A Decision or a Disciple?
Dr. James Emery White
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By Dr. James Emery White, Crosswalk.com
What does it mean to become a follower of Jesus?
Is it a prayer that is prayed, a decision that is made, that alters the trajectory of your eternity? Or does it involve consciously becoming an apprentice of Jesus, following Him, and becoming more like Him?
The writings of John Mark Comer have taken root in the imaginations of many young Christians of late. In his most recent book, Practicing the Way, he writes:
My thesis is simple. Transformation is possible if we are willing to arrange our lives around the practices, rhythms, and truths that Jesus himself did, which will open our lives to God’s power to change.
Comer argues that discipleship, or as he would prefer, apprenticeship, involves three things: being with Jesus, becoming like Jesus, and doing as Jesus did. As a result, disciple is a noun, not a verb.
In a recent article in Christianity Today, Michael Horton took on the popular writings of Comer. Titled “Disciplines Don’t Save. Christ Does,” Horton “exhorts Christians to not confuse discipleship with the gospel.” He writes, “A disciple is first and foremost a recipient of good news. Following the example of Jesus is an important part of discipleship in the Gospels, but it is not the gospel.”
No, it is not. But that is not what Comer – nor Dallas Willard and Richard Foster, who wrote similarly before him – is saying. Yes, Comer argues that it is “through apprenticeship to Jesus that we can enter into this kingdom,” but it would be an unfair reading of Comer to say that his definition of “apprentice” is separate from a new birth. Comer’s point is that if we reduce the Christian life to a transactional prayer, and not the life that it is meant to begin, we have gutted the idea of a new birth and reduced it to something that might not be so new, much less even a birth.
At times, it seems like Horton’s assessment of Comer is less about Comer’s vision for apprenticeship and more about defending his own reformed soteriology against someone like Scot McKnight. (And the two are co-contributors to a recent book on just such divides). But Comer’s focus is on spiritual formation, and he’s clear on the matter of soteriology when he writes: “Grace is not opposed to effort; it is opposed to earning.”
Suffice it to say, nowhere does Comer claim what Horton accuses, namely that “the message of Christian formation according to Jesus’ example” is somehow “made into the gospel itself.”
I thought the following engagement emailed to me by a “millennial” member of our staff was to the point:
I just disagree with Horton’s presentation of his argument, particularly with how he prooftexts Comer. Comer doesn't argue that spiritual disciplines are a means of salvation any more than Willard or Foster do. Certainly, there are probably some who view them that way, but if they do, they’re not getting that from Comer. And he would cringe at the idea that spiritual practices should be pursued independent of the body of Christ. But I think they’d all agree that somewhere along the line, we’ve lost what we’re saved “for.” The “gospel” has been reduced to a prayer or a transaction, with little view of a lifetime of transformation, as if there’s a difference between a “Christian” and a “disciple.” I think they’d argue that we’re saved for discipleship, for life with God. I’m not a disciple of Comer, but I think he’s done a lot of good in his approach to discipleship... let’s celebrate both the gospel and discipleship.
As one reviewer summarizes Comer’s emphases: 1) Jesus wants followers of His Way, not a lukewarm “crowd”; 2) disciple or apprentice is something you are, not something someone “does to you”; and 3) the activity of Jesus’ apprenticeship isn’t something that happens on its own. It’s a practice.
Yes, his books (and audiobooks),
... have a striking visual aesthetic and literary style. Yes, he is writing for young professionals in the pews. Yes, he’s a “secular city” evangelical pastor through and through. Pop cultural references abound, as do bipartisan third ways, all governed by a sensitive attunement to the allergies and appetites of Gen Z agnostics starved by society and hungry for the gospel. And? And nothing.... Comer is doing the Lord’s work.
I can understand those who feel that Comer can sometimes write as if he were the first to stumble upon such practices as silence and solitude or the rule of St. Benedict. But let’s be fair—for his generational audience, it might feel that they have been cut off from such rich traditions and practices. Let’s just wrestle with the main question:
Is it about a decision or a disciple?
That’s easy.
The answer is “Yes.”
James Emery White
Sources
Michael Horton, “Disciplines Don’t Save. Christ Does.” Christianity Today, January/February 2026 Issue, read online.
John Mark Comer, Practicing the Way.
Scot McKnight, Michael Horton, David A. DeSilva, Julie C. Ma, and Shively T.J. Smithy, Five Views on the Gospel.
Brad East, “My Students Are Reading John Mark Comer, and Now I Know Why,” Christianity Today, February 14, 2026, read online.
Related Article
Dear Christian, Are You a Disciple?
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The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of CrosswalkHeadlines.
James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC, and a former professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also served as their fourth president. His latest book, Hybrid Church: Rethinking the Church for a Post-Christian Digital Age, is now available on Amazon or from your favorite bookseller. To enjoy a free subscription to the Church & Culture blog, visit churchandculture.org where you can view past blogs in our archive, read the latest church and culture news from around the world, and listen to the Church & Culture Podcast. Follow Dr. White on X, Facebook and Instagram at @JamesEmeryWhite.
