I latched onto John Piper and his preaching/writing ministry several years ago when I hit a personal crisis that had no quick, airtight solution. Both his approach and convictions stirred something within me and I’ve never been able to get over it. I continue to value his take on a wide range of spiritual/cultural issues, I find his sermons and books to be full of biblically-soaked truth, and he challenges me in virtually every area to live for God’s glory and not my own [a daunting task at which I fail daily!].
But where Piper has probably impacted me the most is how he shares his passion for God/truth with others. Though he holds his core convictions with a death grip, he graciously and patiently engages those who question or outright reject his beliefs in a way that fosters hope over judgment and dialogue over distance. His contention that God is sovereign over all things fuels his bold preaching/writing while providing people ample space to investigate Christ and His demands. I’d call him a compassionate fundamentalist.
Here are a few examples that highlight this…
…in a blogpost called Know a Christian Who Seems to Love Movies More Than Jesus? he writes, “Instead of dampening their enthusiasm for movies, clothing, apps, and events, let that go as an expression of God-given personality. Instead, model expressive joy in Jesus.”
…when a group of hardcore fundamentalists issued a resolution listing their concerns about Piper’s ministry, he responded with a post called Praise God for Fundamentalists and wrote:
“What I want to say about Fundamentalism is that its great gift to the church is precisely the backbone to resist compromise and to make standing for truth and principle a means of love rather than an alternative to it. I am helped by the call for biblical separation, because almost no evangelicals even think about the doctrine.”
…his latest book, Bloodlines, “thoughtfully exposes the unremitting problem of racism. Instead of turning finally to organizations, education, famous personalities, or government programs to address racial strife, Piper reveals the definitive source of hope—teaching how the good news about Jesus Christ actively undermines the sins that feed racial strife, and leads to a many-colored and many-cultured kingdom of God.” You can download a free PDF of the book here.
Like this guy and he will, time and time again, point you toward Someone to love.
Alex just took a heel to the temple!
Luke pauses during this move for a quick pic…still not sure where the rest of Landry is!
Found him!
The joy of pain!
