Tag: John Piper
In Light of Perry Noble Being Fired – We Need to Talk About Christian Alcohol Use
Posted on July 20, 2016 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
Let’s take a minute to talk about alcohol and Christians and whether or not it is permissible for Christians to ever drink alcohol.
By now you may have heard that mega-church pastor Perry Noble has been fired from his church for his over-use of alcohol. The church Noble founded and pastored for more than 15 years, New Spring Church, made the decision after first walking through the steps of reconciliation as outlined in Matthew 18. A recent article reports:
“Perry’s posture towards his marriage, increased reliance on alcohol and other behaviors, were of continual concern. Due to this, the Executive Pastors confronted Perry and went through the steps of dealing with sin in the church as outlined in Matthew 18. Because Perry chose not to properly address these ongoing issues and didn’t take the necessary steps toward correcting them, he is no longer qualified, as outlined in 1 Timothy 3 and the church’s bylaws, to continue as a pastor at NewSpring Church.”
Should Children Be Allowed or Encouraged to Pray?
Posted on February 11, 2016 in Family, Theology by Nathan Cherry
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.
That was the first prayer I remember praying. I prayed it each night with one of my parents before going to sleep. Somewhere along the way I stopped praying that prayer and started praying my own prayers. But that prayer was said with the heart of a child that sincerely wanted to talk to God but didn’t necessarily know how.
I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about the idea of children praying and all the theological implications behind it. As a theology student I can say I have not. As a parent I can say it never occurred to me. That is, until I read an article by Tim Challies in which he answers a question about whether or not it is appropriate to let kids pray.
UPDATE: World Vision’s Near-Sighted Decision to Support Homosexuality Reversed!
Posted on March 27, 2014 in Marriage, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
World Vision (hereafter referred to as WV) believes that changing its policy to allow homosexuals in same-sex “marriages” will help to “unite” the church around their mission of serving the poor. This change only affects the US division of WV and not the global umbrella. Richard Stearns, president of the US division, said:
“Changing the employee conduct policy to allow someone in a same-sex marriage who is a professed believer in Jesus Christ to work for us makes our policy more consistent with our practice on other divisive issues. It also allows us to treat all of our employees the same way: abstinence outside of marriage, and fidelity within marriage.”
Must Watch: John Piper and Francis Chan Talk About Abortion in Church
Posted on February 22, 2014 in Life by Nathan Cherry
If you’ve ever wondered whether a pastor should discuss abortion church, or if the pastor should use graphic images of aborted babies as illustrations, you must watch this video.
John Piper and Francis Chan discuss how to discuss abortion while being sensitive to post-abortive women in your church. They further discuss the use of graphic images depicting abortion within the church. I think a lot of people will be surprised by this discussion an the positions taken by the two prominent pastors.
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Well-known author, preacher, teacher, and theologian John Piper has not been one to shy away from difficult topics. Piper regularly engages cultural issues with a biblical wisdom and perspective that serves to benefit many. Piper recently wrote an article at Desiring God called “Don’t Let Your Mind Go To Pot,” in which he sets out to show, biblically, why Christians ought to refrain from recreational drug use. He writes: