Many
college and seminary students have difficulty seeing why studying
biblical doctrine is important. Too often academic study and devotional
nurture are separated from one another. John Piper's Pleasures of God
is doctrinal and devotional, intellectually satisfying and spiritually
fulfilling. Students will be awakened to the depths of theology and
discover its relation to every day life in reading this book.
Thomas R. Schreiner
Professor of New Testament, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
This
is an absolutely great book which every minister of the gospel and
theological student should read. Its view of God is rich and
overflowing. It challenges the mind and provokes the soul in a way that
leads the reader toward what the Puritans called "heart work." Tolle
lege!
Timothy George
Dean, Beeson Divinity School of Samford University
Executive Editor, Christianity Today
The
Pleasures of God was a thought-gripping challenge to godliness when it
was first published. Now reworked slightly, expanded carefully, and
sharpened in its use of the Scriptures, it is an even stronger book.
Its message—that the joy of life begins when we begin with God—is
perennial, the intense piety of its high Calvinism a tonic.
Mark A. Noll
McManis Chair of Christian Thought, Wheaton College
When
much of the Evangelical press in our land does little more than feed
our self-centered preoccupations, John Piper's book comes as a
refreshing breeze in an arid wasteland. It is as challenging as it is
penetrating, worshipful as it is condemning, inspiring as it is
provoking. Imagine the implications for life and ministry of the
assumption that the meaning of all of life begins and ends in the God
of the universe, that God delights first and foremost in Himself, that
the purpose of creation is to reveal Him, that our purpose in life is
to reflect the character of God through our character for Him to
behold. His viewpoint is as rare and radically reorienting as it is
wonderful. What a relief to realize that in the happiness of God and
our conformity to Him for His glory is true creaturely fulfillment. I
wish that I had been led to this book earlier. It is my hope that every
seminarian would read it, pondering its pages, very early in their
training and that every pastor and teacher would pick it up.
John D. Hannah
Department Chairman, Distinguished Professor of Historical Theology, Dallas Theological Seminary
Again,
John Piper has provided a rich feast for the serious believer. I
certainly agree that nothing surpasses a preoccupation with an
understanding of God as the ultimate end of everything.
John MacArthur
Pastor/Teacher, Grace Community Church
President, The Master's College & Seminary
The
Pleasures of God models the union of rigorous theology with awakened
affections. Nothing less than this fullness of response matches God's
intention in the Scriptures. If scholars would reinvent their teaching
after this model, our centers of learning would rise up to be a force
for God as we have not seen in generations.
The
Pleasures of God models cogent thinking energized by awakened
affections. It is both rigorous and uplifting. And the God-exalting
rigor is what I find so uplifting. This book is every biblical
scholar's ideal textbook—both theological finesse and spiritual power
between the two covers of one volume.
Ray Ortlund, Jr.
Senior Pastor, First Presbyterian Church
No
contemporary author of whom I'm aware understands and articulates the
glorious depths of God's character like John Piper does. This excellent
book will not only stir up your passion for God, it will also help you
obey the psalmist's command: "O taste and see that the Lord is good!"
(Psalm 34:8). John has tasted and here shares his delight in the
supremacy of God in all things.
It
is theology of the best and deepest sort, welling up from the heart of
a man who has learned to love God by enjoying him deeply.
James M. Boice
Former Senior Pastor, Tenth Presbyterian Church
Books
have profound potential to change lives—particularly the one you hold
in your hands. John Piper is saturated with God, and his passion fills
the pages of this book.
C. J. Mahaney
Senior Pastor, Covenant Life Church, Gaithersburg, Maryland
PDI Ministries
Theologians
today are more favorable than formerly to the idea that God has
feelings. But what does it actually feel like to be God? Many writers
today stray far from Scripture when they take up such questions, but
John Piper stays close to the text, thus presenting a cogent and
profound analysis. I'm pleased to recommend it for college and seminary
classes on the doctrine of God, and for everybody's meditation.
John M. Frame
Professor of Systematic Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando
This is a unique and precious book that everybody should read more than once.
J. I. Packer
Board of Governors Professor of Theology, Regent College
The
Pleasures of God brings refreshment to the soul of Christians. Though
we usually understand pleasure in terms of our personal lives, John
Piper shows us the source, goal, and end of all pleasures. He shines
the spotlight on God's pleasure in His own "being" and God's pleasure
in the Christian's response to Him. This is the source of all pleasure.
R. C. Sproul
President, Ligonier Ministries
Distinguished Professor of Systematic Theology & Apologetics, Knox Theological Seminary
Piper's
unique perspective on the nature of God is a fine antidote to the
sickness in many of our churches which are self-centered rather than
God-centered, consumer-driven rather than captivated by the greatness
of God.
David Wells
Andrew Mutch Distinguished Professor of Historical & Systematic Theology, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
John
Piper writes with a prophetic voice, a servant's will, and a pastor's
heart. His words bring us delight because they resonate with the
Biblical truth that God himself nurtures our joy with the truths of his
own nature. There is no maudlin faith here, but the radiant glory of
heaven's pleasures made available for earthly consumption.
Bryan Chapell
President, Professor of Practical Theology, Covenant Theological Seminary
Few
books are genuinely life-changing. The Pleasures of God by John Piper
is clearly one of them. I've often said to people, "If I were on a
desert island and could have only three books, in addition to the
Bible, I'd choose Desiring God and The Pleasures of God by John Piper."
C. Samuel Storms
Visiting Associate Professor of Theology, Wheaton College
The
Pleasures of God is one of the best books on the doctrine of God I have
read. It is not dry theology as the word "doctrine" often infers, but a
heart-warming, mind-challenging, God-glorifying study of what gives God
pleasure. Any seminary or college that wants to produce God-centered
graduates should include this book somewhere in its curriculum.
Jerry Bridges
The Navigators. Author and Lecturer
"How
we view God will determine our idea of how we can please God. And how a
person decides to try to please God is the most fateful decision a
person can make"(Pleasures of God, p. 208).
Church
history right up to the present is a tragic story of ministers,
priests, and missionaries abandoning their call, and "taking their
hands off the plow." Only reflective reading of books such as The
Pleasures of God will enable God's servants to "stand [and fight] in
the grace of God in Christ Jesus."
This book is both foundational and thrilling for those who would love the Lord God with both their hearts and their minds.
Greg Livingstone
Frontiers & the Evangelical Presbyterian Church
The Pleasures of God is one of my ten favorite books!
Doug Nichols
International Director, Action Ministries International
The
book is in the premium league, worthy to be taken on board as a set
book in colleges and seminaries because 1. It deals fully and
biblically with the utterly central issue of the nature of God, 2. Is a
powerful corrective to the harmful man-centered obsessionalism that
besets our generation, 3. Commends in a constraining way the truth of
sovereign grace, 4. Is full of missionary passion, 5. It flows well
with encouraging factual illustrations—students will be able to read it
when they are tired.
Erroll Hulse
Associate Pastor, Leeds Reformed Baptist Church, Leeds, England
One of the 20th century's top 100 books!
World Magazine
December 4, 1999
Here
is indeed something different; it is almost like a journey into an
unknown landscape where one has to adjust to the unfamiliar. . . .
There are numbers of titles on the market today which offer us "the
path to happiness." This book makes no such offer. Instead it has truth
powerful enough to revolutionize our modern superficialities. Some
books are for borrowing, this is for buying; some are for a quick read,
this is for meditation and prayer; some will soon be forgotten, this
will live well beyond our generation.
Iain Murray
