Lighthouse Trails is pleased to release our latest topical booklet, Practicing John Mark Comer’s Wayward Way 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. To order copies of Practicing John Mark Comer’s Wayward Way, click here. Note: Italics in quotes are in the original texts of Practicing the Way unless otherwise indicated.

Practicing John Mark Comer’s Wayward Way: How His Mystical, Monastic, Catholic Teachings Are Preparing the Church for a False New Age Christ

By the Editors at Lighthouse Trails

Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer was released in 2024 and since then, it has become a New York Times best-seller, ECPA’s 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’s strange mixture of “Masters of the Way,” who teach various unbiblical aspects of the New Age (e.g., panentheism,* universalism,* mysticism). Interwoven into these teachings is Comer’s distorted view of salvation and even of Jesus Christ Himself. The following are ten reasons why Comer’s book should not be viewed as a way leading to spiritual truth but rather a way leading to spiritual deception.

ONE: The “Dust” of John Mark Comer

At the very beginning of his book, John Mark Comer chooses to introduce his overriding theme of Practicing the Way of Jesus with a mysterious ancient blessing—“May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi.” Comer footnoted that this “covered in the dust” 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, “She 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.”1 This is the Oprah whose New Age “Christianity” teaches that because Christ is “in” everyone “a slain Christ has no meaning.”2

The “covered in the dust” 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’s readers are not only indirectly exposed to the dust of Rob Bell, but to the direct dust of Comer’s 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’s way is a wayward way.

TWO: Comer’s Catholic Priests, Jesuits, Monks, and Mystics

The following are the names of 17 Roman Catholic priests, Jesuits, monks, and mystics Comer includes in Practicing the Way. This is significant when you consider what is taught by the Catholic Church in its 1995 Catechism:

For the Son of God became man so that we might become God.—(#460)3

• Brother Lawrence (1614-1691)—French Catholic monk and God “in” everyone author of The Practice of the Presence of God.
• David L. Fleming (d. 2011)—Catholic Jesuit priest and author of What Is Ignatian Spirituality?
• Francis MacNutt (d. 2020)—Catholic leader (and former Catholic priest) in the charismatic “inner-healing” movement.
• Henri Nouwen (d. 1996)—Catholic priest who encouraged mystical practices and, like Brother Lawrence, taught that God is “in” everyone. Nouwen said, “The God who dwells in our inner sanctuary is also the God who dwells in the inner sanctuary of every human being.”4 And, contrary to Jesus’ teaching not to use repetitive prayer (Matthew 6:7), Nouwen taught, “The quiet repetition of a single word can help us to descend with the mind into the heart”5 (mantric meditation). Nouwen is referenced numerous times throughout Practicing the Way.
• James A. Conner—Catholic contemplative author and former Jesuit priest.
• Jean-Pierre de Caussade (1675-1751)—A Catholic Jesuit mystic.
• Karl Rahner (d. 1984)—A German Catholic Jesuit priest who said “the Christian of the future will be a mystic, or he will not exist at all.”6
• Madame Guyon (1648-1717)—A French Catholic mystic.
• Mark E. Thibodeaux—Roman Catholic Jesuit priest and promoter and teacher of Ignatian spirituality.
• Robert J. Karris—Roman Catholic priest.
• Ronald Rolheiser—Catholic priest who is an advocate of contemplative spirituality.
• Saint Benedict (480-543)—A Catholic monk and mystic whose teachings and beliefs formed the Rule of Life (monasticism).
• Saint Gregory of Nyssa (circa 335-394)—A universalist and mystic, venerated by the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.
• Saint Isaac the Syrian (circa 613-700 AD)—A mystic, venerated by the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. Both Gregory and Isaac are recognized by the Catholic Church as Catholic saints.
• Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591)—A Roman Catholic panentheistic priest.
• Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)—A Spanish Catholic nun who levitated during esoteric mystical experiences.
• Thomas Keating (d. 2018)—A 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, “Many Christians who take their prayer life seriously have been greatly helped by Yoga, Zen, TM and similar practices.”7

THREE: Practicing the Way’s New Age/New Spirituality Figures

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 Practicing the Way.

• Bishop Kallistos Ware (d. 2022)—Author of The Orthodox Way, of which Comer says, “When I read this absolutely wonderful book, it felt like coming home” (237). The Orthodox Way is a primer on monasticism and contemplative prayer, as well as a promo for the Eastern Orthodox Church.
• Dallas Willard (d. 2013)—Pioneer of the contemplative prayer/Spiritual Formation movement (referenced over a dozen times in Practicing the Way).
• David Benner—The author of contemplative book, Sacred Companions. Recommends New Age Catholic mystic Richard Rohr. Incidentally, Comer also recommends Richard Rohr in an essay Comer wrote promoting the Enneagram8 and also promotes Rohr in an article Comer wrote titled “Dark Night of the Soul.”9
• Eugene Peterson (d. 2018)—Author of The Message, a poor paraphrase of the Bible that contains many overlapping New Age/New Spirituality terms and concepts.
• Gary Thomas—Teaches mantra meditation in his popular book, Sacred Pathways.
• Greg Peters—Monastic monk and the author of The Story of Monasticism: Retrieving an Ancient Tradition for Contemporary Spirituality.
• John Ortberg—Key leader in the contemplative prayer movement (mentored by Dallas Willard). Ortberg and Ruth Haley Barton developed the Spiritual Formation curriculum for Willow Creek.
• Jűrgen Moltmann (1926-2024)—A major influencer on leaders of the emergent/social justice church movement (today’s “woke/progressive” church).
• Ken Shigematsu—In his book God in My Everything, in what he calls a “spiritual ecosystem,”10 Shigematsu provides a who’s who of New Age sympathizers and Catholic mystics. He is an influential advocate for contemplative “silence.”
• M. Robert Mulholland (d. 2015)—Author of Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation** where he recommends a number of contemplative mystics for “resources on prayer” including panentheistic Catholic monk Thomas Merton and Richard Foster’s book, Meditative Prayer where Foster promotes the “physical sensations”11 (“fire of love,” “divine fire,” “dart of fire”) that can occur during contemplative prayer meditation.
• Margaret Guenther (d. 2016)—Author of the contemplative meditation-promoting book, Holy Listening: The Art of Spiritual Direction (with a foreword by atonement denier, Alan Jones).
• Mark Scandrette—Emergent church leader and co-author of An Emergent Manifesto of Hope, a book that promotes universalism.
• Marjorie J. Thompson—Comer references her book Soul Feast, a book promoting mantra meditation and New Age mystics such as Matthew Fox and M. Scott Peck.
• Pete Greig—Author of Red Moon Rising and founder of the 24-7 “boiler rooms.” Greig is a major proponent of monks, monasteries, and contemplative meditation.
• Peter Scazzero—In his book, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, 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 Richard Rohr’s New Age-sympathizing organization, Center for Action and Contemplation.
• Rich Villodas—In his book, The Deeply Formed Life (the book Comer cites), Villodas teaches on meditative practices and quotes a number of mystics, including Catholic monk Thomas Merton (who said he “intend[ed] to become as good a Buddhist as [he] can”).12
• Richard Foster—The most prominent pioneer (inspired by Dallas Willard) of the Spiritual Formation movement and the “school of contemplative prayer.”13
• Rob Bell—Cited earlier in the booklet, Bell is the New Age-sympathizing universalist who once said, “We’re rediscovering Christianity as an Eastern religion, as a way of life.”14
• Ruth Haley Barton—Trained 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 “rhythms” and contemplative prayer.
• Saint Seraphim of Sarov (1754-1833)—A monastic priest and mystic, venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
• Stephen Covey (d. 2012)—Mormon author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and a proponent of mystical Eastern-style meditation.
• Thomas Kelly (1893-1941)— A Quaker mystic.

FOUR: Comer’s Faulty, Unbiblical View of Salvation

In Practicing the Way, John Mark Comer disparagingly cites a Gospel message that he says “is presented in many circles”—“You 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” (19). But Comer strongly criticizes that Gospel by saying that it “doesn’t sound anything at all like the gospel Jesus himself preached. . . . it’s 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 ‘minimum entrance requirements.’ . . . there are serious problems with this view of salvation” (19). However, the very thing he is criticizing as falling short of being the Gospel is, in fact, the Gospel. By writing these things, Comer has degraded the Gospel and provided a basis for his works-based salvation. He states, “There’s no guarantee you can be a Christian but not an apprentice of Jesus and still “go to heaven when you die” (20). It’s worth noting that in his strange effort to redefine the word “disciple” as “apprentice,” Comer uses some form of the word “apprentice” over one hundred times in the book and says he prefers that term instead of disciple.

Comer says, “Contrary to what many assume, Jesus did not invite people to convert to Christianity. He didn’t even call people to become Christians. . . . he invited people to apprentice under him into a whole new way of living. To be transformed” (xvi, emphasis added). In his attempt to back up his “apprenticeship” teaching, he goes out of his way to “prove” that Jesus was not concerned about converting people, by relating it to two terms that weren’t even in existence yet (i.e., Christianity and Christians). But Jesus did 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, “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Comer doesn’t 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’s life).That’s why right after Comer says Jesus didn’t invite people to convert, he says, “My thesis is simple: Transformation [he’s referring to salvation] is possible if we are willing to arrange our lives around the practices, rhythms, and truths that Jesus himself did.” This, you will see, is John Mark Comer’s unbiblical “road that leads to salvation” (205).

Throughout Practicing the Way, Comer makes it clear he believes that salvation isn’t just about having faith and belief, but rather it’s an ongoing “process” of “being saved.” We don’t really complete the process until the end of our lives (hopefully, if we have lived the right kind of lifestyle and been good “apprentices,” according to his Practicing the Way). On page 76, Comer says, “Formation isn’t a Christianized version of project self; it’s a process of salvation. Of being saved by Jesus” (emphasis added). One message you won’t see in Comer’s 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’t enough to do the job. There’s a lot you have to do to make your salvation complete. But there are so many Scriptures that refute this. For example:

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)

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)

In trying to define love, Comer equates “laying down one’s life for one’s friends” to “the cross,” saying “it [the cross] isn’t just something Jesus did for us; it’s also something we do with him” (78). For those reading Practicing the Way, this shouldn’t be too surprising he says this because Comer does this with the Cross and salvation throughout the book—making man’s 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 finished work of Jesus Christ dying on the Cross for our sins (a substitutionary atonement).

FIVE: Comer’s Monastic Rule of Life

In Practicing the Way, Comer introduces readers to one of his main inspirations—sixth-century monk, St. Benedict, who created the “Rule of St. Benedict.” Comer has developed his own “Rule of Life” theory where he presents readers with Catholic monasticism and a “process of salvation.” He says, “Let 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” (160).

Comer says it’s fine to “read your Bible and pray,” but what you really need for becoming more Christlike is a “rule of life” that includes the ideas and practices he’s gleaned from his contemplative mystical teachers. He says, “A Rule of Life 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” (161). Deepest desires!? To help explain what he means by “practices” and “rhythms,” Comer turns to his numerous mystical “Masters,” 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 he calls “practices” for the Rule of Life are synonymous to “spiritual disciplines” and Barton’s “sacred rhythms.” In Barton’s book Sacred Rhythms—the book which Comer references—she discusses “the monastic tradition of creating a ‘rule of life’ that allows for regular space for the practice of the spiritual disciplines.”15 In one of her other books, Barton instructs her readers on one of those disciplines (the silence): “choose a prayer phrase” of “no more than six or seven syllables” and “repeat” the phrase several times “as an entry into the silence . . . with a body posture that also helps you express your spiritual desire.”16 What she is teaching is classic contemplative prayer. And that is an integral part (really, the integral part) of Comer’s Rule of Life.

Comer states that “Jesus’ life template was based on a rhythm of retreat and return, like breathing in and then out” (57). That does not line up with the Gospels’ account of Christ’s 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 “breathing”). However, the concept of “rhythm” is very much used by New Age and contemplative mystics.

Toward the end of his book, to further convince his readers of the monastic lifestyle, Comer quotes Canadian contemplative pastor Ken Shigematsu as saying, “Every one of us has a monk or nun ‘embryo’ inside of us.” Comer calls this a “monastic impulse . . . that craves quiet prayer, solitude and contemplation. . . . Our inner monk” (203). The “inner monk” is another term for “inner self.” On a St. Benedict monks’ website, in an article titled, “The Way of the Monk” under the subheading “Awakening to the Supreme Self,” it describes the “inner self”:

The awakened inner Self now goes in search of the Supreme Self. This is the purpose of monastic life. It is a search, a diligent search for higher consciousness, which culminates in discovering the “eternal relation” that exists between the reality in you and the reality behind all creation [God in everyone].17 (emphasis added)

This is Comer’s goal, and it is the goal of every contemplative—to awaken to that inner self, which leads to the false realization that God dwells in them as he dwells in every single human being.

SIX: Contemplative Prayer: “I look at [God], he looks at me, and we are happy.”

Practicing the Way is Comer’s strong positive treatise for contemplative prayer. Many people do not understand what “contemplative prayer” really is. Advocates teach that in order to “hear the voice of God” and enter God’s presence, mental distractions (thoughts) need to be stopped, allowing the practitioner to go into “the silence.” 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 “divination” (as described in Deuteronomy 18:10), which is a form of witchcraft where the practitioner is attempting to communicate with the spirit world.

On page 46, Comer introduces readers to Marjorie Thompson, quoting from her book, Soul Feast, which is a primer on contemplative prayer. In this section, referring to God, Comer states that the “I look at him, he looks at me, and we are happy” concept is “the apex of Christian spirituality.” He says that “sitting 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.” He continues, “Masters of the Way of Jesus have long called this ‘contemplation’ [a word that] . . . at its most basic, it just means looking at God, looking at you, in love” (47).

Comer says that finding your “secret place” is necessary “to reach the depth of life with God that Jesus modeled” (56). He’s 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 “secret place,” Comer takes Matthew 6:6 way out of context (“when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret”) to back up his “secret place” teaching. This verse was Jesus’ 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 “secret place” teaching “to reach the depth of life with God” when he says, “This practice from the life of Jesus has come to be called ‘the spiritual discipline of solitude, silence, and stillness’” (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’t really know God.18 But where in Scripture is this?

Comer states, “The 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” (177). While Comer doesn’t come right out and teach mantric-style meditation in Practicing the Way, 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 “create time and space . . . to access the presence and power of the Spirit,” he is expressing the goal of contemplative mystics, who are willing to go into altered states (the silence) to “feel” what they perceive as God’s “presence.”

In discussing contemplative prayer, Comer admits, “This may sound way too mystical for your persuasion, but to put all my cards on the table, I’m with the theologian Karl Rahner, who said, ‘The Christian of the future will be a mystic or he will not exist at all’”19 (51). If Comer is “with” 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 spiritual evolution in man,20 then Comer is not “with” biblical Christianity at all.

SEVEN: Comer’s Panentheistic/Universalistic God-“in”-Everything “Masters”

Many of Comer’s “Masters” (listed on pages 4-7) believe in universalism or that God is “in” 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—and the roots of that belief system are panentheistic, interspiritual, and universalistic. We’ll give a few examples in this section.

One of Comer’s Catholic monks, Brother Lawrence, expressed his panentheistic belief that God is “at the depth and center of your soul.”21 Lawrence also said, “We must unfeignedly believe that God is in very fact within our souls . . . and that unto Him all hearts are open, our own and those of all His creatures.”22 (emphasis added)

Comer quotes Catholic priest Ronald Rolheiser stating, “When you act like God, you get to feel like God” (187). In a 2024 YouTube interview, Rolheiser states that Christianity has “deep wells of mystical experience from different saints and theologians.”23 Using the term “spirituality” to define the mystical tradition, Rolheiser says that while Catholics and Protestants differ theologically, they can unite through “spirituality” (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.24 What Rolheiser and Merton are proposing is that doctrinal differences between various religions can be laid aside, and there can be a coming together—a spiritual union—in the mystical realm. Comer doesn’t quote Thomas Merton in Practicing the Way, but he does quote him in his earlier book, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. The Merton book Comer quotes from is Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander. In this book, Merton says: “If 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.”25

On page 79, Comer states:

Jesus’ invitation to apprentice under him isn’t just a chance to become people of love who are like God; it’s a chance to enter the inner life of God himself. The ancients [mystics] call this ‘union’ with God, and it is the very meaning of our human existence.

What Comer is describing is dangerously close to the New Age message of “Oneness”26 (wherein man is one with God because God is in everyone) and to Henri Nouwen’s statement “Prayer is ‘soul work’ 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 is27 (emphasis added).

Comer has immersed himself so much in the teachings of these “oneness” 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 “Christian” psychiatrist Gerald May (who had a strong affinity to Eastern mysticism). It was May who said, “our core . . . one’s own center . . . is where we realize our essential unity with one another, with all God’s creation”28 (emphasis added)

In Practicing the Way, Comer presents his false lifestyle “Gospel” of New Age universalism:

Now, when we say “preach the gospel,” 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 “If you believe in Jesus, you can go to the Good Place when you die.” . . . 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, 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. (136; emphasis added)

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—“all creation”—is saved) viewpoint. And, in the next breath, it’s “through apprenticeship to Jesus” or Comer’s “Rule of life” that we enter God’s kingdom, rather than the Bible’s way, through belief and faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

EIGHT: Setting Up Followers for Spiritual Disillusionment

Comer tells his followers that through his “apprenticeship” process,

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. (137)

What Comer is promising his followers is a kind of “social justice” kingdom. In his same section under a subheading, “Live a beautiful life,” he says that the way the Christians of the early church evangelized was “just 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” (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 “beauty” 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 “self-generated from your internal desires, it has a ton of flexibility, it’s relationship based (not morality based) and it’s designed to index you toward your vision of the good life” (172). Comer’s obsession with having a “beautiful” “good” lifestyle has blinded him.

Comer’s 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 “beautiful life” don’t happen, they may walk away sorely disappointed. Too often we hear of young people leaving what they thought 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, “Acquire inner peace and thousands around you will find their salvation” (170). More promises, but unbiblical and untrue.

We believe Comer’s continual ambiguity throughout the book will leave readers completely confused and frustrated. What’s more, they will be greatly disheartened if they come to realize they are following John Mark Comer and his mystical New Spirituality “Masters,” and not the Bible’s Jesus Christ. If they don’t realize it, then something even worse could happen—they may be persuaded to follow a false Christ.

NINE: Minimizing God’s Word and Ignoring Deception

. . . 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)

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)

In Practicing the Way, John Mark Comer says that “the first and most important goal of apprenticeship to Jesus [is] to be with him, to spend every waking moment aware of his presence and attentive to his voice” (34-35). Here, and in most of the book, Comer minimizes (or in this case omits) the vital importance of God’s Word substituting it for an experience even though Scripture tells us, “[T]hou hast magnified thy word above all thy name” (Psalm 138:2).

In his section on “tips” for growth (190), there is no emphasis on time in the Word, which should be our foundation for growing closer to God. Instead, Comer says, “To grow, you may need to expand your horizon of possibility and explore new pathways to God” (emphasis added). He is echoing one of his favorite figures, Catholic mystic and priest Henri Nouwen, quoted multiple times in Practicing the Way. Regarding new “pathways to God,” Nouwen said (toward the end of his life), “Today I personally believe that while Jesus came to open the door to God’s 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”29 (emphasis added). But contrary to what Comer and Nouwen say, there are no “new pathways to God.” There is only one pathway to God, and that is through Jesus Christ, who said, “no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).

Consistently, throughout Practicing the Way, 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’s Word is not the emphasis in Comer’s Rule of Life. Rather, he teaches that “transformation” (a form of the word used dozens of times in the book) is very dependent on “slowing down,” “gazing,” “meditating,” “contemplation,” “breathing,” “silence,” and “stillness”; but Jesus Christ said, when praying to the Father for His followers, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17; emphasis added).

On page 60, Comer quotes Dallas Willard as saying “hurry” is “the great enemy of spiritual life in our day.” Comer adds, “Hurry is, arguably, the number one challenge you will face should you decide to take following Jesus seriously.” This statement couldn’t be more erroneous. The Bible says that the great enemy of our lives is our “adversary the devil, [who] as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). This verse also tells us to be “sober” and “vigilant.” And when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by Satan, how did He combat the attack? With God’s Word, saying, “It is written.” “Hurry” is not the great enemy, and the “stillness” is not our protection or guidance. How sadly ironic that Comer says to “do as he [Jesus] did” but largely leaves out Jesus’ consistent focus on God’s Word as well as His warnings about spiritual deception such as, “Take heed that ye be not deceived” (Luke 21:8). Taking heed means alertness rather than putting your mind into neutral.

TEN: Replacing Jesus Christ With a False New Age Christ

In 2 Corinthians 11:4, the Bible warns about those who come preaching “another Jesus,” “another spirit,” and “another gospel.” It’s a serious admonishment and warning to believers in the true Jesus Christ that there are “false Christs” (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.

In addition to Comer’s teachings and promotions of panentheism, universalism, mysticism, and a works-based salvation, Comer has taken John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” and has interpreted it to mean that when Jesus said He is “the way,” Jesus doesn’t 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 the Way, He is a “Wayshower.” While Comer doesn’t use the term Wayshower, that is what he is teaching.

Many in the New Age (and in Christian Science) use the term Wayshower to describe Jesus. They say He is a way—but not the way. He just shows the way to go rather than being the way Himself. This is basically what Comer has done in Practicing the Way. He has changed Jesus Christ from being the Way to a shower of the way. Comer says: “The Greek word for way (in John 14:6) is hodos. The word literally means ‘a road or a path,’ but Jesus used it as a metaphor for apprenticeship to him” (25). Comer arbitrarily turns “the way” into a metaphor when it isn’t one. When Jesus said, “I am the way,” He meant this in an absolutely literal sense in that He is the way to God. Comer’s metaphoric re-making of who Jesus Christ is ends up presenting a false Wayshower Christ, who is not the Jesus Christ of the Bible.

To further back this up, Comer, in referring to Jesus as the “firstfruits” and a “prototype,” says, “Who Jesus was in his time on earth is an advanced version of who we have the potential to become in him. Jesus is the template for you and me to pour our lives into” (124). Again, Comer promotes the New Age concept of Jesus as a Wayshower, rather than the Way. Typical of New Age Unity Church followers, one of them said, “Jesus is my Wayshower, not my substitute.”30 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—PSA). In fact, in 2025, Comer, himself, praised a book titled Lamb of the Free that rejects substitutionary atonement. He said of the book, “This seems to be the final biblical/exegetical knock out blow to PSA.”31 But substitutionary atonement is the bedrock of the Gospel; and those rejecting it are agreeing with the words cited earlier by Oprah’s New Age Jesus—“a slain Christ has no meaning.”32

What is so sad to witness is how so many churches, church leaders, and day-to-day Christians have embraced Comer’s unbiblical teachings, false practices, and his Wayshower “Jesus.” In fact, there are very few warnings being issued about this wayward book. Almost none from church leaders and pastors.

In summary, John Mark Comer’s book is a deceptive transitional 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’t practice faith; we have faith. And when it comes to the Gospel, we either have faith, or we have unbelief—there is no middle ground.

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)

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*Panentheism: The belief that God is in everyone. * Universalism: The teaching that everyone will be saved.

**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’s leaders list several “spiritual disciplines” as an avenue to spiritual maturity; however, the key component that gives the movement its impetus is the practice of contemplative mystical prayer.

Special Acknowledgement: 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 https://www.newagetoamazinggrace.com.

Note: When this booklet quotes from Practicing the Way, 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.

Endnotes

1. Sarah Pulliam Bailey, “What Ever Happened to Rob Bell, the Pastor Who Questioned the Gates of Hell?” (Religion News Service, December 2, 2014, https://religionnews.com/2014/12/02/what-ever-happened-rob-bell-pastor-questioned-gates-hell).
2. A Course in Miracles: Combined Volume (Glen Allen, CA: Foundation for Inner Peace, 1975, 1992), (Text) p. 425. Oprah Winfrey has been promoting and teaching principles from A Course in Miracles for many years.
3. Catechism of the Catholic Church (New York, NY: Doubleday, 1995), p. 129.
4. Henri Nouwen, Here and Now (New York, NY: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1997 edition), p. 22. Read Warren B. Smith’s booklet, Be Still and Know You are Not God (available through Lighthouse Trails, online and in booklet format.)
5. Henri Nouwen, The Way of the Heart (San Francisco, CA: Harper, 1991), p. 81.
6. Karl Rahner, Concern for the Church (Spring Valley, NY: Crossroad Publishing, 1981), p. 149.
7. M. Basil Pennington, Thomas Keating, Thomas E. Clarke, Finding Grace at the Center (Petersham, MA: St. Bede’s Pub., 1978), pp. 5-6.
8. John Mark Comer, “The Enneagram” (https://practicingthewayarchives.org/identity/part-three). We learned about this essay through a YouTube video with Marcia Montenegro (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOngRarzT_k).
9. John Mark Comer, “Dark Night of the Soul” (https://practicingthewayarchives.org/naming-your-stage-of-apprenticeship/step-sheet?rq=rohr).
10. Ken Shigematsu, God in My Everything (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013), p. 38.
11. Richard Foster, Meditative Prayer (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, 1983), p. 18. Foster tells readers to look to the 14th century mystic Richard Rolle in his book The Fire of Love to understand more about these “physical sensations” during meditation. See “Richard Rolle, Kundalini Master”: https://www.meditationexpert.com/comparative-religion/c_Richard_Rolle_kundalini.htm.
12. David Steindl-Rast, “Recollection of Thomas Merton’s Last Days in the West” (Monastic Studies, 7:10, 1969).
13. In Celebration of Discipline, Foster says, “[W]e should all without shame enroll as apprentices in the school of contemplative prayer.” Celebration of Discipline (San Francisco, CA: Harper & Row, 1978 edition), p. 13. To gain a good understanding of contemplative prayer, read Ray Yungen’s book, A Time of Departing.
14. Rob Bell, “Emergent Mystique” (Christianity Today, November 2004, https://www.christianitytoday.com/2004/11/emergent-mystique).
    15.From her website, describing what Sacred Rhythms covers: https://www.ruthhaleybarton.com/books.
15. Ruth Haley Barton, Invitation to Solitude and Silence (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press Books, Second Edition, 2010, Kindle Edition), Kindle location, 413.
16. The Way of the Monk: http://www.wrmosb.org/monkway.html. Also regarding the Roman Catholic Church and monasticism, a 2014 Catholic World Report article titled “Mysticism, Monasticism, and the New Evangelization,” explained how the Catholic Church would bring many into the Catholic fold through a renewal of and focus on monasticism and mysticism—https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2014/04/04/mysticism-monasticism-and-the-new-evangelization).
17. Beth Moore said, “[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.” Beth Moore, Be Still DVD (Fox Home Entertainment, April 2006), section: “Contemplative Prayer: The Divine Romance Between God and Man.”
18. Karl Rahner, Concern for the Church, op. cit.
19. For spiritual evolution, see: Roger Oakland and Caryl Matrisciana’s article, “Evolution’s Role in a Quantum Spirituality” (Lighthouse Trails Research, May 31, 2016, https://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/evolutions-role-in-a-quantum-spirituality).
20. Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God and the Spiritual Maxims (Grand Rapids, MI: Revel/Baker Publishing Group, 1958, 1967), p. 71.
21. Ibid., pp. 72-73.
22. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79vp1j3kF40&t=11s, starting at 4:30 mm.
23. Rob Baker and Gray Henry, Editors, Merton and Sufism (Louisville, KY: Fons Vitae, 1999), pp. 109-110; cited in A Time of Departing by Ray Yungen, pp. 59-60.
24. Thomas Merton, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander (Garden City, NY: Doubleday Publishers, 1989), pp. 157-158.
25. Read Warren B. Smith’s article on “oneness”: https://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/new-booklet-oneness-vs-separation-heresy-now-church.
26. Henri Nouwen, Bread for the Journey (San Francisco, CA: Harper, 1997), Jan. 15 and Nov. 16 daily readings.
27. Gerald May, Addiction and Grace (San Francisco, CA: Harper, Paperback edition), p. 102.
28. Henri Nouwen, Sabbatical Journey (New York, NY: Crossroad Publishing, 1998), p. 51.
29. Fillmore Faith: “A Community of Metaphysical Christians,” https://www.truthunity.net/unity-and-christianity/jesus-is-my-wayshower.
30. https://x.com/DennyBurk/status/1954323989721133333 (also On File). An important read is Roger Oakland’s Atonement Rejected!! How the Emerging Church Views Christ’s Death on the Cross (https://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog).
31. See endnote #2.

LTRP Note: Gene Anderson is a Lighthouse Trails reader who has been incarcerated for nearly 40 years. This is part of his story.

By Gene Anderson – His Testimony
Copyright 2011 Precious Testimonies
(Used with permission.)

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

I was sent to prison for “natural life” for killing a man. The man was killed because he was a “hindrance” to me obtaining something I was obsessed with: getting my own island and military force.

The crime was easy to commit. But the day after, while looking at myself in the mirror, my conscience was tearing me up. “What have you done?” I kept thinking. But instead of changing for the better, I hardened my heart and the remorse soon left. A year and a half later, thinking I had got away, I was arrested. While sitting in a county jail holding cell I kept thinking, “Is this how my empire is going to end?” I also tried to convince myself that this was just a nightmare and that I would soon be waking up. But this was real.

Once in my cell I did something that I had never done before – I picked up a Bible and began to read it. I started at Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” As I continued through the rest of the Chapter, I thought that those were the most awesome words that I had ever read. I had no serious “religious” background whatsoever. But as the Bible says, “The word of God is quick and powerful” (Hebrews 4:12). And it began to work in me.

After about a month, my need for Salvation was fully realized. I needed forgiveness, and I knew that only Jesus Christ could provide it. I knelt beside my bunk and asked the Lord to forgive me for all of my sins – and He did!

Even though I was feeling miserable because of all the evils I had done, I knew that I was given a new life and that I was not the same wicked man that I used to be. I was a “new man” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The evidence for this miraculous change is beyond explanation. My hatred for those who “betrayed” me was gone. God had given me a value for human life.

I was sent to the state penitentiary on Dec. 16th, 1987. I know it is possible that I may spend the rest of my life in prison; I’m reaping what I’ve sown. Physical freedom with Christ would be nice; but whether I get out or not is up to God. If it’s His will that I spend the rest of my earthly life serving Him in prison, so be it. I know that He put me on this Earth for a reason, and He wants me doing His will no matter where I’m at. He knows what He is doing and makes no mistakes.

Even though in prison, I do not say that I had a better life when I was “free” than the one I do now. Because out there I never had Christ. I never had peace. I was a tormented individual.

What most people don’t realize or believe is just how simple salvation is. They cannot accept the fact that such a wonderful thing can be obtained completely outside of their own efforts and good works. But that is why it’s called a “gift”—

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2: 8-9)

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” Romans 6:23

He can do the same for you. No one is too bad that God cannot forgive him. Jesus paid the price for all sins. But you have to ask.

 The courts tell me that I am supposed to die in prison. Even if I do, what is this life compared to eternity?

“For what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? “(Matthew 16:26)

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The above is from a tract sent to us that was put together by Crossroads Ministry. The copyright belongs to Precious Testimonies ministry; we are posting this with their permission. Both ministries have outreach to prisoners.

LTRP Note: If anyone wants to write to Gene, you may send a letter to him via Lighthouse Trails. Put his name on the envelope, and write c/o Lighthouse Trails Publishing, P.O. Box 307, Roseburg, Oregon 97470.

Sometimes we think of spiritual formation as formation by the Holy Spirit. Once again. That’s essential. . . . But now I have to say something that may be challenging for you to think about: Spiritual formation is not all by the Holy Spirit. . . . We have to recognize that spiritual formation in us is something that is also done to us by those around us, by ourselves, and by activities which we voluntarily undertake . . .There has to be method.1—Dallas Willard

Aside from the fact that Spiritual Formation incorporates mystical practices into its infrastructure (remove the contemplative aspect and you don’t have “Spiritual Formation” anymore), Spiritual Formation is a works-based substitute for biblical Christianity. Let us explain.

When one becomes born again (“that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9-10), having given his or her life and heart over to Christ as Savior, Jesus Christ says He will come in and live in that surrendered heart:

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20)

To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: (Colossians 1:27)

[I]f the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. (Romans 8:11; emphasis added)

When God, through Jesus Christ, is living in us, He begins to do a transforming work in our hearts (2 Corinthians 3:18). Not only does He change us, He also communes with us. In other words, we have fellowship with Him, and He promises never to leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

This life of God in the believer’s heart is not something we need to conjure up through meditative practices. But if a person does not have this relationship with the Lord, he may seek out ways to feel close to God. This is where Spiritual Formation comes into play. Rather than a surrendered life to Christ, the seeking person begins practicing the spiritual disciplines (e.g., prayer, fasting, good works, etc.) with the promise that if he practices these disciplines, he will become more Christ-like.

But merely doing these acts fails to make one feel close to God—something is still missing. And thus, he begins practicing the discipline of silence (or solitude), and now in these altered states of silence, he finally feels connected to God. He now feels complete. What he does not understand is that he has substituted the indwelling of Christ in his heart for a works-based methodology that endangers his spiritual life. Dangerous because these mystical experiences he now engages in appear to be good because they make him feel close to God, but in reality he is being drawn into demonic realms no different than what happens to someone who is practicing transcendental meditation or eastern meditation. Even mystics themselves acknowledge that the contemplative realm is no different than the realm reached by occultists. To understand this more fully, please read Ray Yungen’s book A Time of Departing.

Bottom line, it is not possible to be truly Christ-like without having Christ inside of us because it is His righteousness that is able to change our hearts—we cannot do it without Him. It is His righteousness we need:

Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe. (Romans 3:22)

And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. (Philippians 3:9)

It is interesting to note that virtually every contemplative teacher has a common theme—they feel dry and empty and want to go “deeper” with God or “become more intimate” with God. But if we have Christ living in us, how can we go any deeper than that? How can we become more intimate than that? And if going deeper and becoming intimate were so important, why is it that none of the disciples or Jesus Himself ever told us to do this? As Larry DeBruyn states:

Why are Christians seeking a divine presence that Jesus promised would abundantly flow in them? . . . Why do they need another voice, another visitation, or another vision? Why are some people unthankfully desirous of “something more” than what God has already given to us? Why is it that some Christians, in the depth of their souls, are not seemingly at rest?2

Is There a “Good” Spiritual Formation?
One of the most common arguments we hear defending Spiritual Formation is that there is a “good” Spiritual Formation done without contemplative prayer. To that we say, we have never yet seen a Spiritual Formation program in a school or a church that doesn’t in some way point people to the contemplative mystics. It might be indirectly, but in every case, if you follow the trail, it will lead you right into the arms of Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, and other contemplative teachers.

Think about this common scenario: A Christian college decides to begin a Spiritual Formation course. The instructor has heard some negative things about Richard Foster, Henri Nouwen, and Brennan Manning, and he figures he will teach the class “good Spiritual Formation” and leave those teachers completely out. But he’s going to need a textbook. He turns to a respected institution, Dallas Theological Seminary, and finds a book written by Paul Pettit, Professor in Pastoral and Education Ministries. The book is titled Foundations of Spiritual Formation. The instructor who has found this book to use in his own class may never mention Richard Foster or Dallas Willard, but the textbook he is using does. Within the pages of Pettit’s book is Richard Foster, Philip Yancey, N.T. Wright, Dallas Willard, Thomas Aquinas, Lectio Divina, Ayn Rand, Parker Palmer, Eugene Peterson, J.P. Moreland, Klaus Issler, Bruce Demarerst, Jim Burns, Kenneth Boa and Brother Lawrence’s “practicing God’s presence.” You may not have heard of all these names, but they are all associated with the mystical contemplative prayer movement and the emerging church.

Another example of this is Donald Whitney’s book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. Whitney is former Associate Professor at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and currently at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. While his book does not promote contemplative mysticism, he says that Richard Foster has “done much good”3 in the area of Christian spirituality (which we believe is blatantly untrue).

Our point is that even if there is a sincere attempt to teach Spiritual Formation and stay away from the mystical side, we contend that it cannot be successfully accomplished because it will always lead back to the ones who have brought it to the church in the first place.

Spiritual formation is sweeping throughout Christianity today. It’s no wonder when the majority of Christian leaders have either endorsed the movement or given it a silent pass. For instance, in Chuck Swindoll’s book So You Want to Be Like Christ: 8 Essential Disciplines to Get Your There, Swindoll favorably quotes Richard Foster and Dallas Willard. Swindoll calls Celebration of Discipline a “meaningful work”4 and Willard’s book The Spirit of the Disciplines “excellent work.”5 In chapter three, ”Silence and Solitude,” Swindoll talks about “digging for secrets . . . that will deepen our intimacy with God.”6 Quoting the contemplative poster-verse Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God,” Swindoll says the verse is a call to the “discipline of silence.”7 As other contemplative proponents have done, he has taken this verse very much out of context.

Roger Oakland sums it up:

The Spiritual Formation movement . . . teaches people that this is how they can become more intimate with God and truly hear His voice. Even Christian leaders with longstanding reputations of teaching God’s word seem to be succumbing. . . .

We are reconciled to God only through his “death” (the atonement for sin), and we are presented “holy and unblameable and unreproveable” when we belong to Him through rebirth. It has nothing to do with works, rituals, or mystical experiences. It is Christ’s life in the converted believer that transforms him.8

What Christians need is not a method or program or ritual or practice that will supposedly connect them to God. What we need is to be “in Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:30) and Christ in us. And He has promised His Spirit “will guide [us] into all truth” (John 16:13).

In Colossians 1:9, the apostle Paul tells the saints that he was praying for them that they “might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” He was praying that they would have discernment (“spiritual understanding”). He said that God, the Father, has made us “partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light” (vs 12) and had “delivered us from the power of darkness [i.e., power of deception]” (vs. 13). But what was the key to having this wisdom and spiritual understanding and being delivered from the power of darkness? Paul tells us in that same chapter. He calls it “the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints” (vs. 26). What is that mystery? Verse 27 says: “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (emphasis added).

For those wanting to get involved with the Spiritual Formation movement (i.e., contemplative, spiritual direction), consider the “direction” you will actually be going.

And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel. (Colossians 1:21-23)

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power. (Colossians 2: 8-10)

This article is an extract from the Lighthouse Trails booklet, Is Your Church Doing Spiritual Formation? (Important Reasons Why They Shouldn’t). To order this booklet, click here.

Endnotes:
1. Dallas Willard, “Spiritual Formation: What it is, and How it is Done” (http://www.dwillard.org/articles/artview.asp?artID=58).
2. Larry DeBruyn, “The Practice of His Presence”
3. Donald Whitney, “Doctrine and Devotion: A Reunion Devoutly to be Desired” (http://web.archive.org/web/20080828052145/http://biblicalspirituality.org/devotion.html).
4. Chuck Swindoll, So You Want to Be Like Christ: 8 Essential Disciplines to Get You There (Nashville, TN:W Publishing Group, a div. of Thomas Nelson, 2005), p. 15.
5. Ibid., p. 13.
6. Ibid., p. 55.
7. Ibid.
8. Roger Oakland, Faith Undone (Eureka, MT: Lighthouse Trails Publishing, 2007), pp. 91-92.

This has been an extract from our booklet Is Your Church Doing Spiritual Formation? (Important Reasons Why It Shouldn’t). To order this booklet, click here.

Related Article:

Trying to Live the Christian Life Without Having the Christian LIFE by Harry Ironside

(photo from istockphoto.com; used with permission)

Brownlow North lived for many years as an irresponsible and thoughtless aristocrat. Later in life he and a friend were staying at a hunting lodge in Scotland. Their day’s sport was usually followed by an evening of drinking, and on one of these binges his friend dropped dead.

This tragedy was God’s message to Brownlow North. The awful thought gripped him: If it had been me instead of my friend, I should have been damned.

He began to think seriously about his soul. An earnest Christian lady led him to Christ and into the full light of the gospel. No sooner did he feel himself to be a changed man than he began trying to bring others to Christ.

One day, as he entered the building where he was to preach, he was handed a note that carried this warning: “Brownlow North, you miserable hypocrite! Do you remember what took place at … on such a date, and your part in it; also at … on such a date, and again at … on such a date, and your part on each of these occasions?”

Complete details of what did happen were given, and then the letter concluded: “Now, you wretched hypocrite! You know that every word of this letter is true. Will you, after reading it, dare to go into that pulpit and rant and rave and preach what you call the gospel?”

Mr. North felt the force of the letter deeply, but he put it into his pocket, and when the time came for him to speak, he read the Bible verse: “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” He paused, and then, with deep feeling, he finished reading the verse: “Of whom I am chief” (1 Timothy 1:15).

“My friends,” he said, “when I entered this building tonight, a letter was put into my hands. I do not know who the writer may be, but he is evidently one who knows a great deal about my past. This letter refers to three distinct occasions in which it charges me with participating in depraved behavior. I won’t pollute your ears by quoting the details of this letter. The writer concludes by saying, ‘Now, you wretched hypocrite! You know that every word of this letter is true. Will you, after reading it, dare to go into that pulpit and rant and rave and preach what you call the gospel?’ ”

“There are three things that I have to say about this letter. First, it is all true. Would to God that I could undo the past, but that’s not possible for even God Himself. God knows it’s true, and I confess with sorrow and shame that it’s true.

“The second thing I have to say is that it’s all forgiven! God knows it’s forgiven, and I know that it’s forgiven.”

“The third thing I have to say is that if God, for Jesus Christ’s sake, can forgive the sins of a sinner like Brownlow North, there is not a sinner in this world too great for God to forgive him all his sins.”

Your sins may or may not be as glaring as North’s, but they can be forgiven freely by the same pardoning God, if you come to Him in true repentance. If you die unforgiven, you will experience the blackness of darkness forever. God in mercy wants you for Himself.

“Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation [atoning sacrifice] through faith in His blood, to declare … His righteousness: that He might be just, and the Justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Romans 3:24-26).

“The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin”(1 John 1:7)

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The Gospel tract above can be purchased in packs of 10 for $1 on the Lighthouse Trails store. The are published by Bible Truth Publishers.