I have learned much from Comer, and have used his material in my church, but I think your critique is fair. If his book is viewed in isolation from the rest of his work (which it can be, since it was published as a standalone book!), then it can seem a bit individualistic.
However, I have also done a few of the Practices (4 week group study on a spiritual discipline), and they have done much to foster a communal and ecclesial approach to our discipleship.
Thanks for writing the review! Great food for thought.
I could see this book being a great resource in that application. Like I said, I would wholeheartedly recommend it, just with the above disclaimer. I have really appreciated some of his sermons, and much of this book; in candor, I was a bit put off by some of his comments about the church (being "underwhelming" and some like him who have "graduated" from what the church offers) in his interview with Carey Nieuwhof (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrVKA0_CyJc), so I can't say that didn't shade my reading of the book. I did try to give it a fair shake, and I did glean from it (I wasn't trying to read as a critic but as a Christian!). I just know it is hard enough for many local pastors to "compete" with celebrity pastors who offer great sermons for consumption but, unwittingly or not, are contributing to the disintegration of churches and to the cancerous 'dismemberment' of the American Church as a whole. Thanks for the response!
Thanks, Nate. I met a pastor just last week who, like another pastor who commented on this article, led a small group in his church through this book. I think that’s a great application of it. Like I said, I could wholeheartedly recommend the book with the disclaimers mentioned, and in general I too really appreciate so much of Comer’s work!
I really appreciated reading your article, for a couple reasons. Not only for the correctives you flag on JMC's book, but also to many other models of "disciple-making" out there. The call to "make disciples who make disciples", in some contexts, can lean more toward "making people who follow you or do things your way." Lots of room in this approach for domineering personalities to dominate in spiritually abusive ways.
So I appreciate your translation of Mt 28 in the verbal form "disciple the nations." That seems to take the domineering edge off of the language of "making."
I love this quote: Community formation, when it is healthy, always nurtures the personal formation of its members, but individual formation does not always nurture community formation, especially when individual members have a dismembered vision of themselves in relation to the body of Christ.
Well written, well researched and very convicting, yet inspiring!
Yeah, I think so. At one level, I think we’re all always imitating each other, so the question is less of Whether? and more a question of Whom? (See esp. Rene Girard’s work on mimetic desire!). When Paul told the Corinthians to imitate him as he imitates Christ, I think he was doing what everyone who is faithfully discipling others is trying to do: imitating Jesus’ Way of life so that others might see his life through us in embodied form. We disciple others not to make disciples of us but disciples of Jesus. Same principle—as long as it is always referential, pointing away to The Way, I believe it is the calling of every ‘Christian’.
I have learned much from Comer, and have used his material in my church, but I think your critique is fair. If his book is viewed in isolation from the rest of his work (which it can be, since it was published as a standalone book!), then it can seem a bit individualistic.
However, I have also done a few of the Practices (4 week group study on a spiritual discipline), and they have done much to foster a communal and ecclesial approach to our discipleship.
Thanks for writing the review! Great food for thought.
I could see this book being a great resource in that application. Like I said, I would wholeheartedly recommend it, just with the above disclaimer. I have really appreciated some of his sermons, and much of this book; in candor, I was a bit put off by some of his comments about the church (being "underwhelming" and some like him who have "graduated" from what the church offers) in his interview with Carey Nieuwhof (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrVKA0_CyJc), so I can't say that didn't shade my reading of the book. I did try to give it a fair shake, and I did glean from it (I wasn't trying to read as a critic but as a Christian!). I just know it is hard enough for many local pastors to "compete" with celebrity pastors who offer great sermons for consumption but, unwittingly or not, are contributing to the disintegration of churches and to the cancerous 'dismemberment' of the American Church as a whole. Thanks for the response!
I am a big fan of comer. Read almost everything he’s written. listened to dozens of his messages.
I come across quite few critiques of his work that are fair and don’t come off as “I’m upset his book sold better than mine/people in my circle”
but this article was great and super fair, kept it very informative while not trying to dunk on comer’s character.
Thanks, Nate. I met a pastor just last week who, like another pastor who commented on this article, led a small group in his church through this book. I think that’s a great application of it. Like I said, I could wholeheartedly recommend the book with the disclaimers mentioned, and in general I too really appreciate so much of Comer’s work!
I really appreciated reading your article, for a couple reasons. Not only for the correctives you flag on JMC's book, but also to many other models of "disciple-making" out there. The call to "make disciples who make disciples", in some contexts, can lean more toward "making people who follow you or do things your way." Lots of room in this approach for domineering personalities to dominate in spiritually abusive ways.
So I appreciate your translation of Mt 28 in the verbal form "disciple the nations." That seems to take the domineering edge off of the language of "making."
I love this quote: Community formation, when it is healthy, always nurtures the personal formation of its members, but individual formation does not always nurture community formation, especially when individual members have a dismembered vision of themselves in relation to the body of Christ.
Well written, well researched and very convicting, yet inspiring!
Krysten Dubeau
Really good, Jeremy.
Consider the concept of imitation in Paul's writing. Is imitating akin to discipling?
Yeah, I think so. At one level, I think we’re all always imitating each other, so the question is less of Whether? and more a question of Whom? (See esp. Rene Girard’s work on mimetic desire!). When Paul told the Corinthians to imitate him as he imitates Christ, I think he was doing what everyone who is faithfully discipling others is trying to do: imitating Jesus’ Way of life so that others might see his life through us in embodied form. We disciple others not to make disciples of us but disciples of Jesus. Same principle—as long as it is always referential, pointing away to The Way, I believe it is the calling of every ‘Christian’.