Reformed Baptist · Modern Evangelical

John Stephen Piper

January 11, 1946 – present

Pastor emeritus of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis (1980–2013), chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary, and founder of Desiring God. Coined the phrase 'Christian Hedonism.'

Tradition

Reformed Baptist

Era

Modern Evangelical

Preserved Sermons

1,500+

Biography

John Piper was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to a traveling evangelist father and grew up surrounded by revival meetings and missionary biographies. He earned degrees from Wheaton College, Fuller Theological Seminary, and a doctorate from the University of Munich in New Testament studies. After six years teaching biblical studies at Bethel College, Piper resigned to become pastor for preaching and vision at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis in 1980 — a position he held for thirty-three years until his transition into full-time work with the ministry he founded, Desiring God. His landmark 1986 book Desiring God argued from Jonathan Edwards that 'God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him' — a thesis that has been called 'Christian Hedonism' and has shaped contemporary Reformed evangelical spirituality. Piper has authored more than fifty books including Don't Waste Your Life, The Passion of Jesus Christ, and Future Grace. He preaches and teaches into his eighth decade through the Ask Pastor John podcast, the daily Solid Joys devotional, and ongoing conference work with Desiring God and Bethlehem College & Seminary.

Legacy

Piper has done more than any modern preacher to popularize Jonathan Edwards's theology of joy and to combine missional zeal with Reformed doctrine. The Passion conferences (with Louie Giglio), Together for the Gospel, and the Bethlehem Conference for Pastors all carry his influence. Desiringgod.org hosts his complete preaching archive free to the public.

Notable Sermons

Copyright & Usage

All sermons by John Piper remain copyrighted by Desiring God. Desiring God's ministry generously makes nearly all content freely available online for personal use, with a copyright policy that permits non-commercial reproduction with attribution. See desiringgod.org/permissions for full terms.

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October 5, 1703 – March 22, 1758

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George Whitefield

December 16, 1714 – September 30, 1770

Billy Graham

November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018

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