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You may remember last year when The Dissenter published an article denouncing the deeply erotic and nearly pornographic nature in which a TGC author, Joshua Butler, described Christ’s relationship to the Church. While his description was extremely graphic, comparing Christ’s relationship to the Church with a graphical description of a man’s sexual relationship with his wife, the root issue is a distinct misinterpretation of the kind of love that differentiates the two scenarios. The New Testament primarily uses three Greek words to describe love: agape, philia, and eros. Agape is often described as the highest form of love, a selfless,...

REV. JOHN PIPER Theologian and Bible teacher John Piper recently shared what he says are "six biblical realities" showing why Christian parents shouldn't allow their kids to cross-dress, especially at church.In an episode of his podcast "Ask Pastor John" posted on the Desiring God website Monday, a listener asked about a family at her church that allows their son to wear dresses."They seem to let him choose most of what he wants to do," said the listener, identified only by the name Cindi. "We, of course, see a lot of danger in this parenting method. They were asked to leave...

On a regular basis, we are hearing reports of high-profile Christian leaders renouncing their faith, most recently Dr. Paul Maxwell, an author, former Moody Bible Institute professor, and writer for Desiring God. Yet, for many of us, it was even more shocking to learn that Abraham Piper, son of the influential pastor John Piper, had become an internet sensation, best known for his videos mocking his former evangelical beliefs. As reported by Ruth Graham for the New York Times, “Abraham Piper became a sensation on TikTok nearly overnight. He posted his first video in November, and he now has more...

The head of a national pro-life activist organization has criticized a handful of well-known evangelical leaders for not supporting former President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, arguing that they “let down the pro-life movement.” Penny Young Nance, president of the socially conservative Concerned Women for America, shared her thoughts about the future of the pro-life movement and the United States less than a month into the Joe Biden presidency in an interview with The Christian Post. She expressed disappointment with some of the “pro-abortion, anti-life, anti-women’s dignity” policies implemented by the new administration. She also contended that a...

If you are currently planning not to vote for either Trump or Biden, here are 10 reasons why I encourage you to change your mind and vote for President Trump. 1. Not voting for either Biden or Trump has a predictable result and therefore is not a neutral action. At first it might seem as if voting for neither candidate is a way to do nothing wrong. After all, you aren’t endorsing the shortcomings of either candidate. But consider the result of your decision. If you ordinarily vote for conservative candidates but decide not to vote for Trump, then Biden...

Abby Johnson – Politics is a dirty business. Mudslinging is common. It’s hard to figure out what’s true and what’s not. But one issue, another dirty business, is something that Christians in particular should know the truth about: abortion. And you know who should be pulling together to stump for a candidate who stands against the killing of our most vulnerable human beings? Our faith leaders. But instead, all we see are some of our most well-known faith leaders causing confusion and dissention. In a recent article by John Piper, he stated that “boastfulness” is a bigger problem than abortion:...

John Piper has been a friend – a good and faithful friend – for more than 40 years. I thank God for his remarkable worldwide ministry, his evident deep love for God, his faithfulness to every word of Scripture, and the way his life of self-sacrifice continues to provide a challenge to me personally. When we have opportunities to be together, I enjoy every minute of conversation with him. I pray for him regularly, as I believe he does for me. I agree with probably 98% of everything he has written and said during his entire ministry. But he and...

Politics is a dirty business. Mudslinging is common. It’s hard to figure out what’s true and what’s not. But one issue, another dirty business, is something that Christians in particular should know the truth about: abortion. And you know who should be pulling together to stump for a candidate who stands against the killing of our most vulnerable human beings? Our faith leaders. But instead, all we see are some of our most well-known faith leaders causing confusion and dissention. In a recent article by John Piper, he stated that “boastfulness” is a bigger problem than abortion: “I think it...

Many pundits suggest that if you haven’t made up your mind by now on your choice for President, you haven’t been paying attention. They’re largely correct, but there are some (a minority) who are paying attention and are seeing a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. (Apologies to Winston Churchill) This may be best exemplified by David French’s recent column where he quotes theologian John Piper at length. The upshot of his post is that a leader’s immorality destroys society. To that end, he cites “unrepentant sexual immorality,” “unrepentant boastfulness,” “unrepentant vulgarity,” and “unrepentant factiousness” as key markers...

Evangelical thinker, author, and Christian pastor John Piper stirred the Christian community and a larger public intrigued with how Christians may vote in the this election with his recent essay, “Policies, Persons, and Paths to Ruin: Pondering the Implications of the 2020 Election.” Piper concludes: “I will not develop some calculus to determine which path of destruction I will support.” After rejecting the sin of boastfulness with a terminology diagnosed in the Greek with the term “eristikos,” he is willing to forswear voting on or in the Presidential election of 2020. Piper’s critique of leadership character is one of several...

John Piper has been a friend – a good and faithful friend – for more than 40 years. I thank God for his remarkable worldwide ministry, his evident deep love for God, his faithfulness to every word of Scripture, and the way his life of self-sacrifice continues to provide a challenge to me personally. When we have opportunities to be together, I enjoy every minute of conversation with him. I pray for him regularly, as I believe he does for me. I agree with probably 98% of everything he has written and said during his entire ministry.But he and I...

Popular evangelical pastor John Piper made his case for Christians not voting for either Donald Trump or Joe Biden. Piper makes clear Biden’s far-left policies are abhorrent to Christians, acknowledging that they’re geared toward what Piper describes as “baby-killing, sex-switching, freedom-limiting and socialistic overreach.” But what about Trump, whose policies for the past four years have proven to be overwhelmingly consistent with, and supportive of, evangelical Christian sensibilities and concerns? Donald Trump is, in fact, widely regarded as the most pro-life president of our lifetime. Likewise, as president he has been the best friend of Israel in a generation, courageously...

John Piper is one of the most respected Christian leaders in America, and I personally hold him in high esteem. Yet I differ with his suggestion that Christians might do best by sitting out the presidential election, since a vote for either Trump or Biden cannot be justified.Michael Brown holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures from New York University and has served as a professor at a number of seminaries. He is the author of 25 books and hosts the nationally syndicated, daily talk radio show, the Line of Fire.Before sharing my differences, though, I want to...

John Piper, founder of DesiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary, speaks at the MLK50 Conference hosted by the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention and The Gospel Coalition in Memphis, Tennessee, Christians from across the spectrum have weighed in on influential pastor and author John Piper's op-ed piece criticizing Christians' support for President Donald Trump.“I think it is a drastic mistake to think that the deadly influences of a leader come only through his policies and not also through his person,” Piper, founder of Desiring God, wrote on Thursday. “Flagrant boastfulness, vulgarity, immorality...

John Piper has issued a blistering condemnation of President Donald Trump, warning Christian voters that the president's “deadly behavior” will lead the U.S. to “destruction of more kinds than we can imagine.” On Thursday, the influential pastor and writer published what he referred to as a “long-overdue” blog post in which he pondered the implications of the 2020 election. Piper, who pastored Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis for almost 33 years, reminded Christians that "it is not a small thing to treat lightly a pattern of public behaviors that lead to death." He pointed out that all of these sins...

A senior Army chaplain earlier this month emailed other chaplains the text of “Coronavirus and Christ,” a brief book by famed author, podcaster, and pastor John Piper. The command chaplain of U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys in South Korea, Col. Moon H. Kim, wrote in his email: “This book has helped me refocus my sacred calling to my savior Jesus Christ to finish strong. Hopefully this small booklet would help you and your Soldiers, their Families, and others who you serve.”This email and the attached book have led to complaints from 22 other chaplains, who’ve enlisted the help of the Military...

The audiobook version of John Piper's new book "Coronavirus and Christ" has been removed by YouTube for "violating community standards" roughly five weeks after it was published on the platform. The latest work by prolific author, speaker, and theologian Piper, "Coronavirus and Christ" was released for free on April 8, offering "six biblical answers to the question, What is God doing through the coronavirus?—reminding us that God is at work in this moment in history." Visitors to the YouTube upload of Piper reading the audio version of the book are now met with this black screen:

Well-known theologian John Piper has shared advice for husbands dealing with a quarrelsome wife and offered the reminder that “God is able to make out of a quarrelsome wife a helpful and prudent wife.” In a recent podcast, Piper responded to a reader who asked the pastor to bring “wisdom and clarity” to Bible verses about quarrelsome wives — as the theme is brought up five times throughout Scripture. Piper first emphasized that if a man reads verses like Proverbs 21:9 — “It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a...

Christians should not support the weddings of Christian couples who fornicate and believe it is permissible even though the Bible calls fornication sin, John Piper has suggested. Responding to a question on whether a Christian should attend the wedding of a couple already living together, Piper, founder of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary in Minnesota, gave a nuanced response addressing various relationship situations but drew a line in the sand for professing Christians who see fornication as permissible in committed relationships. "If they are moving away from fornication because they are now persuaded it is sin, and...

A relentless pursuit of self-esteem can increase your confidence and soothe your emotions. And it can also ruin your Bible reading. We’re joined one last time with our guest, Jen Wilkin — wife, mom, Bible teacher, and author of the fabulous book Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Our Minds. Jen, you once tweeted this: “Women teachers, let’s shift the emphasis from ‘Girl, you are a precious daughter of the King’ to ‘Behold your King.’ Lift up their eyes.” That sounds like it’s right at the heart of your whole aim of...