Learning from Your Heroes’ Heroes

Some people’s opinions carry a lot of weight, and rightfully so. For many, John Piper is one of those people. It’s hard to overstate his influence on evangelicalism. His preaching and writings are powerful and his wedding of passion and God-centered theology is contagious.

Like many of you, I’ve learned much from him—and, consequently, from his teachers.

Just as God uses John Piper to mold and shape people’s lives, God has used many people—living and dead—to shape John Piper. It’s wise to seek to learn from them as well.

I discovered Jonathan Edwards—like I’m sure many others have—due to the central role he has played for Piper. Of course, I knew about Edwards in my “pre-Piper” days, but Piper led me to really delve into his writings.

I’m eager to have Henry Alford’s Greek Testament in my digital library before too long (just a few more pre-orders needed!), largely because of what Piper had to say about it.

Another author whom Piper has created interest in is Charles Simeon, whose massive Horae Homileticae (Hours of Homilies) was nearly impossible to obtain until we produced a digital edition of it. (Read the story of how it all came to be.) Now the entire collection containing 54 years of Simeon’s expository sermons covering the entire Bible is again available—and, I might add, much more useful!

At the 1989 Desiring God Pastors Conference, John Piper gave his annual biographical sketch on the life of Charles Simeon. It was entitled “Brothers, We Must Not Mind a Little Suffering.” You can listen to the message or read it online. If you have the Piper collection, you can read the expanded edition right in Libronix.

According to Piper, Horae Homileticae “is the best place to go to research Simeon’s theology. One can find his views on almost every key text in the Bible.” (Roots of Endurance, 86). The depth and power of Simeon’s ministry was rooted in “a life of prayer and meditation.” As a result, “what Simeon experienced in the Word and prayer was extraordinary. It is so utterly different from the counsel that we receive today that it is worth looking at carefully” (Roots of Endurance, 106-07).