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John Piper Explains Why He Tries for Ethnic Unity

Editors’ note: 

Watch the first installment of the RAAN interview with Piper. More clips will be released weekly.

In pursuit of racial reconciliation, America still has a long way to go. But even saying so remains controversial in the Land of the Free. And don’t look to the church of Jesus Christ for racial harmony, either. Ethnic tensions and a checkered past have muzzled the strategic mouthpiece of the body. Yet this struggle has not discouraged John Piper from entering this seemingly hostile fray. Piper, a white man who grew up in the South, might not seem like the obvious choice to consult on race relations. But he has contributed his time, pen, wisdom, and life to the goal of racial harmony. Pastors, church planters, urban leaders, and even rappers benefit from his biblical insights.

“The impulses that move me start with God and the Bible,” Piper explained in a recent interview with the Reformed African American Network (RAAN) about ethnicity and the church. “I can’t love missions and be ethnocentric. I want every people group on the planet evangelized.” Though Sunday morning remains largely segregated, Piper charges church leaders to keep trying. “When you make an effort, and it doesn’t seem to go well, you’ll grow.” Far from claiming mastery of the subject, Piper nevertheless encourages all church leaders to pursue ethnic unity, no matter their context. “A lot of guys don’t feel like they minister in a place where there’s a lot of cultural diversity, but we cannot be silent on this matter,” Piper says. “We’ve got answers for this.” These answers did not seem obvious to many in the wake of the Trayvon Martin tragedy, an event Piper vocally addressed. “People should not minimize the pain or diminish the racial dimensions of it,” he says. “We need help to see through each other’s eyes.” Never diverting from his standard of theological faithfulness, he added solemnly, “We have a Savior who can forgive the sins of white and the sins of black.”

Why Try?

Piper’s 2011 book Bloodlines is part theological exposition and part public mea culpa for his own skewed vision growing up in the segregated South. Reception to the book was mixed, but he remains encouraged by the small victories he sees. “It feels like a victory of God that we’re talking,” he says. Still, the onslaught of criticism begs the question: What made a pastor with his clout and reputation dive into these swirling waters? “The reality is there for me everyday.” This reality is his adopted African American daughter, Talitha, a tangible reminder for him and his wife of the grace of Christ. Piper beamed as he spoke of the young woman’s beauty and growth in the Lord. The beautiful tapestry woven by God into his family ensures his voice will never be silent when race is the topic. As Piper slowly walked to the pulpit last year to deliver the closing sermon at the Legacy Conference to a cheering crowd filled with mostly young minority faces, he paused briefly to survey the diverse landscape. Undoubtedly, this moment marked a small victory on the journey toward racial harmony. Training urban leaders, speaking out on public issues, and raising a daughter who does not share his skin tone reveal Piper’s commitment to think about and act on ethnic unity in the church. Looking hopefully into the eyes of two African American brothers, he uttered what seems to be his life mantra: “I’m just a pastor who’s trying.”

Is there enough evidence for us to believe the Gospels?

In an age of faith deconstruction and skepticism about the Bible’s authority, it’s common to hear claims that the Gospels are unreliable propaganda. And if the Gospels are shown to be historically unreliable, the whole foundation of Christianity begins to crumble.
But the Gospels are historically reliable. And the evidence for this is vast.
To learn about the evidence for the historical reliability of the four Gospels, click below to access a FREE eBook of Can We Trust the Gospels? written by New Testament scholar Peter J. Williams.

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