A few of these children have made decisions that would grieve any parent, Christian or not. (Abraham Piper notes this isn’t the case with his parents.) Yet I know several exemplary Christian parents whose children have left the Jesus way. Tragically, many teens and young adults reject Christianity in part because of the spiritual dysfunction they witnessed within their own homes. Here’s why: It reminds me that no one, not even the best “Christian hedonist” can guarantee that his or her son or daughter won’t stray from the faith. We were praying like crazy that he wouldn’t get somebody pregnant, or marry the wrong person, or whatever.Īlthough there has been some controversy about whether or not he should’ve stepped down from the pastoral role according to the scriptural guidelines set forth in 1 Timothy 3:4-5 and Titus 1:6, I found Piper’s vulnerability and tenderness refreshing. Speaking about what transpired after the excommunication, Piper told CT:įrom then on, for the next four years, he was walking away from the Lord, trying to make a name for himself in disco bars as a guitarist and singer, and just doing anything but destroying himself.
I noticed that the interviewer, Christine Scheller, deftly turned from questions about racial reconciliation and reconciliation with Rob Bell, to an even more personal question about reconciliation between Piper and his one-time prodigal son, Abraham, whom his church, Bethlehem Baptist in Minneapolis, excommunicated.
There’s no doubt that most of us are a part of racialized churches, Christian organizations, and institutions.
Not long ago, I read Christianity Today magazine’s interview with John Piper because I was keenly interested in what the leading Reformed Baptist pastor had to say about race and reconciliation within the church. We have absorbed the cultural belief in psychological determinism but spiritualized it with Bible verses, and one verse in particular.” –Leslie Fields “One of the most resilient and cherished myths of parenting is that parenting creates the child…Many Christian writers and parents have…drifted into what could be called spiritual determinism.
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