I was first introduced to John Piper (in print) while I served as a church intern in Detroit, MI. The senior pastor gave me and my co-intern the assignment of reading Piper's Desiring God and discussing it chapter by chapter. I was deeply challenged by this exercise and still think of those sessions fondly. We got to bat around the controversial phrase, "Christian hedonism" and try to understand it.I remember that Piper's book was such a popular seller that some of my friends gobbled up every word he wrote while other friends and teachers remained skeptical and sometimes critical. You hate to get caught up in a passing fad, but then you don't want to miss out on a great blessing. I didn't have a lot more exposure to Piper so I kept that first book and referenced it and re-read many portions of it from time to time.
Four or five years ago I had the privilege of attending a conference that had invited John Piper to lecture on preaching. I don't recall the messages other than the common thread you'll find in everything he says or writes--God is most glorified when I am most satisfied in Him. I was most interested in the man, John Piper. I had heard his message, but I wanted to see his message. It was a quick glimpse at him, but I was greatly impressed by what I saw. The best glimpse was during a Q&A session in which he responded to some silly questions in a very respectful, resolved, and Christ-like manner.
I thank God for John Piper. I'm not an avid reader of his books, but I am appreciative of his desire--I should say passion-- to lift up Christ and point men to the All Satisfying Savior. Over the past half decade I've read a couple more of his books and have listened to a number of his sermons. I have been greatly enriched by them.
What follows is a short biographical sketch of his life to date...
John Piper was born to Bill (see here too) and Ruth Piper on January 11, 1946 in Chattanooga, TN. Bill Piper had attended and graduated from Bob Jones College in 1942. Being a close friend of Dr Bob Jones, Sr, he remained very close to the school and even served as a member of the board. Bill and Ruth moved with the school from Tennessee to Greenville in the mid 40's. John graduated from Wade Hampton High School and went off to study at Wheaton College. While in college John met Noël Henry with whom he fell in love and married after his graduation in 1968. He pursued a Bachelor of Divinity degree at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA and a Doctor of Theology degree at the University of Munich.
John Piper is now the Pastor for Preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota and has been there since 1980. The Lord has used his preaching, teaching, and writing abilities to make an astounding impact upon my generation, especially young fundamentalists. He has authored over 30 books, many of which have been reprinted numerous times. I would like to leave you with links to the three books that have most influenced and impacted my life. I highly recommend each of these!!!
- Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist. (Multnomah, 1986; 2nd edition, 1996, 3rd edition, 2003). [WTS | CBD | Amazon]
- Let the Nations Be Glad: The Supremacy of God in Missions. (Baker, 1993; 2nd Edition, 2003). [WTS | CBD | Amazon]
- The Supremacy of Christ in Preaching. (Baker Books, 1990; Revised edition, 2004). [WTS | CBD | Amazon]
A helpful biographical sketch can be found at Monergism.com (here).
I'd like to hear from you which books by Piper have made the most impact on your life and ministry.
Hi, Jason. I'd have to say that my favorite Piper book (and, indeed, one of my all time favorite books by any author!) is "The Pleasures of God". I'm currently reading "When I Don't Desire God" and it's quickly becoming one of my favorite Piper books. The first Piper book I read (back after it first came out in '93) was "Let the Nations Be Glad," which is probably my second-favorite. I'd have to say that that book is part of the reason I'm on the mission field today.
ReplyDeleteJason,
ReplyDeleteThe Pleasures of God ranks high on my list of favorite Piper books, but the top spot goes to The Supremacy of God in Preaching. That was the first book by John Piper I ever read. Seeing that book in the store was the first time I had ever even heard of him. This was around 1992. I was thrilled that a preacher was writing about glorifying God in your preaching instead of writing another book on how to meet felt needs and get more people in your church. Thanks for this post.
It looks like in need to get a copy of The Pleasures of God.
ReplyDeleteWe also have a copy of A Hunger for God which is a devotional book. Tiffany and I, both, have read bits of it and have found it to be profitable.
I'm not a pastor, nor am I in full-time vocational ministry, but I'll comment on Piper anyway.
ReplyDeleteAbout 10 years ago I was the chairman of the deacons of a fairly well known mid-sized fundamentalist Baptist church where the pastor was an egotistical person who fancied himself as the CEO of a large organization. Because he had no "preacher-boy" training, or training in Greek or Hebrew, he knew nothing about expository preaching, and indeed, sometimes his doctrinal messages went awry. By God's grace, I stumbled on Piper's book, The Supremacy of God in Preaching, and read it and reread it several times. Then I had to do a lot of hard thinking about how my own pastor, as well as some other pastors I knew, fell far short of God's ideal ministry for pastors and shepherds. The end result was that several years later I had to leave with my family for another church where the pastor knew how to preach and teach the Word, and gave God the glory He so richly deserves.
I now have 17 Piper books in my library, and while I don't care for the term "Christian Hedonism", Piper's writings in Desiring God, A Hunger for God, Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ, What Jesus Demands from the World, and When I Don't Desire God, are right on target, and incredibly convicting.
Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting the site and sharing your comments. I'm sorry to hear about the trouble you've had. I believe that while this situation seems to be prevalent in many IFB churches, we're not the only group affected by egotism and pseudo-professionalism. It is a saddening thing to hear about this from any circle. Preaching the Word of Life is a high calling and not a matter to be taken lightly. I learned some of this from Piper and most of the rest from my former pastor. Praise the Lord for humble, exemplary under-shepherds.
Have any of you read Piper's Brethren, We are Not Professionals? I remember Dr Mark Minnick recommending it. I've got a review copy but have not had the opportunity to start reading it (I'm behind on my other reviews). I'd be glad to hear your thoughts on it.
ReplyDeleteI'm also looking for someone to write a review of it.