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A Bible Believer Responds To John Piper’s Call For Christians To Not Be Armed

Now to me, the son of a WWII and Korea vet, and the brother to a United States Marine, this sounds like perfectly sound and rational thought processes coming from the desk of Mr. Falwell. And certainly, as a parent, taking every precaution we can to keep our kids safe I am all in favor of both as a Christian and as an American citizen. But John Piper sees it otherwise.

Published

11 years ago

December 23, 2015

Geoffrey Grider

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So John Piper says it’s a sin to call the police when we are being threatened? I say that’s absolute hogwash, and so should you

“Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.” Romans 14:4,5 (KJV)

Yesterday the chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary, John Piper, published an article entitled “Should Christians Be Encouraged to Arm Themselves?” In the article he takes issue with Jerry Falwell, Jr. telling his students to go out and get their gun permits. Falwell said this:

“As the president of this university community of nearly 15,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, I take very seriously my responsibility to keep you safe in an increasingly dangerous world. That’s why in 2011 I asked our Board of Trustees to consider a concealed carry policy. It wasn’t because of Islamic terrorism, it was because what happened (just) up the road at Virginia Tech. More than 30 innocent students and faculty were murdered viciously and none of them had the ability to protect themselves. The day that happened, I thought we needed to do something different here at Liberty. We needed to have a way to protect our students, our faculty, so we instituted this free course in 2011. We were part of only a handful of schools in the United States that had taken that position at that time. Now many schools have followed suit. There are dozens and we have had 1,600 people take that course, 950 here now with concealed carry permits, and after I made those remarks on Friday we had 240 sign up for a course tomorrow night. I want to applaud you and thank you for taking steps to make our campus more safe. I recognize that not every one of you will (carry); it’s only for students 21 years and older.” source

Now to me, the son of a WWII and Korea vet, and the brother to a United States Marine, this sounds like perfectly sound and rational thought processes coming from the desk of Mr. Falwell. And certainly, as a parent, taking every precaution we can to keep our kids safe I am all in favor of both as a Christian and as an American citizen. But John Piper sees it otherwise. Here is an excerpt from his anti-gun article:

“As chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary, I want to send a different message to our students, and to the readers of Desiring God, than Jerry Falwell, Jr. sent to the students of Liberty University in a campus chapel service on December 4. The apostle Peter teaches us that Christians will often find themselves in societies where we should expect and accept unjust mistreatment without retaliation. The early church, as we see her in Acts, expected and endured persecution without armed resistance, but rather with joyful suffering, prayer, and the word of God. A natural instinct is to boil this issue down to the question, “Can I shoot my wife’s assailant?” source

That, in brief, is the essence of Piper’s position, and you can read the entire article here. So let me just add a few brief points from the Bible believer position that I think will help to shed some additional light on the matter.

John Piper’s misapplication of scripture: All through his article, he constantly says things like “Peter never fought back when mistreated”, and “the apostles endured persecution without retaliation”, and so on. Yes, those thing are true, but they need to be read in context. The reason why the apostles never fought back was because the punishments and afflictions they received were because of preaching the gospel specifically, and the Bible does say that in the course of witnessing for Jesus Christ hardships, perils and afflictions certainly will come. When we preach on the street, I have never hit back at any of the mistreatment we have received because when were are ministering we are specifically engaged in preaching the gospel. But I find no verses in the Bible that advise me to just “sit back and take it” when walking down a crowded city street and someone tries to mug me. So based on Piper’s misapplication of scripture, his advice to his daughter would be to “just take it” when attacked by a predator on a college campus or other gathering of people. See how silly his position suddenly becomes? No, the apostles, as seen below, suffered for a very specific cause, for the gospel’s sake, and as such took it without rebuttal. But I dare say that if some crazed lunatic tried to sexually assault Peter’s wife, the tough-as-nails Galilean fisherman would have thrust him through with his sword, and rightly so.
“And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.” Acts 5:40 (KJV)
John Piper is not rightly dividing the Bible: Paul commands Timothy to “rightly divide” the scripture so that he will not make the mistake of trying to apply Bible verses written to the Jews and place them on the Church. In his article, Piper talks about “enduring to the end” from Matthew 24, a passage specifically written to Jews in the time of Jacob’s trouble. But Christians don’t “endure to the end” because we are 1). sealed until the day of redemption as found in Ephesians 1 & 4, and 2). we will not go through the time of Jacob’s trouble otherwise known as the Great Tribulation. “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,” 1 Thessalonians 5:9 (KJV)
Many of his points are just ridiculous: One of his main theme points is that the christian should just “trust God” and everything will work itself out. The Bible believing Christian does trust God with the most important thing we have, and that is our souls. We trust Him to take us home to Heaven when we die, we place our eternal destiny in His hands alone. But until that day arrives, we live in a sin-cursed world that currently is ruled by the Devil! God gave us a brain for a reason, He wants us to do some thinking with it. Whenever we travel anywhere in a car, we always ask God to guide our path and get us to and from safely, right? But we also wear our seatbelts! I highly doubt that Piper and his whole family ride around in cars at high speeds unbelted. If Piper’s logic was followed to it’s natural conclusion seat belts would no longer be used because when using them our “faith would be in the seat belts” and not in God’s power to keep us safe. That’s just plain crazy. But yet Piper goes further still when he says that even calling the police when you are in danger “comes from a heart that is out of step with the mind of Christ. If one’s heart is controlled mainly by fear, or anger, or revenge, that sinful disposition may be expressed by using the police as well as taking up arms yourself.” So now it’s a sin to call the police when we are being threatened? Hogwash, and dangerous hogwash at that. “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” 1 Timothy 5:8 (KJV)

Conclusion: I honestly don’t know much about the ministry or beliefs of John Piper, I run in Bible believing circles and have not come across much if any of his work. But going on this particular article he has written, he comes across as an anti-gun liberal to me. God calls us to trust Him in all we do and with all we have, yet at the same time it is not a lack of faith to exercise and eat right to stay healthy. And it is not a lack of faith when we take common sense precautions to keep our loved ones safe in a sin-cursed world.

Famous media liberal, Geraldo Rivera, who almost always advocates for pacifism, nearly had a thermonuclear meltdown last month when his own daughter was near the Paris Muslim terror attacks. This is what he said:

“We need to respond by declaring war on them… if we don’t kill them, they’re going to kill us.” He offered specifics, calling for Russia, the U.S. and our Middle East Allies to join forces in a war against ISIS– even if have to drag the latter in “kicking and screaming.” “I want a massive ground campaign to conquer ISIS once and for all,” Rivera said. source

Lol, every liberal is a pacifist until the day their loved ones are threatened, then they want blood. John Piper is no different. If the evil he so carelessly tells us to “not worry about” and just “trust God” with ever came to land at his doorstep you can best believe his tune would change. Quickly.

If you try and make the Bible say Christians can’t have guns, then we can’t have seat belts either. If you were to ask my opinion on whether or not a Christian should buy a gun, I would give you the same answer I would give you with any other question you might ask. I will tell you to pray about it, and let God do the deciding.

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:” Ephesians 1:17 (KJV)

Related Topics:Bible Believer Jerry Falwell Jr.John Piper Second Amendment

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Donald Trump

The Terrible Truth That Donald Trump Won’t Tell You Is That His Department Of War Has Fired Years Worth Of Munitions In Weeks, Leaving America Exposed

Published

2 days ago

July 28, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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Donald Trump Says America Is Stronger Than Ever, But The Pentagon’s Emptying Missile Stockpiles Tell A Far More Dangerous Story About The Nation’s Readiness For A Larger War

The United States may still possess the most technologically advanced military force on earth, but advanced weapons mean very little when the magazines holding them are being emptied faster than American factories can refill them. That is the terrifying reality behind America’s growing munitions crisis. Patriot interceptors, Tomahawk cruise missiles, air-defense weapons and long-range precision munitions can take months—or even years—to replace, yet they can be fired by the hundreds in a matter of days. America has built a military designed to win spectacular opening battles, but it is increasingly questionable whether that military has the industrial depth necessary to sustain a long and brutal war.

“There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.” Psalm 33:16 (KJB)

For decades, Washington behaved as though the United States would always have unlimited time, unlimited money and uncontested access to the global supply chain. Factories were closed, production lines were reduced, skilled workers disappeared and critical components were outsourced overseas. Meanwhile, politicians continued sending weapons around the world while assuring the American people that our own stockpiles remained strong. Now the wars in Ukraine, Israel, the Red Sea and Iran have exposed the truth: America has been spending missiles like they are bullets, while manufacturing them like they are handmade luxury automobiles. Trump’s promise to “rebuild the military” remains, as of this writing, largely unfulfilled. Posting about it on social media is not the same as actually doing it.

President Trump inherited much of this industrial weakness, that’s is true, but it is also true that he cannot, and will not, escape responsibility for what happens next. His administration has projected overwhelming strength while simultaneously acknowledging that replenishing America’s most valuable weapons will take months and years. You cannot boast that the arsenal is overflowing while urgently requesting tens of billions of dollars to prevent critical shortages. The public rhetoric says America is stronger than ever, but the frantic scramble to reopen plants, expand production and rebuild inventories tells an entirely different story.

The greatest danger is not merely another confrontation with Iran. The nightmare scenario is that America becomes trapped fighting multiple wars while China makes its move against Taiwan. Every Patriot interceptor fired in the Middle East, every Tomahawk launched against Iran and every missile transferred overseas is one less weapon immediately available in the Pacific. You better believe that Beijing is watching the numbers, that Moscow is watching the numbers, and that North Korea is watching the numbers as well. Every enemy of the United States is calculating how long America can fight before its launchers remain loaded but its ammunition bunkers stand empty. And if we are where I think we are on the end times timeline, it’s just about time for them to take their shots.

A modern war between major powers would consume munitions at a rate the American people have never witnessed. The United States could expend years of production in the opening weeks. Once those weapons are gone, money alone cannot instantly replace them. Congress can appropriate another $100 billion overnight, but it cannot manufacture a missile overnight. It cannot instantly create rocket motors, guidance systems, explosives, rare-earth components or trained industrial workers. The weakness is not merely financial—it is physical, industrial and strategic.

America has spent decades financing the image of military supremacy while neglecting the machinery required to sustain it. That illusion is now colliding with reality. The United States remains extraordinarily powerful, but power without endurance is a dangerous deception. A nation that prepares for war through speeches, slogans and televised airstrikes—but not through factories, stockpiles and production capacity—is a nation gambling with its own survival.

The lesson should be unmistakable: America cannot continue attempting to police every conflict, arm every ally and confront every enemy while assuming its arsenal will never reach the bottom. The munitions crisis is not simply a Pentagon bookkeeping problem. It is a warning that the world’s greatest military power may be entering the most dangerous period in generations with fewer arrows in its quiver than its leaders are willing to admit. America right now is in an incredibly tenuous position, and Donald Trump is the one who put us there. World War Trump just might be about to run out of gas and nowhere near the finish line.

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

Headline News

From Sickness And Scarcity To Fresh Water And Hope, Operation Africa! Finishes Kenya Well Project And Watches God Turn Desperate Need Into Lasting Miracle

Published

3 days ago

July 27, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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Operation Africa! Completes A Life-Changing Well In Kenya, Bringing Clean Water, New Hope And A Powerful Testimony Of God’s Faithfulness To Pastor Dancan’s Children

What began as a burden for children suffering without dependable clean water has now become a finished well, standing in the soil of Kenya as a testimony to answered prayer, faithful giving, and the goodness of God. Those children gathered around it are not looking at concrete and stone; they are looking at life, health, hope, and a future that has been changed because God moved through His people. Pastor Dancan wrote to me this morning and said “the children are shocked at how much life has now changed for the better, something they never could have imagined.” To tell you the truth, I am a little shocked, too, at how quickly the LORD brought all this to come to pass.

“I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.” Isaiah 41:18 (KJB)

Pastor Dancan carried the burden on the ground, Operation Africa! carried the need before NTEB’ers, and the Lord brought everything together in His perfect timing. Every prayer offered, every dollar given, every obstacle overcome, and every foot drilled into the earth became part of a miracle those children will remember for the rest of their lives. Long after the excitement of the project fades, that well will continue giving water day after day, becoming a silent preacher declaring that God sees the forgotten, hears the cries of the needy, and rewards those who act in faith.

THE KENYA WELL PROJECT UPDATE: Operation Africa! is thrilled to report that we have now successfully completed the drilling and installation of a well at the Glory Fellowship Orphanage in Kisii, Kenya. All glory to the Lord Jesus Christ for this incredible lifechanging miracle!! pic.twitter.com/0VvWz1ZRfv

— Now The End Begins (@NowTheEndBegins) July 27, 2026

This is what we have accomplished together so far. We’ve given them over 1,100 Bibles, enough medicine to heal 81 children of malaria and typdoid, a 10,000 liter permanent water tanked, filled it twice with fresh water, and now a beautiful, amazing, incredible and permanent 60-foot well complete with charcoal filtration system that connects to the water tank. The “cherry on the sundae” was sending them, this morning, 20 wash basins to bathe in and 20 jerrycans for water transport. Thank you all so very much for your prayers and faithful giving, this entire project is now 95% paid for. If you would like to help us get the last 5% in, right around $1,200, please click the donation link below.

HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

If God has prospered you, please take a moment to click on the donate button to help us in this overwhelmingly urgent task of providing the children of Glory Fellowship Orphange with medicine and clean drinking water. We need your prayers, we need your generous financial support, and we need you to stand with us in the closing days of the Church Age. Thank you so very much, TO THE FIGHT!!!

NOTE: If you need a 501 C3 Letter of Donation for tax purposes, please send your donation to:

NTEB Ministries
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Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

End Times

New Roadside Billboard Campaign Denying The Deity Of Jesus Christ Reveals A Growing Satanic Assault On The Biblical Doctrine Of God Manifest In The Flesh

Published

6 days ago

July 24, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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Jesus Christ Did Not Begin In Bethlehem: New Billboards Deny His Pre-Existence, His Deity And The Unmistakable Testimony Of Scripture

A new billboard campaign has appeared declaring, “JESUS IS NOT GOD,” followed by the equally blasphemous claim that Jesus Christ did not pre-exist in Heaven. That is not merely bad theology, it is a direct attack on the identity of the Lord Jesus Christ. The billboard says “Scripture says,” but Scripture says the exact opposite. The King James Bible declares, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Jesus did not begin in Bethlehem. Bethlehem was the place where the eternal Word was made flesh and stepped into the world He created. Jesus Christ is God the Father in a human body, take it or leave it, like it or lump it.

“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” 1 Timothy 3:16 (KJB)

Jesus Christ Himself said, “I came down from heaven.” He prayed concerning the glory He possessed with the Father “before the world was.” He declared, “Before Abraham was, I am.” Paul tells us that all things in Heaven and Earth were created by Him and for Him, and that He is before all things. A man who began his existence in Mary’s womb could not have created the universe, shared glory with the Father before creation, walked with Israel in the wilderness or come down from Heaven. The billboard cannot be reconciled with the words of Christ because its message is built upon denying them.

COME HELP US PROVIDE A WELL FOR 81 ORPHANS IN KENYA, CLICK FOR MORE INFO AND HOW TO DONATE!!

This is how religious deception operates. It keeps the name Jesus, quotes selected verses, speaks reverently about God and then quietly replaces the biblical Christ with a counterfeit. A Jesus who is not God, did not pre-exist, did not create all things and did not come down from Heaven is the “another Jesus” that Paul warns us about. He may wear the name, but he is not the eternal Word of John chapter one, the great I AM of John chapter eight, the Creator of Colossians chapter one or God manifest in the flesh of First Timothy chapter three. Satan has always desired a Jesus without deity, a cross without saving blood and a gospel without the power to save.

“For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.” John 6:38 (KJB)

“And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” John 17:5 (KJB)

The truth remains unshaken: Mary did not create Jesus Christ; she gave birth to the human body prepared for Him. The One lying in the manger was the One who made the stars shining above it. The infant wrapped in swaddling clothes was the eternal Creator entering His own creation. The Man nailed to the cross was the Lord of glory shedding His precious blood for sinners. The One who rose from the dead was not merely a prophet vindicated by God—He was God manifest in the flesh, victorious over death, Hell and the grave.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” John 1:1-4 (KJB)

So let the billboards shout their lies from the roadside. The King James Bible answers with thunder: “The Word was God.” Jesus Christ existed before Abraham, before Mary, before Adam, before the angels and before the foundation of the world. He is the eternal Son of God, the Creator of all things, the great I AM, the crucified and risen Saviour, and the coming King. The billboard says Jesus is not God. Thomas looked upon the risen Christ and gave the only answer the Bible allows: “My Lord and my God.” That’s exactly who Jesus Christ is.