Live No Lies by John Mark Comer
Week 7: Chapter 9 — The Secular Liturgies (How the World Shapes Us Without Our Knowing)
Read Chapter 9 of Live No Lies. Key reference: 1 John 2:15–17; Colossians 2:8.
Previewing Week 7 of Live No Lies
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 14-week guide when you’re ready.
Comer here borrows from philosopher James K. A. Smith the concept of 'secular liturgies' — the idea that the daily rituals of consumer culture are actually forming our desires and loves in profound ways that rival (and often override) what happens in church on Sunday.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Comer (drawing on James K. A. Smith) argues that we are primarily 'desiring animals' rather than 'thinking animals' — our loves, not just our beliefs, determine who we are. How does this anthropology reshape the way you think about discipleship and spiritual formation?
2.He describes secular institutions — the shopping mall, social media, entertainment culture — as having their own liturgies that form us into particular kinds of people with particular desires. Name two or three 'secular liturgies' in your own daily life. What kind of person are they forming you into?
3.Comer is particularly pointed about smartphones and social media as formative technologies. What desires do those technologies cultivate in you — and are those desires aligned with the kingdom of God or in tension with it?