The Gospel Coalition

 

Biography

John Stephen Piper was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to Bill and Ruth Piper January 11, 1946. When John and his older sister were still small, the Pipers moved to Greenville, South Carolina, where John spent the rest of his growing-up years. At Wheaton College (1964-68), John majored in Literature and minored in Philosophy. Studying Romantic Literature with Clyde Kilby stimulated the poetic side of his nature, and today he regularly writes poems to celebrate special family occasions as well as composing story-poems (based on the life of a biblical character) for his congregation during the four weeks of Advent each year. At Wheaton, John also met Noel Henry whom he married 1968.

Following college he completed a Bachelor of Divinity degree at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California (1968-71). John did his doctoral work in New Testament Studies at the University of Munich, Munich, West Germany (1971-74). His dissertation, Love Your Enemies, was published by Cambridge University Press and Baker Book House. Upon completion of his doctorate he went on to teach Biblical Studies at Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota for six years (1974-80).

In 1980, sensing an irresistible call of the Lord to preach, John became the senior pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he has been ministering ever since. Together with his people, John is dedicated to spreading a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ.

John and Noel have four sons, a daughter, and an increasing number of grandchildren.

Books

Publications

Books
 
2010
 
A Sweet and Bitter Providence: Sex, Race, and the Sovereignty of God. Wheaton: Crossway, 2010.
 
2009
 
John Calvin and His Passion for the Majesty of God. Wheaton: Crossway, 2009.
 
Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ: The Cost of Bringing the Gospel to the Nations in the Lives of William Tyndale, Adoniram Judson, and John Paton. Wheaton: Crossway, 2009.
 
Finally Alive: What Happens When We Are Born Again. Ross-Shire, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2009.
 
The Power of Words and the Wonder of God, co-editor. Wheaton: Crossway, 2009.
 
This Momentary Marriage: A Parable of Permanence. Wheaton: Crossway, 2009.
 
2008
 
History’s Most Spectacular Sin. Wheaton: Crossway, 2008.
 
Rethinking Retirement. Wheaton: Crossway, 2008.
 
Spectacular Sins: And Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ. Wheaton: Crossway, 2008.
 
Stand: A Call for the Endurance of the Saints, co-editor. Wheaton: Crossway, 2008.
 
Velvet Steel: The Joy of Being Married to You. Minneapolis: Desiring God, 2008.
 
2007
 
Battling Unbelief. Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 2007.
 
The Future of Justification: A Response to N. T. Wright. Wheaton: Crossway, 2007.
 
In Our Joy. Minneapolis: Desiring God, 2007.
 
The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World, co-editor. Wheaton: Crossway, 2007.
 
2006
 
Amazing Grace in the Life of William Wilberforce. Wheaton: Crossway, 2006.
 
Contending for Our All: Defending Truth and Treasuring Christ in the Lives of Athanasius, John Owen, and J. Gresham Machen. Wheaton: Crossway, 2006.
 
Suffering and the Sovereignty of God, co-editor. Wheaton: Crossway, 2006.
 
What Jesus Demands from the World. Wheaton: Crossway, 2006.
 
When the Darkness Will Not Lift: Doing What We Can While We Wait for God and Joy. Wheaton: Crossway, 2006.
 
2005
 
For Your Joy. Minneapolis: Desiring God, 2005.
 
God Is the Gospel: Meditations on God’s Love as the Gift of Himself. Wheaton: Crossway, 2005.
 
Taste and See: Savoring the Supremacy of God in All of Life. Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 2005.
 
Sex and the Supremacy of Christ, co-editor. Wheaton: Crossway, 2005.
 
2004
 
A God-Entranced Vision of All Things: The Legacy of Jonathan Edwards, co-editor. Wheaton: Crossway, 2004.
 
Life as a Vapor. Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 2004.
 
The Passion of Jesus Christ: Fifty Reasons Why He Came to Die. Wheaton: Crossway, 2004.
 
When I Don’t Desire God: How to Fight for Joy. Wheaton: Crossway, 2004.
 
2003
 
Beyond the Bounds: Open Theism and the Undermining of Biblical Christianity, co-editor. Wheaton: Crossway, 2003.
 
Don’t Waste Your Life. Wheaton: Crossway, 2003.
 
Pierced By the Word. Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 2003.
 
The Prodigal’s Sister. Wheaton: Crossway, 2003.
 
2002
 
Brothers, We Are not Professionals: A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry. Broadman & Holman, 2002.
 
Counted Righteous in Christ: Should We Abandon the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness?. Wheaton: Crossway, 2002.
 
The Misery of Job and the Mercy of God. Wheaton: Crossway, 2002.
 
The Roots of Endurance: Invincible Perseverance in the Lives of John Newton, Charles Simeon, and William Wilberforce. Wheaton: Crossway, 2002.
 
2001
 
The Dangerous Duty of Delight. Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 2001.
 
The Hidden Smile of God: The Fruit of Affliction in the Lives of John Bunyan, William Cowper, and David Brainerd. Wheaton: Crossway, 2001.
 
Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ. Wheaton: Crossway, 2001; 2nd edition, 2004.
 
What’s the Difference?: Manhood and Womanhood Defined According to the Bible. Wheaton: Crossway, 2001.
 
2000
 
The Legacy of Sovereign Joy: God’s Triumphant Grace in the Lives of Augustine, Luther, and Calvin. Wheaton: Crossway, 2000.
 
1999
 
A Godward Life, Book Two: Savoring the Supremacy of God in All of Life. Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 1999.
 
1998
 
God’s Passion for His Glory: Living the Vision of Jonathan Edwards. Wheaton: Crossway, 1998.
 
The Innkeeper. Wheaton: Crossway, 1998.
 
1997
 
A Godward Life: Savoring the Supremacy of God in All of Life. Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 1997.
 
A Hunger for God: Desiring God through Fasting and Prayer. Wheaton: Crossway, 1997.
 
The Purifying Power of Living by Faith in Future Grace. Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 1995.
 
 
1993
 
Let the Nations Be Glad! The Supremacy of God in Missions. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1993; 2nd Edition 2003.
 
1992
 
Fifty Crucial Questions about Manhood and Womanhood, co-author. Wheaton: Crossway, 1992.
 
1991
 
The Pleasures of God: Meditations on God’s Delight in Being God. Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 1991; Expanded edition, 2000.
 
Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism, co-editor. Wheaton: Crossway, 1991; 2nd edition 2006.
 
1990
 
The Supremacy of God in Preaching. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1990; 2nd edition, 2003.
 
1986
 
Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist. Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 1986; 2nd edition, 1996; 3rd edition, 2003.
 
1983
 
The Justification of God: An Exegetical and Theological Study of Romans 9:1-23. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1983; 2nd edition 1993.
 
1980
 
Love Your Enemies: Jesus’ Love Command in the Synoptic Gospels and the Early Christian Paraenesis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1980; Grand Rapids: Baker, 1991.
 
 
Articles
 
2009
 
“How Does the Supremacy of Christ Create Radical Christian Sacrifice? A Meditation on the Book of Hebrews.” In Proclaiming a Cross-Centered Theology, edited by Mark Dever et. al., 171-84. Wheaton: Crossway, 2009.
 
“The Justification Debate: A Primer,” co-author. Christianity Today, June 2009, 34-35.
 
“Over My Dead Body, Son.” Journal for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood 14 (Spring 2009): 6-7.
 
“What’s That Supposed to Mean?: How to Decipher Those I-Don’t-Get-It Bible Passages.” Relevant, March/April 2009, 60-61.
 
2008
 
“I Believe in God’s Self-Sufficiency: A Response to Thomas McCall.” Trinity Journal 29 (Fall 2008): 227-34.
 
“Prayer the Cry of Our Hearts: The Truth about Prayer.” Decision, January 2008, 28-29.
 
“What Is Christian Hedonism?” Relevant, March/April 2008, 52.
 
2007
 
 “Combat and Cowardice.” World, 10 November 2007, 43.
 
“Don’t Let Go: Prodigals.” Decision, September 2007, 11.
 
“Every Tribe, Tongue and Nation: The Ultimate Goal.” Decision, February 2007, 8-9.
 
“Gutsy Guilt: Don’t Let Shame over Sexual Sin Destroy You.” Christianity Today, October 2007, 72-76.
 
 “A Hole in Her Universe.” World, 27 October 2007, 39.
 
“Is Honesty Always the Best Policy?: What the Bible Has to Say about Lying.” Relevant September/October 2007, 60-62.
 
2006
 
“Don’t Waste Your Cancer,” co-author. Journal of Biblical Counseling 24 (Spring 2006): 2-8.
 
“Preaching as Expository Exultation for the Glory of God.” In Preaching the Cross, edited by Mark Dever et. al., 103-114. Wheaton: Crossway, 2006.
 
2005
 
“The Doctrine Difference.” World, 5 March 2005, 51.
 
“Mercy for the Living.” World, 15 January 2005, 47.
 
“Why Read Christian Biography?” Christian History and Biography 88 (Fall 2005): 54.
 
2004
 
“Calvary and the Camps.” World, 28 February 2004, 51.
 
“Treasuring Christ Together.” Journal of Biblical Counseling 22 (Winter 2004): 83-86.
 
“The Triumph of the Cross: 7 Reasons Christ Suffered and Died.” Decision, April 2004, 8-11.
 
2003
 
“The Call of God.” EthnoDoxology 2, no. 2 (2003): 11.
 
“Counseling with Suffering People.” Journal of Biblical Counseling 21 (Winter 2003): 18-27.
 
“Global Priority of Missions.” In Reclaiming the Gospel and Reforming Churches: Twenty Years of the Southern Baptist Founders Conference, 1982-2002, edited by Thomas K. Ascol, ???. Cape Coral, FL: Founders, 2003.
 
“Guilt, Grace, and the Global AIDS Crisis.” In The Hope Factor: Engaging the Church in the HIV/AIDS Crisis, edited by Tetsunao Yamamori, David Dageforde, and Tina Bruner, 243-46. Waynesboro, GA: Authentic Media, 2003.
 
“The Most Sharable Message in the World: Be Glad!” EthnoDoxology 2, no. 2 (2003): 8.
 
“A Response to Don Garlington on Imputation.” Reformation and Revival 12 (Fall 2003): 121-28.
 
“The Supremacy of God in Missions through Worship.” EthnoDoxology 2, no. 2 (2003): 2-3.
 
“What God Requires, Christ Provides,” co-author. Modern Reformation, September 2003, 18-23.
 
2002
 
“Eight Principles: How Christians Should Relate to Those of Other Faiths.” World, 12 October 2002, 51.
 
“God’s Glory is the Goal of Biblical Counseling.” Journal of Biblical Counseling 20 (Winter 2002): 8-21.
 
“Jesus: The Intercessor between God’s Wrath and Our Sin.” Modern Reformation, May 2002, 8-9.
 
“Why God Inspired Hard Texts (Romans 3:1-8).” Journal for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood 7 (Fall 2002): 79-82.
 
2001
 
“The Surpassing Goal: Marriage Lived for the Glory of God.” In Biblical Foundations for Manhood and Womanhood, edited by Wayne Grudem, 93-101. Wheaton: Crossway, 2002.
 
1999
 
“Training the Next Generation of Evangelical Pastors and Missionaries.” In Teaching Them Obedience in All Things: Equipping for the 21st Century, edited by Edgar J. Elliston, 16-31. Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1999.
 
“What Kind of Preaching Produces Holiness?: The Link between Worship and Obedience.” Leadership 20 (Spring 1999): 41-42.
 
“Why the Glory of God is at Stake in the ‘Foreknowledge’ Debate.” Modern Reformation, September 1999, 39-43.
 
1996
 
“Charles Spurgeon: Preaching through Adversity.” Founders Journal 23 (Winter 1996): 5-21.
 
1995
 
“Preaching as Worship: Meditations on Expository Exultation.” Trinity Journal 16 (Spring1995): 29-45.
 
1994
 
“Learning to Love: Learning to Savor the Love of God.” Discipleship Journal 14 (January 1994): 55-56.
 
1990
 
“How Redeemed People Do Battle with Sin.” Decision, January 1990, 12-13.
 
1983
 
“How Does a Sovereign God Love?: A Reply to Thomas Talbott.” Reformed Journal 33 (April 1983): 9-13.
 
“Universalism in Romans 9-11?: Testing the Exegesis of Thomas Talbott.” Reformed Journal 33 (July 1983): 11-14.
 
1982
 
“Brothers, We Are Not Professionals.” Leadership 3 (Summer 1982): 32.
 
“Peter Stuhlmacher: A Middle Way in German New Testament Scholarship.” Evangelical Quarterly 54 (April 1982): 105-110.
 
1981
 
“Holy Hedonism! Feeling Good about Doing Good.” His 42 (November 1981): 29-31.
 
1980
 
“The Demonstration of the Righteousness of God in Romans 3:25, 26.” Journal for the Study of the New Testament 7 (1980): 2-32.
 
“Historical Criticism in the Dock: Recent Developments in Germany.” Journal of Evangelical Theological Society 23, no. 4 (1980): 325-334.
 
1979
 
“Prolegomena to Understanding Romans 9:14-15: An Interpretation of Exodus 33:19.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 22, no. 3 (1979): 203-16.
 
“A Reply to Gerhard Maier: A Review Article.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 22, no. 1 (1979): 79-85.
 
1977
 
“Authority and Meaning of the Christian Canon: A Reply to Gerald Sheppard on Canon Criticism.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 19, no. 2 (1976): 87-96.
 
“Deciding What We Deserve.” Christianity Today, 21 October 1977, 12-15.
 
“How Do You Handle Compliments.” Christian Life 38 (March 1977): 27.
 
“How I Became a Christian Hedonist.” His 37 (March 1977): 1.
 
“Is Self-Love Biblical?” Christianity Today, 12 August 1977, 6-9.
 
 
Book Reviews
 
1987
 
Review of Romans, by Paul J. Achtemeier. Journal of Biblical Literature 110, no. 3 (1987): 725-27.
 
1985
 
Review of “Righteousness” in the New Testament: Justification in the United States Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue, by John Reumann, with responses by Joseph A. Fitzmeyer [and] Jerome D. Quinn. Journal of Biblical Literature 104, no. 2 (1985): 334-36.
 

  

By DateBy Topic

July 2003

Media Title Scripture Date
5 Text Audio Sweet Sorrow: The Happy Root of Holy Living
Category: Conference Messages, Topic: Jonathan Edwards
Source: Desiring God 		Jul 2 2003