John Piper: The Making of a Christian Hedonist

311 Pages·2015·2.02 MB·English

by  Justin Gerald Taylor

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
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