John Piper’s Upcoming London Visit Raises Questions and a Response from American and U.K. Pastors
Contact: Cathy Mickels, 360-387-7373, cathymickels@gmail.com
SEATTLE, May 11, 2018. Pastor John Piper’s upcoming visit to London to address the London Men’s Convention in Central Hall Westminster on June 2, 2018 is fueling an ongoing discussion among conservative evangelicals. In response to the event, they are asking why established Christian leaders in both the United States and the U.K. continue to excuse and accommodate the flawed doctrine of the self-proclaimed Christian hedonist, John Piper.
American Pastor Gary Small of Lynden, Washington, states, “It is a travesty to watch big name pastors carelessly ignore their responsibility to defend the faith. In the case of John Piper, our evangelical leaders remain silent against a false doctrine that seeks to combine Christianity with the philosophy of hedonism. Moreover, Piper’s heretical statement redefining Christ by claiming that ‘Jesus was the best Christian Hedonist who ever existed’ fits Piper’s paradigm, but it is clearly outside the boundaries of Scripture.” (Ask Pastor John,” episode 998, 2/3/2017)
According to Pastor Small, “For years Piper’s man-made philosophy has been embraced without question.” However, he observes that the tide may be changing.
Another American pastor expressing concern is Nevada Pastor Michael Butler, a graduate of Master’s Seminary, California. He has recently written a series of articles to explain Piper’s errors under the title, Cracking the Insidious Code, which has been published in the British publication, the English Churchman. In great detail, Pastor Butler explains how Piper’s philosophical opinions and contradictions undermine Scripture. Therefore, he warns he must be avoided at all costs.
Also, joining American pastors are British Pastor Chris Hand of Crich Baptist Church, Derbyshire, England, and John Thackway, pastor of Holywell Evangelical church in Wales and editor of The Bible League Quarterly.
Pastor Hand commented, “I have been familiar with the ministry of Dr. John Piper for twenty years. I was unhappy with it then. I am unhappy with it now. How much more evidence do people need before they start to feel the same?”
Similarly, Pastor Thackway has expressed concern regarding the confusion and falsity of Piper’s teaching, and has stated, “…Christian Hedonism is a departure from biblical and historical Christianity, and a dangerous error.”
Conservative evangelicals in both America and the U.K. say they are encouraged by a growing movement driven by local pastors and layman to protect the Church from Piper’s false teaching. Two recently printed books Christian Hedonism?: A Biblical examination of John Piper’s teaching in 2017, and Is John Piper an Antinomian? (2018) by Dr. ES Williams have become important resources to help them expose Piper’s distortion and misrepresentation of Scripture.
Pastors representing both countries forewarn, “Conservative evangelicals are concerned that the validation of this Piper event in London will serve to further propagate the heretical doctrine of Piper’s Christian hedonism in the United States and the U.K.”
Pastor Small added that although for several decades Christians assumed John Piper was someone they could trust, conservative voices within the Church today say we must face the fact that John Piper’s hedonism has no place in the Christian Church.
For further information, please see: www.therealjohnpiper.com/
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