John Piper answers, “Did Public Controversy over the Nashville Statement Hurt the Cause?”

On the most recent episode of “Ask Pastor John,” John Piper responds to the following question: “Did Public Controversy over the Nashville Statement Hurt the Cause?” The short answer is no, but Piper’s explication is really helpful and worth your time to listen to in full.

Piper makes the case that the Christian vision of sexuality and marriage is a good for the world, and its goodness is not diminished by the fact that some people may despise it. In fact, Jesus teaches us that we should expect God’s truth to be believed by some and hated by others. In his own words:

If someone thinks that there’s a way to preach and write and make statements and do anything else in public that presents the pearls of biblical truth without encountering in social media and other ways a thousand angry critics, they’re just naïve. It cannot be done. Let me say this as strongly as I know how. The day is long gone in America where it is possible to be publicly faithful as a Christian to the truth of God and not be excoriated. I’m going to say it again: the day is long gone in America where it is possible to be publicly faithful as a Christian to the truth of the Bible and not be excoriated. Jesus said, “You will be hated by all nations” (Matthew 24:9). You can pick any part of the biblical truth you want, and that will be true.

You can read Piper’s full statement here. You can listen to the audio here. I highly recommend it.