Excess = Success?
When the Internet Monk commented that while he really likes the guy, John Piper is a bit too intense and extreme in some areas, something clicked in my brain. (The actual post I'm thinking of has been taken down, but you can find similar comments about Piper on Imonk's site).Can't the same be said of virtually everyone God has used in a mighty way in history? Is there a correlation between being extreme in one area of your life and being used by God in a big way? That is, do mighty men of God have extreme tendencies?
Doing a quick mental revision of historical figures (I'm afraid a very limited one) the only person I can think of off-hand that did not show much extremism was Andrew Murray, and even there I may be wrong. (My reading of him was actually the opposite - he encouraged people to live in the freedom Christ gives. He allowed the young men in his congregation to use the church to practice boxing for goodness sake! I doubt many evangelicals would like that today.)
So, is there someone there who can give me examples of historical figures used of God that either prove or disprove my idea ie. that people of God who are used greatly have a tendancy to be extreme in at least one area.
Doing a quick mental revision of historical figures (I'm afraid a very limited one) the only person I can think of off-hand that did not show much extremism was Andrew Murray, and even there I may be wrong. (My reading of him was actually the opposite - he encouraged people to live in the freedom Christ gives. He allowed the young men in his congregation to use the church to practice boxing for goodness sake! I doubt many evangelicals would like that today.)
So, is there someone there who can give me examples of historical figures used of God that either prove or disprove my idea ie. that people of God who are used greatly have a tendancy to be extreme in at least one area.
posted by Ali at 3:28 PM
4 Comments:
I guess there are varying definitions of "extreme". I believe if Christians truly lived up to the demands of New Testament discipleship, we would all be considered a bit extreme, but that would only be by the world's standards. Some people think John Piper is extreme for not having a television, but that is a TV culture talking, not the Word of God.
Great men of God will, I think, always be perceived as extremists by the surrounding culture. Whether or not they are truly extreme in one area must be judged by Scripture. In Piper's case, I think there is some justification to Spencer's claim that he could use a good dose of Luther in his theology. Piper represents a modern-day form of Puritan spirituality, which tends to be overly introspective. But then, I think if you read him fairly and comprehensively, Piper deals with a lot of the objections that Spencer raises.
In any case, the success of Piper's ministry is owing to his God-given gifts for intellectual precision, vivid communication, and a very healthy dose of passion. It is the latter trait that makes him look extreme to some of us who suffer from a degree of spiritual laziness. I thank God for his passion; without it, he would not be the man that he is.
Hi Aaron
Yeah, for sure, Piper is used by God because of his intensity and passion, but this also leads, I think, to a lack of balance in some areas. And yet, that is something I am positing is the case with all men greatly used by God. Luther was extremely stubborn. Wesley was a bit of a despot. Edwards was far too intense to pastor. And yet, all of these things contributed to the work God had for them, and in fact, it can be argued that they wouldn't have done great things without being extreme in this way.
All of this is an illustration of the verse, "When I am weak, then He is strong." It brings glory to God, even if some people think it takes it away from them men He used.
How about Smith Wigglesworth?
Yeah, Smith Wigglesworth is an interesting guy. If I remember rightly, he never read the Old Testament, and died on hearing that a man he prayed for had not been healed. The problem is that it is hard to separate his "extremism" into godly Spirit-led boldness on the one hand and a characteristic of his personality on the other. I'm afraid with him I'm not sure what can be seen as a negative in some areas of his life that was nonetheless used by God to do great things, like Luther's stubborness.
Glad you brought him up, though. I had totally forgotten about him.
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