation movement (referenced over a dozen times in<em> Practicing the Way<\/em>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>David Benner\u2014The author of contemplative book, <em>Sacred Companions<\/em>. Recommends New Age Catholic mystic Richard Rohr. Incidentally, Comer also recommends Richard Rohr in an essay Comer wrote promoting the Enneagram<sup>8<\/sup> and also promotes Rohr in an article Comer wrote titled \u201cDark Night of the Soul.\u201d<sup>9<\/sup><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Eugene Peterson (d. 2018)\u2014Author of <em>The Message<\/em>, a poor paraphrase of the Bible that contains many overlapping New Age\/New Spirituality terms and concepts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gary Thomas\u2014Teaches mantra meditation in his popular book, <em>Sacred Pathways.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Greg Peters\u2014Monastic monk and the author of <em>The Story of Monasticism: Retrieving an Ancient Tradition for Contemporary Spirituality.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>John Ortberg\u2014Key leader in the contemplative prayer movement (mentored by Dallas Willard). Ortberg and Ruth Haley Barton developed the Spiritual Formation curriculum for Willow Creek.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>J\u0171rgen Moltmann (1926-2024)\u2014A major influencer on leaders of the emergent\/social justice church movement (today\u2019s \u201cwoke\/progressive\u201d church).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ken Shigematsu\u2014In his book <em>God in My Everything<\/em>, in what he calls a \u201cspiritual ecosystem,\u201d<sup>10<\/sup> Shigematsu provides a who\u2019s who of New Age sympathizers and Catholic mystics. He is an influential advocate for contemplative \u201csilence.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>M. Robert Mulholland (d. 2015)\u2014Author of <em>Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation<\/em>** where he recommends a number of contemplative mystics for \u201cresources on prayer\u201d including panentheistic Catholic monk Thomas Merton and Richard Foster\u2019s book, <em>Meditative Prayer <\/em>where Foster promotes the \u201cphysical sensations\u201d<sup>11<\/sup> (\u201cfire of love,\u201d \u201cdivine fire,\u201d \u201cdart of fire\u201d) that can occur during contemplative prayer meditation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Margaret Guenther (d. 2016)\u2014Author of the contemplative meditation-promoting book, <em>Holy Listening: The Art of Spiritual Direction<\/em> (with a foreword by atonement denier, Alan Jones).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mark Scandrette\u2014Emergent church leader and co-author of <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com\/blog\/emergent-manifesto-of-hope-despair-revisited-how-its-affected-todays-church\/\">An Emergent Manifesto of Hope<\/a><\/em>, a book that promotes universalism.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Marjorie J. Thompson\u2014Comer references her book<em> Soul Feast<\/em>, a book promoting mantra meditation and New Age mystics such as Matthew Fox and M. Scott Peck.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pete Greig\u2014Author of <em>Red Moon Rising<\/em> and founder of the 24-7 \u201cboiler rooms.\u201d Greig is a major proponent of monks, monasteries, and contemplative meditation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Peter Scazzero\u2014In his book, <em>Emotionally Healthy Spirituality<\/em>, Scazzero introduces readers to countless proponents of contemplative spirituality and mindfulness meditation and instructs them to practice the Daily Office as taught by Catholic and former Trappist monk, James Finley. Finley is on the core faculty team of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com\/blog\/new-booklet-richard-rohr-a-catholic-new-age-priest-his-cosmic-christ-and-young-evangelicals\/\">Richard Rohr<\/a>\u2019s New Age-sympathizing organization, Center for Action and Contemplation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rich Villodas\u2014In his book, <em>The Deeply Formed Life<\/em> (the book Comer cites), Villodas teaches on meditative practices and quotes a number of mystics, including Catholic monk Thomas Merton (who said he \u201cintend[ed] to become as good a Buddhist as [he] can\u201d).<sup>12<\/sup><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Richard Foster\u2014The most prominent pioneer (inspired by Dallas Willard) of the Spiritual Formation movement and the \u201cschool of contemplative prayer.\u201d<sup>13<\/sup><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rob Bell\u2014Cited earlier in the booklet, Bell is the New Age-sympathizing universalist who once said, \u201cWe\u2019re rediscovering Christianity as an Eastern religion, as a way of life.\u201d<sup>14<\/sup><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ruth Haley Barton\u2014Trained at the New Age\/New Spirituality Shalem Prayer Center in Washington, DC and now trains thousands of pastors and church leaders on the dynamics of New Age \u201crhythms\u201d and contemplative prayer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Saint Seraphim of Sarov (1754-1833)\u2014A monastic priest and mystic, venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stephen Covey (d. 2012)\u2014Mormon author of <em>The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People<\/em> and a proponent of mystical Eastern-style meditation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Thomas Kelly (1893-1941)\u2014 A Quaker mystic.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"h-four-comer-s-faulty-unbiblical-view-of-salvation\"><strong>FOUR: Comer\u2019s Faulty, Unbiblical View of Salvation<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In <em>Practicing the Way,<\/em> John Mark Comer disparagingly cites a Gospel message that he says \u201cis presented in many circles\u201d\u2014\u201cYou are a sinner going to hell. God loves you. Jesus died on the cross for your sins. If you believe in him, you can go to heaven when you die\u201d (19). But Comer strongly criticizes that Gospel by saying that it \u201cdoesn\u2019t sound anything at all like the gospel Jesus himself preached. . . . it\u2019s missing whole pieces of truth that are really, really important. . . . It simply does not come close to the full picture of salvation. . . . it has created a kind of salvation by \u2018minimum entrance requirements.\u2019 . . . there are serious problems with this view of salvation\u201d (19). However, the very thing he is criticizing as falling short of being the Gospel <em>is<\/em>, in fact, the Gospel. By writing these things, Comer has degraded the Gospel and provided a basis for his works-based salvation. He states, \u201cThere\u2019s no guarantee you can be a Christian but not an apprentice of Jesus and still \u201cgo to heaven when you die\u201d (20). It\u2019s worth noting that in his strange effort to redefine the word \u201cdisciple\u201d as \u201capprentice,\u201d Comer uses some form of the word \u201capprentice\u201d over one hundred times in the book and says he prefers that term instead of disciple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Comer says, \u201cContrary to what many assume, Jesus <em>did not invite people to convert to Christianity.<\/em> He didn\u2019t even call people to become Christians. . . . he invited people to apprentice under him into a whole new way of living. To be transformed\u201d (xvi, emphasis added). In his attempt to back up his \u201capprenticeship\u201d teaching, he goes out of his way to \u201cprove\u201d that Jesus was not concerned about converting people, by relating it to two terms that weren\u2019t even in existence yet (i.e., Christianity and Christians). But Jesus <em>did <\/em>invite people to convert, to be born again, as in the case of Nicodemus in John 3, to repent as in Luke 5:32; and in Matthew 4:17, it says, \u201cFrom that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.\u201d Comer doesn\u2019t really believe conversion can be that simple where one is invited to believe in the Gospel and then respond with faith and belief. He has also confused salvation with sanctification (a life-long process in the believer\u2019s life).That\u2019s why right after Comer says Jesus didn\u2019t invite people to convert, he says, \u201cMy thesis is simple: Transformation [he\u2019s referring to salvation] is possible if we are willing to arrange our lives around the practices, rhythms, and truths that Jesus himself did.\u201d This, you will see, is John Mark Comer\u2019s unbiblical \u201croad that leads to salvation\u201d (205).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Throughout <em>Practicing the Way<\/em>, Comer makes it clear he believes that salvation isn\u2019t just about having faith and belief, but rather it\u2019s an ongoing \u201cprocess\u201d of \u201cbeing saved.\u201d We don\u2019t really complete the process until the end of our lives (hopefully, if we have lived the right kind of lifestyle and been good \u201capprentices,\u201d according to his <em>Practicing the Way<\/em>). On page 76, Comer says, \u201cFormation isn\u2019t a Christianized version of project self; it\u2019s a <em>process of salvation<\/em>. Of <em>being saved<\/em> by Jesus\u201d (emphasis added). One message you <em>won\u2019t<\/em> see in Comer\u2019s book is one of being secure in our salvation because as Comer puts it, believing in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the Cross just isn\u2019t enough to do the job. There\u2019s a lot <em>you<\/em> have to do to make your salvation complete. But there are so many Scriptures that refute this. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. (John 1:12)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. (Romans 1:16)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In trying to define love, Comer equates \u201claying down one\u2019s life for one\u2019s friends\u201d to \u201cthe cross,\u201d saying \u201cit [the cross] isn\u2019t just something Jesus did for us; it\u2019s <em>also<\/em> something we do <em>with<\/em> him\u201d (78). For those reading <em>Practicing the Way<\/em>, this shouldn\u2019t be too surprising he says this because Comer does this with the Cross and salvation throughout the book\u2014making man\u2019s salvation a co-effort between God and man and, in essence, minimizing the greatest event that ever took place in the history of the world, the <em>finished<\/em> work of Jesus Christ dying on the Cross for our sins (a substitutionary atonement).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"h-five-comer-s-monastic-rule-of-life\"><strong>FIVE: Comer\u2019s Monastic Rule of Life<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In <em>Practicing the Way<\/em>, Comer introduces readers to one of his main inspirations\u2014sixth-century monk, St. Benedict, who created the \u201cRule of St. Benedict.\u201d Comer has developed his own \u201cRule of Life\u201d theory where he presents readers with Catholic monasticism and a \u201cprocess of salvation.\u201d He says, \u201cLet me introduce to you to a framework from the ancient church, one I deeply believe is vital for the future church: a Rule of Life\u201d (160).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Comer says it\u2019s fine to \u201cread your Bible and pray,\u201d but what you <em>really<\/em> need for becoming more Christlike is a \u201crule of life\u201d that includes the ideas and practices he\u2019s gleaned from his contemplative mystical teachers. He says, \u201cA Rule of Life <em>is a schedule and set of practices and relational rhythms that create space for us to be with Jesus, become like him, and do as he did, as we live in alignment with our deepest desires<\/em>\u201d (161). Deepest desires!? To help explain what he means by \u201cpractices\u201d and \u201crhythms,\u201d Comer turns to his numerous mystical \u201cMasters,\u201d one of whom is Ruth Haley Barton, a major figure in the contemplative prayer movement trained at the panentheistic Shalem Institute in Washington, DC. Comer admits that what <em>he<\/em> calls \u201cpractices\u201d for the Rule of Life are synonymous to \u201cspiritual disciplines\u201d and Barton\u2019s \u201csacred rhythms.\u201d In Barton\u2019s book <em>Sacred Rhythms<\/em>\u2014the book which Comer references\u2014she discusses \u201cthe monastic tradition of creating a \u2018rule of life\u2019 that allows for regular space for the practice of the spiritual disciplines.\u201d<sup>15<\/sup> In one of her other books, Barton instructs her readers on one of those disciplines (the silence): \u201cchoose a prayer phrase\u201d of \u201cno more than six or seven syllables\u201d and \u201crepeat\u201d the phrase several times \u201cas an entry into the silence . . . with a body posture that also helps you express your spiritual desire.\u201d<sup>16<\/sup> What she is teaching is classic contemplative prayer. And that is an integral part (really, <em>the <\/em>integral part) of Comer\u2019s Rule of Life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Comer states that \u201cJesus\u2019 life template was based on a rhythm of <em>retreat<\/em> and <em>return<\/em>, like breathing in and then out\u201d (57). That does not line up with the Gospels\u2019 account of Christ\u2019s life. Luke 5:16, for example, says that Jesus withdrew to pray, and Matthew 14:23 says that He went alone to pray. But there is nothing in the Bible that would even suggest that Jesus withdrew in rhythmic, regular intervals (like \u201cbreathing\u201d). However, the concept of \u201crhythm\u201d <em>is<\/em> very much used by New Age and contemplative mystics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Toward the end of his book, to further convince his readers of the monastic lifestyle, Comer quotes Canadian contemplative pastor Ken Shigematsu as saying, \u201cEvery one of us has a monk or nun \u2018embryo\u2019 inside of us.\u201d Comer calls this a \u201cmonastic impulse . . . that craves quiet prayer, solitude and contemplation. . . . Our inner monk\u201d (203). The \u201cinner monk\u201d is another term for \u201cinner self.\u201d On a St. Benedict monks\u2019 website, in an article titled, \u201cThe Way of the Monk\u201d under the subheading \u201cAwakening to the Supreme Self,\u201d it describes the \u201cinner self\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The awakened inner Self now goes in search of the Supreme Self. <em>This is the purpose of monastic life.<\/em> It is a search, a diligent search for <em>higher consciousness,<\/em> which culminates in discovering the \u201ceternal relation\u201d that exists between <em>the reality in you and the reality behind all creation<\/em> [God in everyone].<sup>17<\/sup> (emphasis added)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is Comer\u2019s goal, and it is the goal of every contemplative\u2014to awaken to that <em>inner self<\/em>, which leads to the false realization that God dwells in them as he dwells in every single human being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"h-six-contemplative-prayer-i-look-at-god-he-looks-at-me-and-we-are-happy\"><strong>SIX: Contemplative Prayer: \u201cI look at [God], he looks at me, and we are happy.\u201d<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Practicing the Way<\/em> is Comer\u2019s strong positive treatise for contemplative prayer. Many people do not understand what \u201ccontemplative prayer\u201d really is. Advocates teach that in order to \u201chear the voice of God\u201d and enter God\u2019s presence, mental distractions (thoughts) need to be stopped, allowing the practitioner to go into \u201cthe silence.\u201d To do this, contemplatives repeat a word or phrase or focus on the breath or an object for several minutes. The roots of this mantric-style meditation are panentheistic (God in all), and regardless of intent, the practice has the potential of demonic influence. This makes contemplative prayer a very dangerous practice. It has the same basis as \u201cdivination\u201d (as described in Deuteronomy 18:10), which is a form of witchcraft where the practitioner is attempting to communicate with the spirit world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On page 46, Comer introduces readers to Marjorie Thompson, quoting from her book,<em> Soul Feast,<\/em> which is a primer on contemplative prayer. In this section, referring to God, Comer states that the \u201cI look at him, he looks at me, and we are happy\u201d concept is \u201cthe apex of Christian spirituality.\u201d He says that \u201csitting in the quiet and letting God love them to be the single most joyful experience this side of eternity; indeed, it is a kind of foretaste of eternity.\u201d He continues, \u201cMasters of the Way of Jesus have long called this \u2018contemplation\u2019 [a word that] . . . at its most basic, it just means looking at God, looking at you, in love\u201d (47).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Comer says that finding your \u201csecret place\u201d is necessary \u201cto reach the depth of life with God that Jesus modeled\u201d (56). He\u2019s obviously not talking about a physical prayer closet but rather a meditative state of mind. But in trying to persuade readers to have their own \u201csecret place,\u201d Comer takes Matthew 6:6 way out of context (\u201cwhen thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret\u201d) to back up his \u201csecret place\u201d teaching. This verse was Jesus\u2019 admonishment to avoid trying to look holy by praying where everyone can see what you are doing. Thus, the need for a private quarter to pray. Comer reveals the real meaning of his \u201csecret place\u201d teaching \u201cto reach the depth of life with God\u201d when he says, \u201cThis practice from the life of Jesus has come to be called \u2018the spiritual discipline of solitude, silence, and stillness\u2019\u201d (58). This is typical speech by contemplatives who advocate not just for a quiet place to pray but more importantly for them to enter a mental state of silence and stillness where all thoughts are stopped through meditative practices. One of them said that without the stillness, you can\u2019t really know God.<sup>18<\/sup> But where in Scripture is this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Comer states, \u201cThe practices are disciplines based on the lifestyle of Jesus that create time and space for us to access the presence and power of the Spirit and, in doing so, be transformed from the inside out\u201d (177). While Comer doesn\u2019t come right out and teach mantric-style meditation in <em>Practicing the Way<\/em>, he is obviously in agreement with Barton and the many other mystics who use repetitive prayer whom he references in his book. And when Comer says \u201ccreate time and space . . . to access the presence and power of the Spirit,\u201d he is expressing the goal of contemplative mystics, who are willing to go into altered states (the silence) to \u201cfeel\u201d what they perceive as God\u2019s \u201cpresence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In discussing contemplative prayer, Comer admits, \u201cThis may sound way too mystical for your persuasion, but to put all my cards on the table, I\u2019m with the theologian Karl Rahner, who said, \u2018The Christian of the future will be a mystic or he will not exist at all\u2019\u201d<sup>19<\/sup> (51). If Comer is \u201cwith\u201d Karl Rahner, the Catholic Jesuit priest who was a practitioner of Ignatian mystical exercises, held to existentialist views, and embraced the idea of a New Age kind of <em>spiritual evolution<\/em> in man,<sup>20<\/sup> then Comer is not \u201cwith\u201d biblical Christianity at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"h-seven-comer-s-panentheistic-universalistic-god-in-everything-masters\"><strong>SEVEN: Comer\u2019s Panentheistic\/Universalistic God-\u201cin\u201d-Everything \u201cMasters\u201d<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many of Comer\u2019s \u201cMasters\u201d (listed on pages 4-7) believe in universalism or that God is \u201cin\u201d everyone. There are too many of his heroes who fall in one or both of these categories for us to document here, but the reason why they believe these persuasions is because they are in the mystical contemplative camp\u2014and the roots of that belief system are panentheistic, interspiritual, and universalistic. We\u2019ll give a few examples in this section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of Comer\u2019s Catholic monks, Brother Lawrence, expressed his panentheistic belief that God is \u201cat the depth and center of your soul.\u201d<sup>21<\/sup> Lawrence also said, \u201cWe must unfeignedly believe that God is in very fact within our souls . . . and that unto Him <em>all hearts are open<\/em>, our own and those of<em> all<\/em> His creatures.\u201d<sup>22<\/sup> (emphasis added)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Comer quotes Catholic priest Ronald Rolheiser stating, \u201cWhen you act like God, you get to feel like God\u201d (187). In a 2024 YouTube interview, Rolheiser states that Christianity has \u201cdeep wells of mystical experience from different saints and theologians.\u201d<sup>23<\/sup> Using the term \u201cspirituality\u201d to define the mystical tradition, Rolheiser says that while Catholics and Protestants differ theologically, they can unite through \u201cspirituality\u201d (i.e., the mystical realm). Rolheiser is echoing panentheist Catholic monk, Thomas Merton, who once told the story of a conversation he had with a Sufi (Islamic mystic) teacher where Merton said that through mysticism, theological differences such as the atonement or redemption could be put aside in order for those of different religions to have fellowship and union with one another.<sup>24<\/sup> What Rolheiser and Merton are proposing is that doctrinal differences between various religions can be laid aside, and there can be a coming together\u2014a spiritual union\u2014in the mystical realm. Comer doesn\u2019t quote Thomas Merton in <em>Practicing the Way,<\/em> but he does quote him in his earlier book, <em>The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry.<\/em> The Merton book Comer quotes from is<em> Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander<\/em>. In this book, Merton says: \u201cIf only they [people] could all see themselves as they really are . . . I suppose the big problem would be that we would fall down and worship each other . . . At the center of our being . . . is the pure glory of God in us. It is in everybody.\u201d<sup>25<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On page 79, Comer states:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jesus\u2019 invitation to apprentice under him isn\u2019t just a chance to become people of love who are <em>like<\/em> God; it\u2019s a chance to enter the inner life of God himself. The ancients [mystics] call this \u2018union\u2019 with God, and it is <em>the very meaning of our human existence<\/em>. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What Comer is describing is dangerously close to the New Age message of \u201cOneness\u201d<sup>26<\/sup> (wherein man is one with God because God is <em>in<\/em> everyone) and to Henri Nouwen\u2019s statement \u201cPrayer is \u2018soul work\u2019 because our souls are those sacred centers where all is one . . . It is in the heart of God that we can come to the full realization of the unity of all that is&#8221;<sup>27<\/sup> (emphasis added).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Comer has immersed himself so much in the teachings of these \u201coneness\u201d mystics, that he imitates their very essence. He can hardly go even a page or two in his book without quoting one of them, like on page 212 where he quotes Catholic priest and mystic Thomas Keating and \u201cChristian\u201d psychiatrist Gerald May (who had a strong affinity to Eastern mysticism). It was May who said, \u201cour core . . . one\u2019s own center . . . is where we realize our essential unity <em>with one another,<\/em> <em>with all God\u2019s creation<\/em>\u201d<sup>28<\/sup> (emphasis added)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In <em>Practicing the Way,<\/em> Comer presents his false lifestyle \u201cGospel\u201d of New Age universalism:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, when we say \u201cpreach the gospel,\u201d all we mean is to tell people about Jesus: Announce the good news of Jesus and the availability of life with him in the kingdom of God. . . . the gospel is not \u201cIf you believe in Jesus, you can go to the Good Place when you die.\u201d . . . The gospel 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, <em>Jesus <\/em>has saved, is saving, and <em>will save all creation.<\/em> And through apprenticeship to Jesus, we can enter into this kingdom and into the inner life of God himself. (136; emphasis added)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is so much wrong with this statement by Comer, absolutely showing his confusion about what the Gospel really is. In addition, in one breath, he presents a universalism (everyone\u2014\u201call creation\u201d\u2014is saved) viewpoint. And, in the next breath, it\u2019s \u201cthrough apprenticeship to Jesus\u201d or Comer\u2019s \u201cRule of life\u201d that we enter God\u2019s kingdom, rather than the Bible\u2019s way, through belief and faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"h-eight-setting-up-followers-for-spiritual-disillusionment\"><strong>EIGHT: Setting Up Followers for Spiritual Disillusionment<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Comer tells his followers that through his \u201capprenticeship\u201d process,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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 <em>anyone<\/em> can be a part of this story. (137)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What Comer is promising his followers is a kind of \u201csocial justice\u201d kingdom. In his same section under a subheading, \u201cLive a beautiful life,\u201d he says that the way the Christians of the early church evangelized was \u201cjust by explaining their unusual way of life to their family and friends, by living in such a way that people were drawn to the beauty of their lives\u201d (141). That is a false and foolish statement. Those early Christians were not beautifying or glorifying their lifestyle. They were telling others about Jesus Christ, about how He saved us through His cruel torturous death on the Cross, and His resurrection. As for the \u201cbeauty\u201d of their lifestyle, many were in hiding because of persecution, and many were martyred through horribly painful deaths. Later in his book, Comer says that a Rule of life is \u201cself-generated from your internal desires, it has a <em>ton<\/em> of flexibility, it\u2019s relationship based (not morality based) and it\u2019s designed to index you <em>toward<\/em> your vision of the good life\u201d (172). Comer\u2019s obsession with having a \u201cbeautiful\u201d \u201cgood\u201d lifestyle has blinded him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Comer\u2019s teachings have the potential of greatly disappointing his followers. He makes outlandish promises that he says will happen if they live the apprenticeship lifestyle he presents; but when they discover that these promises of a \u201cbeautiful life\u201d don\u2019t happen, they may walk away sorely disappointed. Too often we hear of young people leaving what they <em>thought<\/em> was Christianity altogether after becoming disillusioned by the confusion or the false hopes and unfulfilled promises of their instructors. In one place, Comer quotes monastic priest Saint Seraphim of Sarov as saying, \u201cAcquire inner peace and thousands around you will find their salvation\u201d (170). More promises, but unbiblical and untrue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We believe Comer\u2019s continual ambiguity throughout the book will leave readers completely confused and frustrated. What\u2019s more, they will be greatly disheartened if they come to realize they are following John Mark Comer and his mystical New Spirituality \u201cMasters,\u201d and not the Bible\u2019s Jesus Christ. If they don\u2019t realize it, then something even worse could happen\u2014they may be persuaded to follow a false Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"h-nine-minimizing-god-s-word-and-ignoring-deception\"><strong>NINE: Minimizing God\u2019s Word and Ignoring Deception<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">. . . that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. (Deuteronomy 8:3)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:3-4)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In <em>Practicing the Way<\/em>, John Mark Comer says that \u201cthe first and most important goal of apprenticeship to Jesus [is] to be <em>with<\/em> him, to spend every waking moment aware of his presence and attentive to his voice\u201d (34-35). Here, and in most of the book, Comer minimizes (or in this case omits) the vital importance of God\u2019s Word <em>substituting<\/em> it for <em>an<\/em> <em>experience<\/em> even though Scripture tells us, \u201c[T]hou hast magnified thy word above all thy name\u201d (Psalm 138:2).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his section on \u201ctips\u201d for growth (190), there is <em>no<\/em> emphasis on time in the Word, which should be our foundation for growing closer to God. Instead, Comer says, \u201cTo grow, you may need to expand your horizon of possibility and explore new pathways to God\u201d (emphasis added). He is echoing one of his favorite figures, Catholic mystic and priest Henri Nouwen, quoted multiple times in <em>Practicing the Way.<\/em> Regarding new \u201cpathways to God,\u201d Nouwen said (toward the end of his life), \u201cToday I personally believe that while Jesus came to open the door to God\u2019s house, all human beings can walk through that door, whether they know about Jesus or not. Today I see it as my call to help every person claim his or her own way to God\u201d<sup>29<\/sup> (emphasis added). But contrary to what Comer and Nouwen say, there are no \u201cnew pathways to God.\u201d There is only one pathway to God, and that is through Jesus Christ, who said, \u201cno man cometh unto the Father, but by me\u201d (John 14:6).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Consistently, throughout <em>Practicing the Way,<\/em> Comer writes about slowing down and gazing at the beauty of God, but except for an occasional mention, he does not talk about searching, studying, or reading Scripture. God\u2019s Word is not the emphasis in Comer\u2019s Rule of Life. Rather, he teaches that \u201ctransformation\u201d (a form of the word used dozens of times in the book) is very dependent on \u201cslowing down,\u201d \u201cgazing,\u201d \u201cmeditating,\u201d \u201ccontemplation,\u201d \u201cbreathing,\u201d \u201csilence,\u201d and \u201cstillness\u201d; but Jesus Christ said, when praying to the Father for His followers, \u201c<em>Sanctify<\/em> them through thy truth: <em>thy word<\/em> is truth\u201d (John 17:17; emphasis added).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On page 60, Comer quotes Dallas Willard as saying \u201churry\u201d is \u201cthe great enemy of spiritual life in our day.\u201d Comer adds, \u201cHurry is, arguably, the number one challenge you will face should you decide to take following Jesus seriously.\u201d This statement couldn\u2019t be more erroneous. The Bible says that the great enemy of our lives is our \u201cadversary the devil, [who] as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour\u201d (1 Peter 5:8). This verse also tells us to be \u201csober\u201d and \u201cvigilant.\u201d And when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by Satan, how did He combat the attack? With God\u2019s Word, saying, \u201cIt is written.\u201d \u201cHurry\u201d is not the great enemy, and the \u201cstillness\u201d is not our protection or guidance. How sadly ironic that Comer says to \u201cdo as he [Jesus] did\u201d but largely leaves out Jesus\u2019 consistent focus on God\u2019s Word as well as His warnings about spiritual deception such as, \u201cTake heed that ye be not deceived\u201d (Luke 21:8). Taking heed means alertness rather than putting your mind into neutral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"h-ten-replacing-jesus-christ-with-a-false-new-age-christ\"><strong>TEN: Replacing Jesus Christ With a False New Age Christ<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2 Corinthians 11:4, the Bible warns about those who come preaching \u201canother Jesus,\u201d \u201canother spirit,\u201d and \u201canother gospel.\u201d It\u2019s a serious admonishment and warning to believers in the true Jesus Christ that there are \u201cfalse Christs\u201d (Matthew 24:24). With such a warning, it is only right and diligent that the teachings of those who claim to know and follow Jesus are carefully examined and weighed against Scripture (Acts 17:11). In the case of John Mark Comer, we find that his teachings fall desperately short of presenting the true Jesus Christ, the true Spirit of God, and the true Gospel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to Comer\u2019s teachings and promotions of panentheism, universalism, mysticism, and a works-based salvation, Comer has taken John 14:6, \u201cI am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me\u201d and has interpreted it to mean that when Jesus said He is \u201cthe way,\u201d Jesus doesn\u2019t actually mean He, Himself, is the way but rather His lifestyle is the way to follow. In other words, according to Comer, rather than Jesus Christ being <em>the <\/em>Way, He is a \u201cWayshower.\u201d While Comer doesn\u2019t use the term Wayshower, that is what he is teaching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many in the New Age (and in Christian Science) use the term Wayshower to describe Jesus. They say He is <em>a<\/em> way\u2014but not <em>the<\/em> way. He just shows <em>the way to go<\/em> rather than being <em>the<\/em> way Himself. This is basically what Comer has done in<em> Practicing the Way<\/em>. He has changed Jesus Christ from being<em> the<\/em> Way to a <em>shower <\/em>of the way. Comer says: \u201cThe Greek word for way (in John 14:6) is <em>hodos<\/em>. The word literally means \u2018a road or a path,\u2019 but Jesus used it as a metaphor for apprenticeship to him\u201d (25). Comer arbitrarily turns \u201cthe way\u201d into a metaphor when it isn\u2019t one. When Jesus said, \u201cI am the way,\u201d He meant this in an absolutely literal sense in that<em> He<\/em> is the way to God. Comer\u2019s metaphoric re-making of who Jesus Christ is ends up presenting a false Wayshower Christ, who is not the Jesus Christ of the Bible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To further back this up, Comer, in referring to Jesus as the \u201cfirstfruits\u201d and a \u201cprototype,\u201d says, \u201cWho Jesus <em>was<\/em> in his time on earth is an advanced version of who we have the potential to <em>become<\/em> in him. Jesus is the template for you and me to pour our lives into\u201d (124). Again, Comer promotes the New Age concept of Jesus as a <em>Wayshower<\/em>, rather than <em>the Way.<\/em> Typical of New Age Unity Church followers, one of them said, \u201cJesus is my Wayshower, not my substitute.\u201d<sup>30<\/sup> In other words, this Wayshower Jesus is not the one who came and gave His life as a substitute for ours because of our sin (penal substitutionary atonement\u2014PSA). In fact, in 2025, Comer, himself, praised a book titled <em>Lamb of the Free<\/em> that rejects substitutionary atonement. He said of the book, \u201cThis seems to be the final biblical\/exegetical knock out blow to PSA.\u201d<sup>31<\/sup> But substitutionary atonement is the bedrock of the Gospel; and those rejecting it are agreeing with the words cited earlier by Oprah\u2019s New Age Jesus\u2014\u201ca slain Christ has no meaning.\u201d<sup>32<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What is so sad to witness is how so many churches, church leaders, and day-to-day Christians have embraced Comer\u2019s unbiblical teachings, false practices, and his Wayshower \u201cJesus.\u201d In fact, there are very few warnings being issued about this wayward book. Almost none from church leaders and pastors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In summary, John Mark Comer\u2019s book is a deceptive <em>transitional<\/em> book that has the potential of drawing its followers away from the true Christ into the arms of a mystical Catholic false New Age Christ. Faith comes from hearing and hearing from the Word of God (Romans 10:17). It does not come from becoming a John Mark Comer mystical Catholic-oriented apprentice. We don\u2019t <em>practice<\/em> faith; we <em>have<\/em> faith. And when it comes to the Gospel, we either have faith, or we have unbelief\u2014there is no middle ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof? (Jeremiah 5:30-31)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">*Panentheism: The belief that God is in everyone. * Universalism: The teaching that everyone will be saved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">**The term Spiritual Formation originated mainly from the Catholic Church and entered the evangelical\/Protestant church through contemplative pioneers Richard Foster and Dallas Willard. The movement\u2019s leaders list several \u201cspiritual disciplines\u201d as an avenue to spiritual maturity; however, the key component that gives the movement its impetus is the practice of contemplative mystical prayer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Special Acknowledgement:<\/strong> Lighthouse Trails would like to thank former New Age follower Warren B. Smith for his vital and substantial contribution in the making of this booklet. You may visit his website for more information including access to many articles, videos, and more at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newagetoamazinggrace.com\">https:\/\/www.newagetoamazinggrace.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Note<\/strong>: When this booklet quotes from <em>Practicing the Way<\/em>, it is using the 2024 hardcover edition of that book. When a page number is given in the text of this booklet, it is referring to that edition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Endnotes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Sarah Pulliam Bailey, \u201cWhat Ever Happened to Rob Bell, the Pastor Who Questioned the Gates of Hell?\u201d (<em>Religion News Service<\/em>, December 2, 2014, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2014\/12\/02\/what-ever-happened-rob-bell-pastor-questioned-gates-hell).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>A Course in Miracles: Combined Volume<\/em> (Glen Allen, CA: Foundation for Inner Peace, 1975, 1992), (Text) p. 425. Oprah Winfrey has been promoting and teaching principles from <em>A Course in Miracles<\/em> for many years.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Catechism of the Catholic Church<\/em> (New York, NY: Doubleday, 1995), p. 129.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Henri Nouwen, <em>Here and Now<\/em> (New York, NY: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1997 edition), p. 22. Read Warren B. Smith\u2019s booklet, <em>Be Still and Know You are Not God<\/em> (available through Lighthouse Trails, online and in booklet format.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Henri Nouwen, <em>The Way of the Heart<\/em> (San Francisco, CA: Harper, 1991), p. 81.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Karl Rahner, <em>Concern for the Church<\/em> (Spring Valley, NY: Crossroad Publishing, 1981), p. 149.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>M. Basil Pennington, Thomas Keating, Thomas E. Clarke,<em> Finding Grace at the Center<\/em> (Petersham, MA: St. Bede\u2019s Pub., 1978), pp. 5-6.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>John Mark Comer, \u201cThe Enneagram\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/practicingthewayarchives.org\/identity\/part-three\">https:\/\/practicingthewayarchives.org\/identity\/part-three<\/a>). <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>John Mark Comer, \u201cDark Night of the Soul\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/practicingthewayarchives.org\/naming-your-stage-of-apprenticeship\/step-sheet?rq=rohr\">https:\/\/practicingthewayarchives.org\/naming-your-stage-of-apprenticeship\/step-sheet?rq=rohr<\/a>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ken Shigematsu, <em>God in My Everything<\/em> (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013), p. 38.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Richard Foster,<em> Meditative Prayer<\/em> (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, 1983), p. 18. Foster tells readers to look to the 14th century mystic Richard Rolle in his book <em>The Fire of Love<\/em> to understand more about these \u201cphysical sensations\u201d during meditation. See \u201cRichard Rolle, Kundalini Master\u201d: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.meditationexpert.com\/comparative-religion\/c_Richard_Rolle_kundalini.htm\">https:\/\/www.meditationexpert.com\/comparative-religion\/c_Richard_Rolle_kundalini.htm<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>David Steindl-Rast, \u201cRecollection of Thomas Merton\u2019s Last Days in the West\u201d (Monastic Studies, 7:10, 1969).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In <em>Celebration of Discipline<\/em>, Foster says, \u201c[W]e should all without shame enroll as apprentices in the school of contemplative prayer.\u201d <em>Celebration of Discipline<\/em> (San Francisco, CA: Harper &amp; Row, 1978 edition), p. 13. To gain a good understanding of contemplative prayer, read Ray Yungen\u2019s book,<em> A Time of Departing.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rob Bell, \u201cEmergent Mystique\u201d (<em>Christianity Today,<\/em> November 2004, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/2004\/11\/emergent-mystique\">https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/2004\/11\/emergent-mystique<\/a>).<br \/>15.From her website, describing what Sacred Rhythms covers: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ruthhaleybarton.com\/books\">https:\/\/www.ruthhaleybarton.com\/books<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ruth Haley Barton, <em>Invitation to Solitude and Silence<\/em> (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press Books, Second Edition, 2010, Kindle Edition), Kindle location, 413.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Way of the Monk: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wrmosb.org\/monkway.html\">http:\/\/www.wrmosb.org\/monkway.html<\/a>. Also regarding the Roman Catholic Church and monasticism, a 2014 Catholic World Report article titled \u201cMysticism, Monasticism, and the New Evangelization,\u201d explained how the Catholic Church would bring many into the Catholic fold through a renewal of and focus on monasticism and mysticism\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/www.catholicworldreport.com\/2014\/04\/04\/mysticism-monasticism-and-the-new-evangelization\">https:\/\/www.catholicworldreport.com\/2014\/04\/04\/mysticism-monasticism-and-the-new-evangelization<\/a>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Beth Moore said, \u201c[I]f we are not still before Him [God], we will never truly know, to the depths of the marrow in our bones, that He is God. There has got to be a stillness.\u201d Beth Moore, <em>Be Still<\/em> DVD (Fox Home Entertainment, April 2006), section: \u201cContemplative Prayer: The Divine Romance Between God and Man.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Karl Rahner, <em>Concern for the Church<\/em>, op. cit.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For spiritual evolution, see: Roger Oakland and Caryl Matrisciana&#8217;s article, \u201cEvolution\u2019s Role in a Quantum Spirituality\u201d (Lighthouse Trails Research, May 31, 2016, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com\/blog\/evolutions-role-in-a-quantum-spirituality\">https:\/\/www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com\/blog\/evolutions-role-in-a-quantum-spirituality<\/a>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Brother Lawrence, <em>The Practice of the Presence of God and the Spiritual Maxims <\/em>(Grand Rapids, MI: Revel\/Baker Publishing Group, 1958, 1967), p. 71.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ibid., pp. 72-73.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=79vp1j3kF40&amp;t=11s\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=79vp1j3kF40&amp;t=11s<\/a>, starting at 4:30 mm.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rob Baker and Gray Henry, Editors, <em>Merton and Sufism<\/em> (Louisville, KY: Fons Vitae, 1999), pp. 109-110; cited in<em> A Time of Departing<\/em> by Ray Yungen, pp. 59-60.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Thomas Merton, <em>Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander<\/em> (Garden City, NY: Doubleday Publishers, 1989), pp. 157-158.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Read Warren B. Smith\u2019s article on \u201coneness\u201d: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com\/blog\/new-booklet-oneness-vs-separation-heresy-now-church\">https:\/\/www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com\/blog\/new-booklet-oneness-vs-separation-heresy-now-church<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Henri Nouwen, <em>Bread for the Journey<\/em> (San Francisco, CA: Harper, 1997), Jan. 15 and Nov. 16 daily readings.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gerald May, <em>Addiction and Grace<\/em> (San Francisco, CA: Harper, Paperback edition), p. 102.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Henri Nouwen, <em>Sabbatical Journey <\/em>(New York, NY: Crossroad Publishing, 1998), p. 51.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fillmore Faith: \u201cA Community of Metaphysical Christians,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.truthunity.net\/unity-and-christianity\/jesus-is-my-wayshower\">https:\/\/www.truthunity.net\/unity-and-christianity\/jesus-is-my-wayshower<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DennyBurk\/status\/1954323989721133333\">https:\/\/x.com\/DennyBurk\/status\/1954323989721133333<\/a> (also On File). An important read is Roger Oakland\u2019s Atonement Rejected!! How the Emerging Church Views Christ\u2019s Death on the Cross (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com\/blog\/new-booklet-atonement-rejected-how-the-emerging-church-views-christs-death-on-the-cross\/\">https:\/\/www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com\/blog<\/a>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See endnote #2.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lighthouse Trails is pleased to&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":114,"featured_media":45297,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[556,4193,8,78,1664,1,4574,332,29,25,88],"tags":[21,30,83,134,174,2926,251,1653,4645,4851],"class_list":["post-45282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-universalism-the-emerging-church","category-enneagram","category-bookfilm-reviews","category-contemplative-practices","category-booklets","category-spiritualformation","category-gods-word-under-attack","category-the-ancient-mystics","category-contemplative-spirituality","category-progressive-emerging-church","category-eschatology","tag-new-age","tag-contemplative-prayer","tag-panentheism","tag-universalism","tag-atonement","tag-road-to-rome","tag-false-christ","tag-monasticism","tag-john-mark-comer","tag-practicing-the-way","wpcat-556-id","wpcat-4193-id","wpcat-8-id","wpcat-78-id","wpcat-1664-id","wpcat-1-id","wpcat-4574-id","wpcat-332-id","wpcat-29-id","wpcat-25-id","wpcat-88-id"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.4 (Yoast SEO v28.4) - 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