John Piper Confronts Sin of Racism, Including His Own
A rally against school integration in 1959
Evangelical theologian John Piper admits it: he was "racist to the core" and a born-again Christian at the same time.
But thankfully, he says, "God had mercy on this teenage racist who little by little was awakened to something beautiful – namely racial diversity – and to something horrible – namely my own sin – and to repentance as an ongoing way of life."
The influential pastor tackled the controversial issue of racism on Thursday at Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, a predominantly black church in Minneapolis. He addressed a diverse audience as he spoke about his latest book, Bloodlines: Race, Cross, and the Christian, where he defined racism this way: The heart that believes one race is more valuable than another is a sinful heart....
Good, someone's interested. According to historian David S. Reynolds (not a Christian), whose account is in general sympathetic, Brown was a full-strength Five-Point Calvinist. He & his father Owen were thoroughly versed in Jonathan Edward's works, & those of Edwards Jr., besides Scripture itself.
Yet while Brown gave regular Bible instruction to his family & followers, he never joined a church. While he attended a Congregational church once, he saw that blacks had to sit in the back. Brown was outraged, and offered his pew to them; later, the deacons paid him a disciplinary visit, and Brown gave them a stern talking-to.
Brown considered chattel slavery an act of war against its victims, justifying violence against it. While in prison awaiting trial, he refused ministration from Southern clergymen.
Neil wrote: I bet most of you don't know Brown's theological commitment; hint: it wasn't Transcendentalism.
I thought he was Swedenborgian, but I could be getting him mixed up with John "Johnny Appleseed" Chapman. Another one of America's best known idealists.
Every now & then I agree with Jim. How can you be a racist & a Christian? Tough question. I find it very troubling to learn how thoroughly racist America was in the supposedly "Christian" 19th & much of the 20th centuries. This was largely independent of latitude & politics. Just read some of the idiotic, fallacious nonsense otherwise educated (and many "Bible-believing") people said and wrote back then about blacks, whom they rarely bothered to interview, apparently.
BTW, John Brown, who attacked Harper's Ferry, was among the few Americans of his day who was truly comfortable around black people, & treated them as *complete* equals, unlike even the abolitionists who supported him. This is why the black community has consistently esteemed him since then. I bet most of you don't know Brown's theological commitment; hint: it wasn't Transcendentalism.
Galatians 3 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.---NASB
SA put up an interesting article, if nothing else for this quote, 'He [Piper] heard the general director of the Conservative Baptist Foreign Mission Society respond to a student's question about the possibility of his daughter marrying a Pakistani while on the mission field.
His response was something like: "Better a Christian Pakistani than a godless white American!" Piper recalled.'
1
There are a total of 7 user comments displayed | add new comment |
COMMENTS | 
stever: "
troll oggled
says the unbeliever who thinks that his fellow unbelievers..."
