D.A. Carson Rejects Spiritual Disciplines

And then I found this article, you'll find this in the note, helpful by D .A. Carson on the reform view versus spiritual disciplines. He says, it is not helpful to list assorted Christian responsibilities and label them spiritual disciplines.

That seems to be the reasoning behind the theology that smuggles in, say, creation care and almsgiving. By the same logic, if out of Christian kindness you give a back rub to an old lady with a stiff neck and a sore shoulder, then back rubbing becomes a spiritual discipline, which to be honest with you, probably my wife would prefer me to have that spiritual discipline.

The Logic of Spiritual Disciplines and Christian Responsibilities

But rubbing a lady's back, if it's doing it for the glory of God, you could then equate it with, if you're taking the same logic they're giving here, you can then equate it saying, if I discipline myself in this action, then God will use it to transform me into the image.

Of Christ.

Right?

He goes on to say, some of these so-called spiritual disciplines are entirely divorced from any specific doctrine whatsoever. They're merely a matter of technique. That is why people sometimes say, for your doctrine, by all means, commit yourselves to evangelical confessionalism.

Doctrine, Confessionalism, and the Turn to Catholicism or Buddhism

But when it comes to spiritual disciplines, turn to Catholicism or perhaps Buddhism. What an astounding statement. So write doctrine, stay with confessionalism, but if you want to know more about spiritual disciplines, you're not going to evangelical sources to get those.

You aren't going to historic, Reformed confessional sources to get those. You have to go to something that is other than that, which is Catholicism or, of course, he says, Buddhism.