A clip from a recent address by John Piper from the live-streamed T4G conference has emerged and stirred quite the controversy on Twitter (surprise!). You can view it here.
“Complementarianism is being taken to task as feeding abuse. I think that is dead wrong.” – @JohnPiper at #T4G20 pic.twitter.com/3ReI1Xp3kF
— T4G (@T4Gorg) April 16, 2020
If you don’t want to take the time, Piper is giving his reasons for believing that complementarianism gives better grounds for the fight against spousal abuse than does egalitarianism or patriarchalism. You may or may not agree with Piper; that’s okay.
What is not okay is to take your disagreements to levels of mockery and derision, poking fun at his looks and mannerisms. Many of those who do so are the same who (rightly) chastise so-called discernment bloggers for similar activities. The hypocrisy is tactile.
Many may disagree with Piper’s language of final justification, fine. I’m not a fan of it either. But let’s not forget the battles that Piper has fought for such matters as the sovereignty of God against open theology, or how a younger (now a bit older) generation was exposed to the Doctrines of Grace because of his preaching. Don’t forget how Piper not only encouraged but exmplified Christian charity in adopting orphans. And, whether you agree with all of his conclusions or not, don’t forget he faithfully pastored the same church for 33 years.
It is clear that we have lost the ability to disagree graciously, admiring the person as a person, while perhaps also holding very different views than them. For Christians who believe that every person is made in the image of God, this is non-negotiable. Plus, my guess is, if you were to meet Piper face to face you wouldn’t dare treat him the way you talk about him on Social Media, because you would see the humanity in him.
Thank you, Jason, for your excellent analysis and your helpful admonitions!
Thanks for the encouragement, Dr. Gonzales.