Why John Piper Doesn't Get It

[Please also see my early post title: Men For Whom I Am Thankful: John Piper. Pastor John is an incredible gift to the Church, and I humbly acknowledge his great influence on me. May the Lord continue to raise up such servants]

There are three types of people who read this blog. First, the people who know me. These generally are friends and/or congregants from my current (and former) church body, as well as those whom I have met in some other ministry involvements. Second, there is my mom (thanks, mom). The third category are those individuals in the blogging and internet world that have stumbled upon this blog and have become regular (or at least occasional) readers.

It is this last group that I risk offending, as the majority of these are reformed, perhaps baptistic, individuals who for the most part have a deep respect of John Piper. With such a brazen blog article title, I have some quick explaining to do.

Recently John Piper wrote an article on his blog about Fundamentalists. The article was particularly moving because Pastor Piper was responding with grace to the personal attacks against him by hyper-fundamentalists. I was moved by his restraint, as well as his loving tone to those who openly maligned him. His response evidenced a deep faith, a commitment to Christ-likeness, and a concentrated humility.

However, Piper ended his article with a jab at (presumably) those who criticize these fundamentalists. His last sentence states, "I think that some of the whining about its ill effects would have to also be directed against the black-and-white bluntness of Jesus".

Hyper-fundamentalism is a world that John Piper only knows from afar. He attended Wheaton (a non-fundamentalist school), Fuller (the 'center of compromise' to a fundamentalist), and the University of Munich (which is in liberal Europe). The mere fact that he went to these schools indicates that he either was never part of, or cut ties early with the brand of fundamentalism under consideration. Add this this the fact that he pastors in the Baptist General Conference, a baptist denomination that hyper-fundamentalist view as being either heretical, or tolerant of heresy. To be frank, Piper is an outsider to the Fundamentalist world.

While I appreciate John's attitude of reconciliation, one is at a loss to explain exactly how hyper fundamentalism looks like anything Jesus would do. Certainly the need to separate from sin is biblical, but the more conservative quarters of Evangelicalism already make this call. In fact, other that the word "separation", there is little in common between the separation Jesus advocated, and the separation advocated by hyper-fundamentalists.

Jesus is to be honored and followed because of his black-and-white bluntness against our sins of pride, drunkenness, adultery, and greed.

Are we to honor hyper-fundamentalists for their black-and-white bluntness against the "sins" of speaking in tongues, long hair on men, contemporary chorus music, and anything non-KJV?

What Piper considers as "whining" against Fundamentalism many of us see as lovingly, but firmly, responding to an errant theology and distorted Christianity. Was Piper "whining" when he responded to NT Wright's views on justification? Was Piper "whining" when he wrote his responses to the evangelical-feminist movement? Or, was he lovingly but firmly responding to an errant theology and distorted Christianity?

I love John Piper's ministry. He continues to be a massive influence in my life both theologically and pastorally. However, when it comes to the threat of fundamentalism, John Piper doesn't get it. But then again, that's OK. He is much more effective outside that world.