Circles « Stuff Calvinists Like

#18 John Piper

(4 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)

Loading ...

Piper is one of those people blessed with great ability as a communicator, great passion, and solid theology. He has had a surge of popularity over the last five to ten years but his impact goes back a good bit before that. His most highly regarded book, Desiring God, was actually written in 1986. He is the Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis and regularly preaches. He has through the years taken sabbaticals and breaks to focus on study and writing and that has given us enough books to fill several shelves on almost any sized bookshelf.

He has the patience to preach on a subject until he feels he has adquitly covered the finer points without ever losing passion. His run on Romans went an astounding 224 sermons from 1998-2006. The organization that releases his books, sermons and additional resources, Desiring God, has helped get his materials into the hands of people both in the US and Worldwide for great prices. He offers almost every book he has ever written for free in digital format as well.

Piper's accomplishments could fill a large book but he is among the most humble preachers around to have risen to his level of popularity in Calvinist circles and elsewhere.

Have something else to share on Piper? Add it to the comments on facebook.

Here's an example of one of the many videos available online of Piper preaching.

Some Piper resources:
http://www.desiringgod.org/
http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/authors/john-piper
http://twitter.com/johnpiper

#16 Parenting

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

Loading ...

Yes, we already covered homeschooling but Calvinist take it a step further. Whether their kids are homeschooled, go to public school, or are pre-school, one thing most Calvinist do is parent.

Those children slapping their parents and still learning how to use a broom at 14 could use a dose of this trait. Parenting is not for the weary, but neither is almost anything in life. So, why do Calvinist tend to lean towards parenting more often than letting their kids grow up in the back yard with the family pet? It could probably be attributed to several things but one of the main ones is that it is commanded. Yep, there is actually a command to parent. You are actually called to love your child AND train and discipline them.

It may seem odd but most Calvinist best friends are older than 18. Makeing friends with kids is fine but Calvinist tend to lean towards children looking up to adults and adults instructing and loving the children. A big proponent in these circles for parenting has to be Paul Tripp. He has several books on the subject so if this is the first time you have ever heard of parenting please check him out.