John Piper
Finding the Reformed Favorites
If you spend any time reading blogs with a Reformed bent, you know that there are certain characterizations that can be made: we like the English Standard Version, the Puritans, John Piper, and complementarianism, among many other (sometimes stereotypical) distinctives.
Lately I’ve been realizing how funny it is that I sort of stumbled upon a lot of these likings without even realizing they were hallmarks of my theological persuasion. I guess that is probably what happened to a lot of us!
The English Standard Version. I’ve detailed my history with this version before. But in brief, I’ll just say that I learned about the ESV in high school. My uncle and aunt tried to convince my family to buy into it.
The Puritans. I knew about Jonathan Edwards because of John Piper’s emphasis on him, but I was never a big fan. In my J-term class this past January, I did a twenty-page review of Puritan literature, a subject I selected because it sounded vaguely interesting. Then I realized how very much I admired the Puritans, and since then have loved reading more about them. I’ve also discovered that a lot of other Reformed people love the Puritans!
John Piper. I think I learned about him from my dad, who liked Desiring God and Don’t Waste Your Life. He read some of Don’t Waste Your Life to us, again, when I was in high school. I love that book. From there I began accessing Desiring God’s online resources, and have been so blessed by them.
Complementarianism. My history with this is kind of complicated, actually. My extended family has a background with it that I can’t really get into. But suffice it to say that from a very young age I have believed in the complementary order - without knowing to call it that, or before I ever heard of CBMW.
It’s been fun finding an online community that shares my affinity for these particular aspects of our faith. More than that, I love challenging and being challenged in the essential elements of the faith - the gospel and the cross, Scripture, the church, etc. Good times are had by all!
The Prosperity Gospel
This is TRUE and powerful. Not only does it debunk the lie of the prosperity gospel, it drives home the message of Jesus as all-satisfying and worthy of our only worship. And it includes my favorite Scripture, Psalm 73:25-26. Beautiful. Watch.
(HT: The Prodigal Jon)
John Piper on College (Part 2)
Here’s Part 1.
After addressing why he thinks college is important, Piper goes on to outline four mistakes for young people (more specifically, college students) to avoid. My comments are in italics.
“Mistake #1: Big is better than small. God uses little David-like people to accomplish huge Goliath-like things because He is jealous to get the credit. Don’t worry about big. Worry about faithful.”
I love this. Sometimes I see in young people a misplaced passion and idealism for doing big, radical things for God. While dreaming big is wonderful, and being radical for God is what we need, we should realize that being a janitor can be just as much of a ministry as being a missionary in Africa. It’s all about the heart.
“Mistake #2: New is better than old. Read old books. You need the wisdom of the ages to combat the folly of the present.”
I always wonder how young people who know so little about the past can hope to understand today’s culture.
“Mistake #3: Having is better than being. There’s no correlation between the fullness of life and the muchness of having.”
Something to be remembered daily.
“Mistake #4: Visible is better than invisible. The most important things are not visible. God is invisible and He is the greatest reality of all. If you structure your life around sight, it will be out of touch with reality. Do not be much interested in outward appearance. Be interested in inner realities.”
And the conclusion… I love it.
“If God is God - and He is - small with Him is better than big with anybody. His old things are better than anybody’s new things. Being His child is better than having the world. And better to be blind with the invisible God than to see everything without Him.”
John Piper on College (Part 1)
College students: Ever get the question, “Why are you in college?”
This is why.
“We’re in school to see a whole panorama of life that comes out in all manifestations of disciplines in the hope that all these beams of light refracted in human minds will lead us to the source of all things so that we know Him better.”
I feel like we should add that to the admissions catalog… wow.
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I'm Anna. I'm 22. I love reading and writing. I'm a recent college graduate living at home. And I hope you are blessed by what you read here.