I saw John Piper's interview. I think his intentions are really well-meaning.
But I believe he's like a lot of believers (pastors and congregants). He's caught off guard by the question of physical abuse and really doesn't offer much - if any - discernment about the issue in that interview.
I can't agree that he was caught off guard.
Convincing women to endure abusive and adulterous marriages as God's will for them is one of John Piper's pet issues.
He was part of a Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, has been a pastor for decades during which he advocated such victims come to him instead of the authorities (and therefore has likely seen many such cases) and has authored a number of books on the topic, one being "This Momentary Marriage" which advocates no divorce under any circumstance, not even for adultery, abandonment or abuse.
This is a topic he has dedicated much thought on and had certainly seen much of as he has counseled many abused women.
But based on what he's saying in the interview, it's eerily easy to believe an abuser can watch it and feel completely comfortable with his abused spouse going to the church - if the church was to respond as pleasantly and mildly as Brother Piper is being.
So you were able to almost immediately discern a key problem here, even though your writing seems sympathetic to Piper.
There are many women who have been gravely abused by their churches when they followed Piper's writings and cues in this regard. Couple that with a deplorable misunderstanding of evil where the churches minister to the perpetrator at the expense of the victim and you have the recipe for the total destruction of the abused woman. Add to the pile some misused verses about submission being thrown at her.
Piper has a lot to answer for. There are a lot of women who tried to subject themselves to his teachings in this regard and who nearly destroyed themselves doing it. I fright to think how many have been totally destroyed that we never hear from.
I don't think he's trying to be a jerk. He really does love the Lord. He needs wisdom on it.
He has a lot to answer for.
I don't understand how someone can know the Lord and yet think the Lord's purpose is for a woman to endure subjugation to an abusive marriage for the rest of her life with no remedy other than this silly soft talk.
I don't understand how someone can know the Lord AND be particularly aware of grotesque abuses within marriages and, having read the Bible's clear permission for divorce, work SO hard to twist women into perpetual submission to adulterers and abusers instead.
He does come across as a soft and gentle spirit, but that reminds me of the verse warning of wolves in sheep's clothing. I can't think of him as a soft and gentle spirit because of my participation in communities of women who have endured horrible spiritual abuse at the hands of their churches, and continued horrific abuse at the hands of their husbands, when they followed teachings like John Pipers - and in many cases directly quoting him.
These poor women's minds were SO twisted up with these depraved doctrines that they were nearly mentally and emotionally destroyed having given decades of their life to wicked, horrible abuse.
I hope an accounting of every women who endured these situations while being quoted John Piper is required of John Piper on the day he faces judgement.
What do you think of Paul Washer, who quotes Brother Piper a lot?
I don't know anything about Paul Washer, other than he hangs with the hyper patriarchy crowd, and to further that, the ones that don't believe in divorce for any reason, such as Piper, Bauchman, etc.
Because ministering to women suffering at the hands of Piper and Bauchman's teachings is more of my niche than what these fellows preach in general, I haven't studied their teachings at large.
My friend's former husband who was abusing her was a leader in church. I literally went back and forth with him about physically abusing her as both of us were throwing out verses - him throwing out passages in a twisted way to support his behavior, that he initially "confessed" to me he was doing to her..
This is a very typical result of hyper patriarchal teachings, such as that of Piper, the (dis)Vision Forum, et. al. I pray that Doug Philips is dragged up right alongside of Piper to account for the consequences of his depraved gender doctrines which he proselytized in his home school curriculum, as well. And Bill Gothard, may you have the opportunity to join in as well.