9/14/10
Pastor and author John Piper marked the halfway point in his leave from ministry in an update on his blog this week. He reminded readers of the point of the leave: a “reality check of soul, marriage and family,” saying these areas were taking precedence over his vocational plans for now. Piper, preaching pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, took a highly publicized leave of absence in the spring of this year, saying his personal “ongoing character flaws” were disturbing his ability to minister appropriately. Piper’s recent update said the family was “probing the roots of our most characteristic sins with a view to confessing them and repenting and seeking God’s transforming power through prayer and Bible-saturated counsel.” They also said they were “eagerly” looking forward to returning to Bethlehem, although they couldn’t say at this point what the transition from the leave to the ministry would look like.
