Jackie Hill-Perry is an American poet, writer, hip hop artist and a professing Christian. When the hip hop artist penned a piece expressing her view that Christians should stop telling gay people that God can make them straight, not surprisingly what she said provoked a storm of criticism from those who disagree with her along with high fives from those who share her unbiblical view. What is surprising, though, is that Reformed pastor John Piper’s Desiring God blog published Perry’s article.
JD Hall of Pulpit & Pen has written a critique of Perry’s controversial piece. Besides taking on her unbiblical stance on what God can and can’t do, he tells us why it’s a good idea to be cautious of John Piper. And then he delves into the clear teaching of Scripture on the role of the Holy Spirit in a true believer’s sanctification from the moment he or she becomes a new creature in Christ, i.e. born again. Hall begins with a quote from the Bible:
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. – 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
John Piper, a longtime figure in the New Calvinism movement, has proven himself in recent years to handle even the most basic doctrinal aspects of the Ordo Salutis clumsily. After butchering the doctrine of Justification almost beyond the point of recognition, being accused of holding to a modified form of Federal Vision or denying Sola Fide altogether (the accusations are not without merit), Piper’s Desiring God has now denied the heart and substance of the doctrine of Sanctification. While claiming that there is a “final justification” that is based on increased holiness, Piper’s website now argues that homosexuals cannot expect be made holy, leaving them damned in their sins as a tragic and ironic result. Written by guest contributor, Jackie Hill-Perry, and posted by Desiring God, an article on September 4 argues that we should stop telling gay people that God can make them straight.
In other words, she argues, the Holy Spirit will not sanctify.
The article begins with the following words…
Stop telling gay people that if they come to Jesus, he will make them straight.
To make the point of the insane levels of Downgrade in this argument, let me illustrate it in the following ways:
“Stop telling murderers that if they come to Jesus, he will keep them from killing people.”
“Stop telling thieves that if they come to Jesus, he will keep them from thieving.”
“Stop telling blasphemers that if they come to Jesus, he will keep them from profaning his name.”
“Stop telling idolaters that if they come to Jesus, he will keep them from idolatry.”
In other words, she argues, the Holy Spirit will not sanctify.
The article begins with the following words…
Research: