John Piper: the Making of a Christian Hedonist
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Copyright © 2015 Justin Gerald Taylor All rights reserved. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has permission to reproduce and disseminate this document in any form by any means for purposes chosen by the Seminary, including, without limitation, preservation or instruction. JOHN PIPER: THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN HEDONIST A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy by Justin Gerald Taylor March 2015 APPROVAL SHEET JOHN PIPER: THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN HEDONIST Justin Gerald Taylor Read and Approved by: __________________________________________ Michael A. G. Haykin (Chair) __________________________________________ Donald S. Whitney __________________________________________ Nathan A. Finn Date______________________________ I dedicate this dissertation to my family: my parents, Gerald and Diane Taylor; my siblings, Jeremy Taylor and Janelle Staff; and especially my wife, Lea, and our children, Claira, Malachi, and Cecily. Each of you is a gift from God in my life, and I do not take for granted his grace and kindness through you. Thank you for your patience, your love, and your support. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................ vii LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................viii PREFACE ...................................................................................................................... ix Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1 Biographical Overview.................................................................................... 2 Thesis ............................................................................................................. 7 Background ................................................................................................... 10 Overview ...................................................................................................... 11 2. BILL AND RUTH PIPER: JOYFUL FUNDAMENTALISM ........................... 14 Background ................................................................................................... 14 Parting Ways with the Joneses....................................................................... 28 The Death of Ruth ......................................................................................... 39 The Influence of Piper’s Parents .................................................................... 44 Conclusion .................................................................................................... 65 3. C. S. LEWIS: ROMANTIC RATIONALISM ................................................... 66 Preparing for College .................................................................................... 67 Wheaton College ........................................................................................... 71 Falling in Love, Fear of Speaking, and Calling to Ministry ............................ 73 Studying Under America’s Leading Lewis Scholar ....................................... 78 Piper’s Encounters with Lewis Himself ......................................................... 83 Lewis on Christian Hedonism........................................................................ 84 iv Other Areas of Lewis’s Influences upon Piper ............................................... 91 Piper’s Criticisms of Lewis ......................................................................... 104 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 105 4. DANIEL FULLER: EXEGETICAL BIBLICLISM ........................................ 107 A Biographical Sketch of Daniel P. Fuller ................................................... 108 Piper at Fuller.............................................................................................. 132 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 148 5. JONATHAN EDWARDS: AFFECTIONAL CALVINISM ............................ 151 Piper’s Encounters with Edwards: A Chronology ........................................ 152 Piper’s Encounters with Edwards: A Ranking ............................................. 172 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 176 6. JOHN PIPER’S USE OF SCRIPTURE........................................................... 181 Introduction................................................................................................. 181 The University of Munich (1971–1974) ...................................................... 182 Bethel College (1974–1980) ........................................................................ 185 Bethlehem Baptist Church (1980–2013) ...................................................... 191 Piper’s Exegetical Method........................................................................... 192 The Role of the Intellect, the Affections, and the Holy Spirit ....................... 195 Evaluation of Piper’s Use of Scripture ......................................................... 197 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 206 7. JOHN PIPER’S USE OF HISTORY ............................................................... 208 Piper and Biography .................................................................................... 209 The Evangelical Historiography Debate ...................................................... 221 Piper on Providential Historiography and Audiences ................................... 233 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 235 8. CONCLUSION .............................................................................................. 238 Appendix v A CHRONOLOGICAL BIBLIOGRAPHY OF JOHN PIPER’S PUBLISHED WRITINGS (1971–2015) ............................................................................... 243 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................... 273 vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Bill Piper Papers The Fundamentalism File, J. S. Mack Memorial Library, Bob Jones University, Greenville, South Carolina CSR Christian Scholars’ Review Daniel Fuller Papers Papers of Daniel Payton Fuller, Collection 19, Archives and Special Collections, David Allan Hubbard Library, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California JASA Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation JETS Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society John Piper Papers John Piper Papers, SC-217, Wheaton College Archives and Special Collections, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois NTS New Testament Studies TrinJ Trinity Journal WJE The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Yale University Press WTJ Westminster Theological Journal vii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Piper’s ranking of Edwards’s works ................................................................ 172 2. Piper’s biographical subjects ........................................................................... 214 viii PREFACE I am deeply grateful for those who made this dissertation possible. First and foremost, I am thankful to the triune Lord for his gift of persevering grace throughout this process. I pray that I have written this in the strength that he has supplied and not in my own strength (1 Pet 4:11). Under God, I am thankful to my family: to my parents, my siblings, and especially my dear wife and our children, as acknowledged in the dedication. Each is a gift I do not deserve. I am grateful for Lane T. Dennis, president and CEO of Crossway Books, where I am employed. Lane, along with his wife, Ebeth, has been a steadfast encourager and supporter throughout this process. Without Lane’s prodding I doubt I would have pursued PhD work. I am grateful for competent and cheerful co-workers with whom it is a joy to work in common mission. Special recognition goes to Jill Carter, who helps me in a myriad of ways every workday. Southern Seminary is a truly wonderful place to study under the direction of President R. Albert Mohler Jr. and Jonathan Pennington, director of research doctoral studies. Former dean Russell Moore and Phillip Bethancourt were especially encouraging in the decision to pursue doctoral studies. Each member of my dissertation committee—chairman Michael Haykin, Donald Whitney, Nathan Finn, and external reader Sam Storms—has shaped the way I think about the study of history and how I approach the Christian life. Archivists are the unsung heroes of historical research in primary sources. Nancy Gower at Fuller Seminary, along with Fuller PhD student Gavin Ortlund, were helpful in tracking down numerous files from the career of Daniel Fuller. David Malone ix and Keith Call at Wheaton College, which is collecting Piper’s papers, were available to answer questions given their knowledge of Wheaton. Finally, Brent Cook (with permission from former president Stephen Jones) was gracious to provide access to previously unavailable papers from Bill Piper at the Fundamentalism File of Bob Jones University. Several friends, colleagues, and teachers read chapter drafts and provided timely encouragement and shrewd feedback, including