Pastoral Musings

Barnabas Piper wishes his parents a happy 43rd anniversary.

While there are some humorous statements such as:

Mom was a stunner and dad, well, he looked like Buddy Holly. Which, in retrospect, just made him 43 years ahead of his time in sheer hipsterhood.

And how many of you have a complete library of original autographed and personally inscribed works by John and Noel Piper? Actually don’t answer that; some of you are just obsessive enough to have accomplished that.

There are also great statements of respect that come from a lifetime of watching two people struggle to honor Christ, and succeeding in presenting a consistent Christian witness:

There’s an entire blog post to be written about their consistency between public persona and private reality in the home.

I am not yet thirty, but life is moving awfully fast and it’s not hard to picture being 65 myself. And I hope I am just as committed to my Lesley, my Grace, and my Dianne when I get there as my parents are to each other and to their children. Daddy and Mother, you have set a 43 year course that you would doubtless describe as imperfect, but it is just as doubtlessly encouraging to me.

via Barnabas’s Blog: Happy 43rd!.

Due to his being a public figure, Piper is often the recipient of much criticism (some of it warranted and some not). It is worth our while to pause and honor those who have lived consistent, Christian lives that win the respect of their children.

We all know that there are many Christian leaders who have lost their children because they did not keep their children’s respect. We all know that there are many Christian leaders whose home lives are not the same as their public lives.

Let us thank God today that the Pipers have lived in such a way that their son rises up and calls them blessed.

May their tribe increase.

Image via Wikipedia

John Piper once mentioned being advised to find one theologian/scholar and to devote himself to studying the works of that one person.

Is this wise?

In one sense, yes.  One can certainly learn much from spending much time with Arminius, Calvin, Edwards, Irenaeus, Lewis, or even someone as recent as D.A. Carson.

In another sense, the answer is “no.”  To hitch one’s wagon to one man’s theology could be dangerous for at least two reasons:

1.  The man could become bigger than the message.  I think we notice this today when people uncritically follow celebrity pastors.  The tendency for the man to become more important than Christ is great.

2.  The man’s errors could easily become ours.  We tend to trust too easily, I think.  We trust too much, also.  If we stick with one man’s theology, his errors are quite likely to become ours, because of the reasons that I stated in #1.  Not only so, but there would be little or no counter balance to the errors of the man to whose studies we are devoted.

This being the case, we should probably find one theologian that we respect above others, read him often, and learn from him.  We should also read the works of those who disagree with him, and those who come from very diverse backgrounds.

I love Piper, Driscoll, Mahaney, and MacArthur among others.  I refuse, however, to be bound to them beyond their being bound the Christ.

Christ is the ONE who we must follow without reserve.

Just musing…

Related articles

• The (Welcome) Rise of the Pastor-Theologian: A Friendly Response to Donald Miller – The Gospel Coalition Blog (pastoralmusings.com)
• Why Christian Hedonism? or How to Refute a Stoic (inchristus.wordpress.com)
• THE PASTOR AS SCHOLAR AND THE SCHOLAR AS PASTOR – John Piper and D.A. Carson (2011) (baldreformer.wordpress.com)
• Karl Barth (westernthm.wordpress.com)

I hope this scandal is behind us now. God will be (and is) the judge. We can rest in His sovereignty. Until then, remember, we’re not ministering on behalf of Piper or Warren or anyone else. We have to be faithful with where God has put us. I’m not of Piper or of Warren. I’m of Christ. But I respect both of these men and pray God’s continued blessing on their ministry.

via John Piper Interviews Rick Warren « Fundamentally Reformed.

Wise words, Bob.

Thanks

Related articles

• Adrian Warnock on John Piper And Rick Warren (pastoralmusings.com)
• John Piper Still Being Taken to Task Over His Use of Rick Warren At DG Conference (pastoralmusings.com)
• John Piper Defends Rick Warren Yet Again (revivalandreformation.wordpress.com)
• John Piper Interviews Rick Warren At Saddleback (5ptsalt.com)
• John Piper Interviews Rick Warren on Doctrine (allthyngs.wordpress.com)
• Transcript of John Piper’s Interview of Rick Warren (5ptsalt.com)
• John Piper Interviews Rick Warren at Saddleback (slaughteringthesheep.wordpress.com)
• Linkage 5/30 (articles I thought worthy of consideration) (christopherlazo.com)
• A La Carte (5/27) (challies.com)
• Flotsam and jetsam (5/27) (westernthm.wordpress.com)

Image by On Being via Flickr

I love John Piper (I already said that, right?). I’m glad that he has risen to a position of leadership within the church. But this interview has not at all convinced me to retract what I believe about Rick Warren. I firmly believe that those who have respectfully offered measured critiques of Warren and his ministry—substantial and important critiques—have done so for good reason. And those reasons remain.

via Thinking About Rick Warren & John Piper | Challies Dot Com.

I suppose it will be a while before this issue dies.

In the end, I think Piper is a very charitable guy who wishes Warren to have a little more appreciation than he does get.  I doubt that Piper would embrace every Warrenism, but I do think that he understands the need to not discard someone totally.

Concerns?  Yes, and I think that we all will do well to have concerns about Warren and Piper.  We should also be concerned about ourselves.  We are all human.  We all have blind spots.  We all err.  Thus it is that we should not only examine Piper and Warren, but our own hearts as well.  Challies has done so, he says.   We should certainly entertain the same concerns and then ask ourselves how to proceed from there.

As for me, I think I may actually read “The Purpose Driven Life.”  I never have.  I read “The Purpose Driven Church” and was left cooled and dampened by it.  I suppose I may have to check it out again, too.  At least I can make my own decisions.

Isn’t that how we should approach this?

Related articles

• Adrian Warnock on John Piper And Rick Warren (pastoralmusings.com)
• John Piper Still Being Taken to Task Over His Use of Rick Warren At DG Conference (pastoralmusings.com)
• John Piper Defends Rick Warren Yet Again (revivalandreformation.wordpress.com)
• John Piper Interviews Rick Warren At Saddleback (5ptsalt.com)
• John Piper Interviews Rick Warren on Doctrine (allthyngs.wordpress.com)
• John Piper Interviews Rick Warren at Saddleback (slaughteringthesheep.wordpress.com)
• Transcript of John Piper’s Interview of Rick Warren (5ptsalt.com)

On the doctrines of grace and the five solas:

On theology:

Most people don’t know that Saddleback has a 72-week systematic theology course thatis required for every small group member and every staff member. And I’ve had over15,000 people go through this 72-week systematic study. I would take doctrinalknowledge of any 500 Saddleback members and compare it to any 500 members of anyother church and we’d beat them.

On pride and temptation:

I’m begging the people who watch this, please pray for me. I would rather stick a knife in my heart than dishonor the name of God.

Full transcript on Scribd

http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/55821766

Related articles

• John Piper Still Being Taken to Task Over His Use of Rick Warren At DG Conference (pastoralmusings.com)
• Transcript of John Piper’s Interview of Rick Warren (5ptsalt.com)
• John Piper Interviews Rick Warren on Doctrine (allthyngs.wordpress.com)
• John Piper Interviews Rick Warren At Saddleback (5ptsalt.com)
• John Piper Interviews Rick Warren at Saddleback (slaughteringthesheep.wordpress.com)
• A La Carte (5/27) (challies.com)

Image via Wikipedia

Many dismiss Warren for purely stylistic issues. They do not know of his avid devouring of Biblical theology. They are not aware of his love for God’s Word. They see a style that seems focussed on practical issues, and very simple teaching. They do not appreciate that there is a very clear and thought-through method that lies behind the way Warren communicates, nor that it is so much harder to explain things in a straightforward way.

Piper is very different stylistically to Warren. Yet I love the fact that he appreciates him so much. In the introduction to the video Piper is very clear that he values Warren’s efforts in the social action arena. He is not afraid to say that he is concerned that doctrine be at the foundation of all we do. Warren agrees with him on this and states that it is doctrine that drives him.

via John Piper interviews Rick Warren on doctrine and the Purpose Driven Life.

This sounds interesting.  I’m not sold on Warren, but I hope to learn more as soon as I can see the video to which Warnock refers.

The Christian Post has an article about the interview.

Desiring God’s interview page.

Scribd archive of the transcript.

Related articles

• John Piper Still Being Taken to Task Over His Use of Rick Warren At DG Conference (pastoralmusings.com)
• John Piper Defends Rick Warren Yet Again (revivalandreformation.wordpress.com)
• John Piper Interviews Rick Warren on Doctrine (allthyngs.wordpress.com)
• John Piper Interviews Rick Warren At Saddleback (5ptsalt.com)
• John Piper Interviews Rick Warren at Saddleback (slaughteringthesheep.wordpress.com)
• Transcript of John Piper’s Interview of Rick Warren (5ptsalt.com)

I cannot speak to whether John Piper is saved or not. All I can say is that I really hope he repents.

He betrayed his church when he allowed that wolf, Rick Warren, to speak at the Desiring God conference in 2010. Many people will say that it is not right to call it a betrayal since it was a conference for pastors. I strongly disagree. He allowed Warren into his sheepfold to teach. Right there in the congregation. And not only pastors were there. I have personal friends who are not pastors who attended that conference and therefore sat under Rick Warren’s teaching and false gospel.

Piper then has made statements along the lines of Rick Warren being a biblically sound, Calvinist brother.

How can this be so? Why is Piper partnering with this dangerous false teacher and ignoring reason and warnings?

One does not have to look very far or try very hard to find Rick Warren on YouTube spewing his heretical doctrines. He is like the uncle of the emergent movement. He is a dangerous wolf destroying sheep.

He says things to people that they want to hear. He is charming and is trying very hard to ingratiate himself into the Reformed camp. He has programs that are based on the social gospel and is a major pusher of ecumenism. He has also partnered with new age mystical practitioners like Dr. Oz to formulate his Daniel Plan. This is a very subtle, dangerous and deceitful false teacher who is going after the very souls of men and leading them to hell.

Please, do not let down your guard and be duped by this man. He is terribly wrong.

Please pray for John Piper that he will come to his senses and repent of this.

via Such Was I: What is going on with John Piper?.

Honestly, I’m not well impressed with Warren.  I’m not fond of Piper’s associating with him, either.

The words of the blogger are strong words.  I wonder…

Cover of Don't Waste Your Life

We’re pleased to announce that John Piper’s Don’t Waste Your Life was named the 2010 Christian Literature Centre Book of the Year in Italy!

via “Don’t Waste Your Life” Named Italy’s CLC Book of the Year | Crossway.

My Review of Love Wins | Donald Miller’s Blog.

John Piper says that this is very close to what he meant when he tweeted, “farewell” to Rob Bell.

 

Love Wins is Rob Bell’s “McLaren Moment” and this is what I think Piper was getting at when he said “Farewell Rob Bell.”

We have not seen the last of Rob Bell, to be sure. What we are seeing though is the end of his tenure as the resident paradoxical wildcard threat of Evangelicalism. Right or wrong, the current gatekeepers of Evangelicalism seem to have thrown him out of the deck and will now, along with their followers, consider him just another mainstream Liberal Protestant trying to sell himself and his books to the masses by offering a pleasant and palatable Jesus to people who are looking for… well, exactly that.

via The McLaren Moment: What John Piper meant by “Farewell Rob Bell.” | Michael Krahn : Writer.