In 1990:
Here Piper endorses heretic John Wimber, proponent of the demonic Word of Faith movement a big name on TBN and a faith healer who died of throat cancer:
Last week fifty eight people from Bethlehem went to a conference in Anaheim, California called “Holiness Unto the Lord.” It was sponsored by Vineyard Ministries International. The Vineyard movement, led by John Wimber...The best introduction to the Movement is Power Encounters by Kevin Springer and John Wimber.
I saw at least ten things at this conference that I thank God for and want as part of my life.. Openness to God’s presence today in the form of supernatural demonstrations of power....
I believe God is at work in the Vineyard Movement—as in hundreds of other movements today. Oh, that we may be on the Move with God in Minneapolis!
End quote.
After giving 10 things he thanked God for from Wimber's Word of Faith conference, he only had three "concerning" issues, but all in all, in his mind, Wimber and the WOF is of God.
Then he said this in another article, discussing healing in James 5:
I believe God is at work in the Vineyard Movement—as in hundreds of other movements today. Oh, that we may be on the Move with God in Minneapolis!
End quote.
After giving 10 things he thanked God for from Wimber's Word of Faith conference, he only had three "concerning" issues, but all in all, in his mind, Wimber and the WOF is of God.
Then he said this in another article, discussing healing in James 5:
"Could it be, then, that the picture of the elders in this passage teaches us not that extraordinary spiritual gifts have ceased, but that shepherds are responsible to be zealous for spiritual gifts? "
And then there's this:
And then there's this:
"Ambushing Satan With Song" from 1985
After saying that Paul and Silas were singing in prison because they were in spiritual warfare (something Scripture doesn't even say), he goes on:
Quote:
Four years ago I was called late one night to come to an apartment where supposedly there was a demon-possessed woman. I called Tom Steller and we went together while our wives prayed at home. What we found was a woman held in a room by some young Christian women who were intent on seeing the demon driven out of this woman. For about two hours I talked to her and read her Scriptures and prayed prayers of deliverance.
Four years ago I was called late one night to come to an apartment where supposedly there was a demon-possessed woman. I called Tom Steller and we went together while our wives prayed at home. What we found was a woman held in a room by some young Christian women who were intent on seeing the demon driven out of this woman. For about two hours I talked to her and read her Scriptures and prayed prayers of deliverance.
She became increasingly violent, knocking the Bible out of my hand and grabbing the prayer sheets and shoving me. At one point, about one in the morning, when the conflict rose to a fever pitch between the Word of God and the satanic force in this woman, someone in the group began to sing. It was one of our familiar worship songs. We sang it again and again and the Lord gave us new words for it each time. The effect on her was dramatic. She began to tremble and threaten us if we didn't stop. Then she threw herself on the floor and screamed for Satan not to leave her. She went into convulsions and then went limp. When she came to, she remembered nothing of what happened and was willing to read Scripture and pray.
End quote.
Did you catch that? Piper is saying that 1) God gave them inspired words to sing (they should then be immortalized in our Bibles after Rev. 22:21) but apparently not a new tune, and implies that 2) Scripture is NOT sufficient to deal with Satan, thinking it was incompetent, contrary to Matt. 4 where Jesus did just that. He did not sing, He quoted the living Word of which He is Author. Paul also says we are to use the weapon of the Word against such attacks. Such a view, that Scripture isn't enough to battle Satan is not part of the Five Solas that Piper claims to believe in, namely "Sola Scriptura".
In case you thought "that was then, this is now--Piper left that behind", in 2007 Piper also heard God's voice clearly one morning:
Did you catch that? Piper is saying that 1) God gave them inspired words to sing (they should then be immortalized in our Bibles after Rev. 22:21) but apparently not a new tune, and implies that 2) Scripture is NOT sufficient to deal with Satan, thinking it was incompetent, contrary to Matt. 4 where Jesus did just that. He did not sing, He quoted the living Word of which He is Author. Paul also says we are to use the weapon of the Word against such attacks. Such a view, that Scripture isn't enough to battle Satan is not part of the Five Solas that Piper claims to believe in, namely "Sola Scriptura".
In case you thought "that was then, this is now--Piper left that behind", in 2007 Piper also heard God's voice clearly one morning:
"Let me tell you about a most wonderful experience I had early Monday morning, March 19, 2007, a little after six o’clock. God actually spoke to me. There is no doubt that it was God. I heard the words in my head just as clearly as when a memory of a conversation passes across your consciousness. The words were in English, but they had about them an absolutely self-authenticating ring of truth. I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that God still speaks today."
End quote.
After the Strange Fire conference Piper dug his feet in as a Charismatic with Charismatic foundations and Charismatic friends: "Deep friends drink from the same springs and taste the same glories. Sam Storms is such a friend." He was defending both himself and Storms from the criticism they received at the Strange Fire Conference.
After the Strange Fire conference Piper dug his feet in as a Charismatic with Charismatic foundations and Charismatic friends: "Deep friends drink from the same springs and taste the same glories. Sam Storms is such a friend." He was defending both himself and Storms from the criticism they received at the Strange Fire Conference.
Piper also advocates the spiritual gifts of 1 Cor. 12 including prophecy. Knowing Piper's penchant for redefining words (not the least of which is "hedonism"), and playing fast and lose with Scripture (he finds "enjoyment" in verses about reading the Word to know Christ--as if those verses support his hedonism, which they don't), given that he was indoctrinated at Fuller Theological Seminary, a bastion of Word of Faith demonic doctrines and practices, given that he's previously endorsed the Charismatic gifts and one of WOF's earliest and biggest teachers, John Wimber (see above), there is no way Piper didn't mean for prophecy to be anything other than the gift of prophecy early in the New Testament churches.
So when Piper joins Word of Faith pastor Christine Cain at the Passion conferences, or endorses Charismatic Matt Chandler (he had a "vision" from God, and has been on TBN three times in the last few years), or endorses Mark Driscoll who is also Charismatic (has had pornographic visions, it's not surprising nor new. This is not an "anomaly" as some have suggested. This is who John Piper is; what he's always held to and experienced.
So when Piper joins Word of Faith pastor Christine Cain at the Passion conferences, or endorses Charismatic Matt Chandler (he had a "vision" from God, and has been on TBN three times in the last few years), or endorses Mark Driscoll who is also Charismatic (has had pornographic visions, it's not surprising nor new. This is not an "anomaly" as some have suggested. This is who John Piper is; what he's always held to and experienced.
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