John Piper’s ministry has influenced me a good deal over the years. I studied under John back in 1977 when he taught at the college I attended. John was just as fiery and passionate back in those days as he is now at 64 years of age. Maybe you’ve heard of John's public announcement that he is taking an eight month leave of absence to attend to his soul. Well, John has been applauded for taking this action from just about every corner of the Evangelical world. One friend of mine said: "This man restores my faith in pastors. Imagine that, a pastor admitting his sin."
I’d like to say something about this- something very few have said at this point. Quite frankly, I don’t understand why John felt the need to share this decision in the manner he did. Leaders often take sabbaticals- and usually for the purpose of doing soul work: making adjustments due to pride; working on their marriage; repositioning for the future. There is a reason that Jesus said: “When you fast, do it in secret.”
No one can question that John is a lover of truth (at least his brand of truth). However, I’ve been concerned about his forcefulness as of late. Most recently, I've noted John’s personal attacks on certain emergent leaders (even making innuendos about knowledge he has of unexposed immorality in their lives), homosexuals in his city (remember the bit about the Minneapolis tornado and the Lutherans?), and the manner of his sparing with Bishop N. T. Wright. Hopefully, a little break will help bring back a little tenderness not only to John’s marriage, but to his public voice as well.
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