John Piper has been a tremendous asset used by God in the furtherance of God's Kingdom. He is also a flawed individual just like the rest of us. But anyone who has heard him preach and feel the atmosphere in his church, knows that God is present there. For direction in the trying times we live in, and those that are seeking Truth, you will here it from John Piper.

Really thankful for John Piper, he has helped me understand the true meaning of the Bible more than any other person. As a result I have great joy and understand the world far more clearly. If you think preaching is boring or irrelevant, listen to 5 Piper messages and see if that changes your perspective.

John Piper is the real deal -- no luxury lifestyle, or hidden sex or money scandals. His "Desiring God" books sell very well but he doesn't use the profits to upgrade his middle class lifestyle. After raising 4 kids, the Pipers adopted a child when they were around age 50 -- an age where many empty nesters choose to focus their time and money on leisure activities. This Presbyterian attended Bethlehem for a few years quite awhile ago. Even though I didn't agree with some of Pastor Piper's theology, I still cherish his fervorous preaching. I am grateful for his ministry.

John Piper is a saint living among us. He is bold in proclaiming the Gospel. His struggles with the Word of God makes him among the finest preachers in the world today. He admits when Scripture is at odds with human reason and then tries to figure out why God says what he says.

After leaving the ELCA, I attended Bethlehem Baptist and expanded my knowledge of God's love for us through Pastor Piper's sermon. His sermons were more Lutheran than any I had heard in the ELCA from about 1985 on. I mentioned this to a distinguished ELCA pastor who agreed and said that Pastor Piper's sermons were more Lutheran than any he had ever heard. So even though John Piper was a committed Calvinist, his sermons cut across denominational lines.

I wonder if Piper, reading this story, is at all appalled at the 70's-era Playboy photography stylings.

Religious leaders are Huksters of the soul and religion is hogwash. Who cares what this guy thinks.

Kudos to this man for choosing to avoid politics. Sincerely, MN nonbeliever. As for his comments regarding 35W bridge etc: Question for believers -- What isn't your god responsible for? Your god is the cause of ALL things, right? Where is your god? Your god is everywhere, right?

It's odd that the tornado that came close to the ELCA convention that decided to ordain GLBT pastors also came close to Bethlehem Baptist Church (which is not far away). Perhaps god was attempting to warn Pastor Piper about his aberrant theology. But Pastor Piper wouldn't wonder about that because he is never wrong. There is nothing so dangerous or frightening as a religious leader who is convinced he is always right. We should all thank god that Piper is stepping down from his church.

I would have more admiration for the man if he actually spoke the truth about his "not getting involved in politics". He sent a letter to pastors before the election saying that he was not going to "be involved in politics, nor encourage us to do so", and then wrote the most political letter imaginable, hitting all the conservative political points that were prominent in the debate(with a religious sheen to them). Why not just say that your theology leads you to these political points, and let the matter be debated on those grounds? That would be more honest.