Know Your Evangelicals: John Piper

Name: John Piper

Why you’ve heard of him: Dr. Piper is one of the most influential and popular preacher/authors in American evangelicalism.

Position: Senior Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, MN; Host of the daily radio program Desiring God; Founder of Desiring God ministries.

Previous: Associate Professor of Biblical Studies, Bethel College, St. Paul, MN

Education:
B.A., Wheaton College
B.D., Fuller Theological Seminary
Dr.theol., University of Munich

Denomination: Baptist (Baptist General Conference)

Books: Piper is the author of over twenty books, including Love Your Enemies: Jesus’ Love Command in the Synoptic Gospels and the Early Christian Paraenesis (1991); Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist (1986); Donít Waste Your Life (2003); A God Entranced Vision of All Things (2004); and The Passion of Jesus Christ (2004)

Sample Resources: “How Much is Jesus Worth?” (podcast, 1982); What made it OK for God to kill women and children in the Old Testament? (podcast, 2010)

Assessment: Piper’s life goal and ministry have been focused on spreading ìa passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples.” His writing and preaching have had a significant impact on many young Christian leaders, including pastors, seminarians, and members of the bands Third Day and Switchfoot. Espousing a concept he calls “Christian Hedonism,” Piper carries on the tradition of a complete God-centered worldview that he picked up from the Puritan preacher Jonathan Edwards, one of his most significant influences. As noted by Al Mohler, who called Let the Nations Be Glad “the most important book on missions for this generation,” Piper has also had a major impact on the state of modern world missions.

[Special thanks to Justin Taylor for his input on this entry.]

(This post is part of the Know Your Evangelicals series.)