| John Stephen Piper | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | January 11, 1946
Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | pastor, author |
| Religious beliefs | Christian (Reformed Baptist) |
| Spouse(s) | Noël Henry Piper |
| Parents | Bill & Ruth Piper |
John Stephen Piper (born January 11, 1946) is an evangelical Christian preacher and author, currently serving as Pastor for Preaching and Vision of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is the author of numerous books, including ECPA Christian Book Award winners Spectacular Sins,[1] What Jesus Demands from the World,[2] Pierced by the Word,[3] and God's Passion for His Glory,[4] and bestsellers Don't Waste Your Life[5] and The Passion of Jesus Christ.[6] The evangelical organization Desiring God is named for his book Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist (1986).
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Piper was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to Bill and Ruth Piper. When he and his older sister were still young, the Pipers moved to Greenville, South Carolina, where he spent the rest of his youth and graduated from Wade Hampton High School. His father was an itinerant evangelist who actively ministered through international radio and Bible courses until his death on March 6, 2007.[7] Piper has written a tribute to his mother, who died in 1974, in the booklet, What's the Difference? (Crossway Books, 1990) which is also chapter one of the book Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (Crossway Books, 1991).
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On January 11, 2006, Piper announced that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. According to a letter sent to his church,[8] he and his doctors believed that the cancer was fully treatable. Piper's reaction to his diagnosis was: "This news has, of course, been good for me. The most dangerous thing in the world is the sin of self-reliance and the stupor of worldliness. The news of cancer has a wonderfully blasting effect on both. I thank God for that. The times with Christ in these days have been unusually sweet." Piper underwent successful surgery on February 14, 2006.[9]
He married Noël Henry in 1968, and together they have four sons, a daughter, and several grandchildren.
Piper attended Wheaton College (1964-68), where he majored in literature and minored in philosophy. Studying Romantic Literature with Clyde Kilby stimulated the poetic side of his nature, and today he regularly writes poems to celebrate special family occasions as well as composing story-poems (based on the life of biblical characters) for his congregation during the four weeks of Advent each year.[10]
Following college, he completed a Master of Divinity degree at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California (1968-71). While at Fuller, he took several courses from Daniel Fuller and through him discovered the writings of Jonathan Edwards.
Piper did his doctoral work in New Testament Studies at the University of Munich, Germany (1971-74) under Leonhard Goppelt. His dissertation, Love Your Enemies, was published by Cambridge University Press and Baker Book House. Upon completion of his doctorate, he taught Biblical Studies at Bethel University and Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, for six years (1974-80).
In 1980, after what he described as an irresistible call of the Lord to preach, Piper became Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he has been ministering ever since. Piper was catapulted onto the evangelical scene after the publication of his book Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist (1986) and has continued to publish dozens of other books further articulating this theological perspective. In 1994, he founded Desiring God Ministries,[11] which today provides all of Piper's sermons and articles from the past three decades, and most of his books online free of charge, as well as offering for sale books, CDs, and DVDs and regularly hosting conferences.[12] According to Piper, Desiring God Ministries exists to "spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ."[13]
Piper's motto in ministry, preaching, and teaching is: "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." He calls those who live out this motto Christian Hedonists. Piper places a heavy emphasis on the objective and absolute nature of truth and is confident in the Christian's ability to grasp that truth through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Piper advocates Christian hedonism and teaches that "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him"[14] and that God's highest pursuit ("his glory") and man's deepest and most durable happiness come together in one pursuit – namely, the pursuit of joy in God. He was awakened to this notion in the writings of Jonathan Edwards, Blaise Pascal, and C. S. Lewis, among others, and then found it throughout the Bible, for example Ps 16:11; 37:4; Phil 3:1; 4:4 among others.
Piper holds to a complementarian view of gender roles.[15]This view says that the Bible teaches that a husband is called to lovingly lead, protect and provide for his wife and family, and that the wife should joyfully and intelligently affirm and submit to her husbands leadership. It also says that the Bible teaches that men are to bear the primary responsibility to lead the church and that therefore only men should be elders.[16] Piper along with Wayne Grudem was co-editor of one of the bedrock books in this area called Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood . One of the chapters has been reprinted several times as an independent short book called What's the Difference?. [17]
Piper's theology is Calvinist[18] and Baptist.[19] He also believes in double predestination, which includes "unconditional reprobation" as a corollary to the Calvinistic doctrine of unconditional election, and he subscribes to the Leibnizian view that God runs the universe in such a way that it will be the best of all possible universes.[20]
Piper believes in justification by faith alone apart from works,[21] and his teachings emphasize the need for the active perseverance of the believer in faith, sanctification, and enduring sufferings, as this is evidence of God's saving grace. A once-professing Christian who does not persevere in faith to the end demonstrates that he was never a true believer in the first place.[22][23]
Regarding spiritual gifts, Piper is a continuationist.[24] That is, he believes that supernatural gifts such as prophecy, miracles, healings, and speaking in tongues have not ceased and should be sought by the church,[25] in particular with regard to missions and evangelism. He does believe, however, that the office of apostle has ceased [26] and that the gift of prophecy in the church is not the same as the inspiration of scripture [27]. While he believes that God's supernatural revelation in the N.T. gift of prophecy is without error, he says that the prophet's perception, understanding and delivery of that revelation is imperfect and fallible [28], thus N.T. prophecies are subject to sifting[29].
Piper describes himself as an "optimistic premillennialist"[30] and holds a post tribulation view of the second coming of Jesus.[31][32] He maintains that Romans 11 teaches that a mass in-gathering of ethnic Israel will be saved when the hardening of their hearts is removed at Jesus' second coming.[33] He advocates the importance of hoping in the resurrection of the dead at Christ's return.[34]
Piper does not don any of the typical hermetical frameworks, but claims he is furthest from dispensationalism, and closest to covenant theologian, or a New Covenant theologian in matters of the Law and covenants, but agrees with the Dispensationalist that there will be a millennium.[35] He says that the Law was meant by God to reveal sin and show man's inability to live up to God's righteous standards[36]. Christians, living under the new covenant, are not under the old-covenant law but able to fulfill its intent through faith in Jesus Christ.[37][38]
Piper teaches that God has only one covenant people, mostly believing Jews in the Old Testament, and now that relationship has been superseded by the church.[39] Thus, the Church is rightful inheritor of all the promises made to ethnic Israel (land, kingdom, etc.), and Jews who reject Jesus as Messiah have no divine right of claim on those promises.[40]
The complete text of most of Piper's books can be accessed free of charge at Desiring God.[41]
John Stephen Piper (born 1946-01-11) is a Reformed Baptist minister and author currently serving as senior pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
| John Stephen Piper | |
|---|---|
| Born |
January 11, 1946 Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States |
| Religion | Christian (Baptist) |
| Spouse | Noël Henry Piper |
| Parents | Bill & Ruth Piper |
John Stephen Piper (born January 11, 1946, Chattanooga, Tennessee) is a Reformed Baptist[1] theologian, preacher, and author. He is the pastor for preaching of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and has written many books. He started the evangelical ministry named Desiring God, after his book Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist.
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Piper was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He is the son of Bill and Ruth Piper. When he and his older sister were still young, the Pipers moved to Greenville, South Carolina where he spent the rest of his childhood. He later graduated from Wade Hampton High School. His father was an evangelist who worked with international radio and Bible programs until his death on March 6, 2007.[2]
Piper went to Wheaton College in 1964-68. He majored in literature, and minored in philosophy. Because he studies Romantic Literature in college, he went on to enjoy it in life. Today he writes poems for special family events, as well as writing story-poems about the lives of biblical characters.
After college, he studied for and received a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California (1968-71). While there, he took several courses where he studied the writings of Jonathan Edwards. He also did some doctoral work in New Testament Studies in Munich, West Germany from 1971-1974.
In 1980, after what he said was something that he could not turn down, he became a preacher. Piper became Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has been working there ever since. Piper became popular when his book Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist was published. He has written many books since. In 1994, he started Desiring God Ministries.[3] Today Desiring God puts all of Piper's sermons and articles from the last three decades online for free, as well as offering books, CDs, and DVDs.
On January 11, 2006, Piper was told that he had prostate cancer. According to a letter sent to his church,[4] he and his doctors thought that the cancer was not a big problem. When Piper talked about this he said, "This news has, of course, been good for me. The most dangerous thing in the world is the sin of self-reliance and the stupor of worldliness. The news of cancer has a wonderfully blasting effect on both. I thank God for that. The times with Christ in these days have been unusually sweet." Piper had surgery on February 14, 2006.[5] He married Noël Henry in 1968, and they now have four sons, a daughter, and several grandchildren.
[[File:|thumb|right|250px|John Piper at Bethlehem Baptist Church]]
Piper calls himself a Christian Hedonist and teaches that "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him."[6] He also teaches that God's highest pursuit and man's deepest happiness are the same in one pursuit – namely, "the pursuit of joy in God." He was learned this theory in the writings of Jonathan Edwards, Blaise Pascal, and C. S. Lewis, among others.
Piper believes in justification by faith alone apart from good works.[7] His teachings talk about the need for the Christian to have faith, sanctification, as this is evidence of God's saving grace. Piper says that someone who says they are a Christian, but does not act Christian, shows that they were never a true believer.[8][9]
Piper believes in the Post-Tribulational view of the Rapture and leans towards historical premillennialism. [10][11] He believes that Romans 11 teaches many ethnic Israeli people will be saved at Jesus' second coming.[12]
Piper is very neutral about the Torah in Judaism.[13] He says that it was made by God to reveal sin and show that man does not live up to God's righteous standards.[14] Christians, living under the New Testament, are not under the Old Testament law, and are able to complete it through faith in Jesus Christ.[15][16]
Piper teaches that God has only one chosen people, mostly Jews in the Old Testament. but he believes now that relationship has been won by the Christian church.[17] So, the Church is rightful inheritor of all the promises made to Israel, and Jews who do not take Jesus as Messiah have no right to this blessing.[18]
On the topic of spiritual gifts, Piper believes that supernatural gifts such as miracles, healings, and speaking in tongues are around today.[19] He does not believe that the job of apostle is worked today. He also believes that the gift of prophecy in the church is from God, (that is inspired by Him) but is not infallible because of the medium (namely men. Thus, while prophecies are to be embraced scripture reveals that they be sifted or tested in order to decipher that which is good (i.e.in accord with God's revealed word, the Bible).[20]
Most of Piper's books can be read online for free at Desiring God.org[21]
   | Piper's columns in ''WORLD Magazine'' - WORLD Magazine | Debt to John Calvin |
| | Desiring God Radio - Radio Programs :: Desiring God |
| | Piper's Notes - John Piper's Original Sermon Library |
| | Desiring God daily radio broadcast - Listen For Life |
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