Monday, February 05, 2007

John Piper on Hot Orthodoxy

One of my living heroes, Pastor John Piper, has just begun to blog at the new DesiringGod Blog.

Piper's theology has most directly influenced my own Hot Orthodoxy (see my second blog post ever).

Here's his thoughts today on Hot Orthodoxy inspired by a quote from Andrew Fuller. Amen.

1 comments:

I understand Piper's points, but I think they are mostly made in and through american culture.

The strong distinction and division of head and heart does not do justice to what Scripture sometimes is implying. Such things as "out of the mouth comes the heart" seems to imply the heart impacts the head, and I would say just as much the other way. I often say, "What we think is what we feel, what we feel is what we think." To say we can have our hearts in one place and believe in another place (or vice versa) is to deceive oneself to believe in a way that is similar to "it was the serpent that made me do it." You can't behave or make choices one way and believe another without deceiving oneself (finding a way to justify the hypocrisy). You cannot believe one way and make choices another without decieving oneself (finding a way to justify the hypocrisy).

You cannot hold and speak claims on certain statements of truth, or teachings, too long without it impacting the "heart." You cannot act or behave out of the "heart" one way for too long without it impacting the "head."

The division seems very greek, but very american, too. Not too sure it's as strong in the biblical texts.