John Piper has had a great influence on evangelicalism in the UK, specially since the publication of his book Desiring God. This is the next part of an interview gained while John was visiting Oxford recently.
EN: John, you have spoken about declaring the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples, and of the need for sound theology hand in hand with warm emotion towards God. How has that emphasis affected how you have tried to steer the church at Bethlehem?
JP: The heartbeat of my life is the preaching ministry. So the vision is cast and the trumpet is blown on Sundays and mid-week. I also do about eight weekend seminars a year to keep the church taught on some distinctives. Then I've assembled a staff of about eight pastors who all share the vision.
The re-emergence of heavy shepherds
What would you think if you received a letter from your church leaders that read like this? ‘Are church members …