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Top 10 Facts about John Piper

John Stephen Piper was born on January 11, 1946, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He is an American pastor, Baptist theologian, and chancellor of the Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Before he began serving as a pastor, he taught biblical studies at Bethel University for six years. John is the founder and senior teacher of desiringGod which is named after his book Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist. John is the author of multiple award-winning books like What Jesus Demands from the World and Pierced by the Word. 

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1. His Life Before Becoming A Pastor

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When John was six years old, he had a religious conversion while on a family vacation in Florida. Piper always refers to this day because he remembers the event as the Bible’s telling of the hopeless condition of all humans. He studied at Wheaton College between 1964 and 1968, he majored in literature and minored in philosophy.

While he was at Wheaton, he studied romantic literature with Clyde Kilby which led him to take interest in poetry. John continues to pursue his poetry with a deeper reality of personal, theological, and social reality. In 1968, John married Noel Henry and they had four sons, a daughter, and twelve grandchildren.

2. The Reforming Christian Radio Station

In 1996, John listened to Pastor Harold John Ockenga on WETN. Piper recalls the ministry of God’s word to that radio station. John normally talks about this station as a call to long the word of God and to follow the ministry of the word. The preaching of Pastor Harold helped him understand his destiny to be a pastor, he mentioned several times that before the podcast he wanted to drop organic chemistry but the preaching gave John the answer he needed.

3. The Reformative Season For Piper

From 1968 to 1971, John was under the tutelage of Daniel Payton Fuller at the Fuller Theological Seminary. The experience taught John a lot of things about the ministry of God. There are three things that the seminary taught, these include central conviction of the sovereignty of God, Christian Hedonism, and attention to detail in Bible study.

John later received his Doctor of Theology degree in New Testament studies at the University of Munich. His dissertation was published by Cambridge University Press and Baker Book House. After he finished his doctorate, he went on to teach biblical studies at Bethel University for six years.

4. John’s Influence In The Ministry

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In 1980, he became a pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis and ministered until March 31, 2013. John became involved in evangelical Christianity after the publication of his book Desiring God. In 1994, John founded the Desiring God ministries which aim to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things.  The ministry offers all of his sermons and articles from the past three decades online at no cost.

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5. His Absence From The Ministry

From May 1, 2010, to January 9, 2011, John took an eight-month leave of absence from the Desiring God ministry. In 2011, he announced that he would step down from his role as pastor and that a candidate would succeed him. On May 20, 2012, Jason Meyer, who attained a Ph.D. at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, was voted to be the next pastor for preaching and vision. On March 31, 2013, John preached his final sermon as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist. He announced in an open letter to the congregation that he and his family would be moving to Tennessee. 

6. Recognition For His Work

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In 2010, For the Fame of God’s Name: Essays in Honor of John Piper, was published in his honor. The Festschrift has contributions from Don Carson, Thomas R. Schreiner, Mark Dever, Wayne Grudem, Al Mohler, John MacArthur, and Bill Mounce. In 2018, John was named one of the 12 Most Effective Preachers in English by Baylor University.

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7. The Personal Life of John 

In 2006, John announced that he announced that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. John wrote a letter to his church that stated the cancer was fully treatable. In the letter, he says that the news of cancer has wonderfully put an effect on both the sin of self-reliance and the stupor of worldliness. In 2006, Piper underwent surgery that went successful and the healing process was smooth.

8. The Pastor as Scholar and The Scholar as Pastor Book

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This book was meant to help pastors and scholars to embody theological depth and practical focus. The book is led by John Piper and D. A. Carson on the Desiring God website. It helps those in academia and in the pastorate to think holistically about their calling.

In the book, John focuses on the importance of careful thinking as a pastor, while Carson focuses on the importance of a pastoral heart in his career as a scholar. The available chapters on the website have been revised and there are expanded versions of the messages that were given at the 2009 Gospel Coalition conference.

9. Books By John That Have Been Published

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Over the years, John has sold millions of books but has also donated 100% of the royalties from his book sales to various charities. These books have been published by different people. Some of these books include Love Your Enemies, The Justification of God, The Supremacy of God in Preaching, The Pleasures of God, Lessons from a Hospital Bed, Your Sorrow Will Turn To Joy, and Coronavirus and Christ.

10. His Life After Retirement

On the Desiring God website, John talked about retirement and its effects on the mind and soul. In the book about rethinking retirement, he guides the readers who are struggling to adjust to their life and want to find ways to experience the true security and freedom of retirement. The book helps fellow Baby Boomers to invest themselves in the sacrifices of love and growth in spirituality. In the book, he has talked about all the times he has thought twice about retirement.

Since he began the Desiring God website, he has been able to share the word with a lot of people around the world. He talks about real-life issues that need spiritual answers. John is known for his amazing sermons that have helped people who are struggling with their faith or need answers to life decisions. With his books, he is able to guide the congregation through difficult times.

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