If I had to describe Comer’s theological tribe in a sentence I’d say that he is deeply indebted to the Renovaré tradition of spiritual formation. Founded in 1988 by Richard Foster (b. 1942), Renovaré’s mission is to “imagine a world in which people’s lives flourish as they increasingly become like Jesus.” Foster may not be Comer’s main influence, but if you look at the terms and aims and people involved in Renovaré, you will get a pretty good idea of what Comer’s project is about. Practicing the Way is about finding your spiritual pathway. It’s about adopting spiritual practices. It’s about living the kingdom life in Jesus now and growing into the people we were meant to be. It’s about looking into the face of Christ and having him look back at you in love.
As one might expect from the Renovaré tradition, Comer’s conversation partners are not theologians, pastors, or exegetes, but spiritual directors, retreat leaders, therapists, and contemporary mystics. By my count, the two people cited most are Dallas Willard (1935–2013) and Henri Nouwen (1932–1996). Other authors frequently mentioned include: Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg, Marjorie Thompson, John Ortberg, Eugene Peterson, A.W. Tozer, Brother Lawrence, Frank Laubach, Rich Villodas, Dan Allender, Pete Scazzero, Thomas Kelly, Francis Spufford, Thomas Keating, Mother Teresa, and Kallistos Ware. Comer draws deeply from Protestant, Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox authors, all of whom are familiar names in the spiritual formation tradition of the past 40 or 50 years.
In addition to the Renovaré label (and to be fair, Comer doesn’t use the label), two other terms help explain where Comer’s ideas come from.
Comer’s project is self-consciously a part of the mystical tradition. At one point, Comer lays all his “cards on the table” and agrees with Catholic theologian Karl Rahner that “The Christian of the future will be a mystic or he will not exist at all” (51). For Comer, this means that he begins his days sitting cross-legged on the floor, praying the Psalms and meditating on a passage of Scripture. Comer says, I “talk to God about my life, listen for his voice, and attempt to just let go. But most of the time, I just sit there. I breathe. And I look at what my eyes can’t see” (53).
Comer’s project is also self-consciously a part of the charismatic tradition. He teaches a version of Spirit Christology whereby Jesus performed his miracles, not by “flexing” his God muscles, but solely by the power of the Holy Spirit. We, then, can do what Jesus did by the same Spirit (124–27). Comer suggests that preaching the gospel may mean “gently offering a prophetic word to a friend” (137) and demonstrating the gospel looks like healing, deliverance, prophecy, and justice (145–50). He highly recommends the books on healing by Francis MacNutt and John Wimber (248). Comer encourages churches to “do the stuff,” which he explains is a charismatic euphemism from Wimber for “prophecy, words of wisdom and knowledge, healings, miracles, and more” (140).
Of course, noting Comer’s sources and situating his theological instincts do not make those sources or instincts wrong, but it should give pause to readers from different traditions who might assume that Comer’s assumptions and prescriptions are simply biblical truths and ancient wisdom that we’ve forgotten. To the contrary, the central problem with Practicing the Way is that almost every significant part of the project depends on poorly interpreted biblical texts and superficial connections with (supposed) ancient precedents Read more»
Kevin DeYoung| “Is This the Way? A Review of Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer” | May 21, 2025 |
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