Bloodlines: Race, Cross, and the Christian
Overview
Sharing from his own experiences growing up in the segregated South, Pastor John Piper thoughtfully exposes the unremitting problem of racism. Instead of turning to organizations, education, famous personalities, or government programs to address racial strife, Piper reveals the definitive source of hope—teaching how the good news about Jesus Christ actively undermines the sins that feed racial strife, and leads to a many-colored and many-cultured kingdom of God.
In Bloodlines readers will learn to pursue ethnic harmony from a biblical perspective. Piper also helps readers understand how to relate to others despite differences and how to take part in the bloodline of Jesus that is comprised of “every tongue, tribe, and nation.”
Interested in more? Check out the Crossway John Piper Collection (39 vols.).
Key Features
- Confronts racism in the church
- Provides a biblical rationale for unity across racial and ethnic lines
- Relies on thoroughly Christian teaching with Jesus as Lord of all, erasing distinctions that previously divided
Top Highlights
“And together with every other race, whites are killing their babies and wallowing in their porn and taking their illegal drugs and leaving their wives and having babies without marriage. The difference is that when you develop patterns of sin in the majority race, they have no racial connotation. Since majority people don’t think of themselves in terms of race, none of our dysfunctions is viewed as a racial dysfunction. When you are the majority ethnicity, nothing you do is ethnic. It’s just the way it’s done. When you are a minority, everything you do has color.” (Page 67)
“Unbelievers cannot pursue Jesus-exalting racial diversity and harmony. They pursue another kind. It is better than race wars; but it is not what Jesus died to bring about. The church is the assembly of those in whom the gospel has taken root. Therefore, it is the group where the reconciling power of the gospel will be seen—or not.” (Page 45)
“Segregation was the world we grew up in—legally mandated separation of races at all kinds of levels. Separate schools, separate motels, separate restrooms, separate swimming pools, separate drinking fountains. How could you more clearly communicate the lie that being black was like a disease. It had an unbelievably oppressive and demeaning effect on the African-American community. And it had a deadening and defiling effect on the conscience of the white community.” (Pages 23–24)
“The church is not called to be responsible for the way unbelievers run their lives. But we are called to be responsible, by the power of the Spirit and for the glory of Jesus, for the way believers live and the kind of relationships that are cultivated in the fellowship of the church. The credibility of the gospel around the world hangs in part on this dimension of our witness.” (Pages 46–47)
Praise for the Print Edition
John Piper has given us an exquisite work on the matter of race. He addresses the issue with biblical and theological soundness coupled with personal sensitivity and practical advice. This is a must read for those who wish to pursue unity God’s way.
—Tony Evans, cofounder and senior pastor, Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship
- Title: Bloodlines: Race, Cross, and the Christian
- Author: John Piper
- Publisher: Crossway
- Print Publication Date: 2011
- Logos Release Date: 2014
- Pages: 304
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Reconciliation › Religious aspects--Christianity; Race discrimination › Religious aspects--Christianity; Church and minorities
- ISBNs: 9781433528521, 9781433528538, 9781433528545, 9781433528552, 9781433534461, 143352855, 1433528525, 1433534460, 1433528533, 1433528541, 143352855X
- Resource ID: LLS:BLOODLINES
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-29T22:16:07Z
John Piper (b. 1946) is a widely respected theologian and bestselling author who serves as founder and lead teacher at Desiring God and is chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, Piper served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church. He has authored more than 50 books, and more than 30 years of his preaching and writing are available free of charge at desiringGod.org. Piper resides in the Minneapolis area with his wife of 51 years, and has five children and 14 grandchildren.
Piper attended Wheaton College where he majored in literature and minored in philosophy. He completed his Bachelor of Divinity at Fuller Theological Seminary, where he studied under Dr. Daniel Fuller. Piper received his Doctorate in Theology from the University of Munich and taught biblical studies for six years at Bethel College.
In 1994, Piper founded Desiring God Ministries, which provides Piper’s sermons, articles, and information on titles he has authored. One of his bestsellers, Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist, prompted the name of the ministry.
Several of Piper’s books have been Evangelical Christian Publishers Association Christian book award winners including What Jesus Demands from the World, Pierced by the Word, and God’s Passion for His Glory. The Crossway John Piper Collection (39 vols.) includes 39 titles from Piper, including Love Your Enemies and A Hunger for God. His preaching ministry of more than 30 years is available in the John Piper Sermon Archive (1980–2014).
Hear how Piper uses Logos for his Bible Study.