{"id":28763,"date":"2025-08-28T13:41:45","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T17:41:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=28763"},"modified":"2025-08-28T13:41:45","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T17:41:45","slug":"john-piper-challenges-christians-to-live-a-life-of-radical-purity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2025\/08\/john-piper-challenges-christians-to-live-a-life-of-radical-purity","title":{"rendered":"John Piper Challenges Christians to Live a Life of \u201cradical purity\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
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@johnstephenpiper \/ Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a culture where nude images and immodesty is just a click away, Pastor John Piper is calling on Christians to pursue a life of \u201cradical purity.\u201d The 79-year-old pastor addressed the topic during a recent episode of his \u201cAsk Pastor John<\/a>\u201d podcast. \u201cSexualized content is everywhere,\u201d said one caller. \u201cAdvertisers use suggestive images to sell. Social media influencers post provocative or semi-nude photos to gain followers. Musicians often rely on sexual appeal to captivate audiences, both on stage and in music videos. Movies and shows include nudity \u2014 sometimes in graphic scenes, other times in ways that objectify characters or suggest sexual innuendo.\u201d The caller also noted the existence of \u201cmore explicit content,\u201d asking the pastor, \u201cHow do you personally navigate this culture while honoring Christ\u2019s call to purity?\u201d<\/p>\n

Piper responded by\u00a0 saying that as he gets older and closer to meeting Jesus, \u201cthe more sure I am of my resolve to never intentionally look at a TV show or a movie or a website or a magazine where I know I will see photos or films of nudity. Never.\u201d He challenged other Christians to join him in his resolve to be an alien to the culture. \u201cIn our day, when entertainment media is virtually the lingua franca<\/em>\u00a0of the world, this is an invitation to be an alien. And I believe with all my heart that what the world needs is radically bold, sacrificially loving, God-besotted freaks, aliens,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Piper then offered twelve reasons for \u201cradical abstention.\u201d He highlighted Christ\u2019s death in order to purify his followers. \u201cIf we choose to endorse or embrace or enjoy or pursue impurity, we take a spear and ram it into Jesus\u2019s side every time we do (Hebrews 6:6). He suffered to set us free from impurity,\u201d said Piper. He also cited the Bible\u2019s call to holiness, as well as Jesus\u2019s warning in Matthew 5:28-29 that to look at someone with lust is to commit adultery. Piper warned that watching nudity hinders the pursuit of God and that watching such media endorses women who dress in provocative manners. He warned that Christians can make themselves into hypocrites when the watch certain media but would never allow their own daughters to dress in the ways portrayed. Sexual relations, he said, \u201care not a spectator sport.\u201d He admonished Christians to put away the fear of being \u201cfreakish\u201d in having to avoid so many shows due to their use of nudity. \u201cIf you doubt, don\u2019t. That would alter the viewing habits of millions \u2014 and oh, how sweetly they would sleep with their conscience!\u201d said Piper, citing Romans 14:23.<\/p>\n

It’s an important call to purity, given that a recent Barna study<\/a> revealed that over half of practicing Christians view pornography with some level of frequency. The study noted that only 10% of respondents said their church offers resources on porn addictions and 58% said it was important for the church to address the topic. The study emphasized the importance of churches facing pornography head on. \u201cThough the Church hasn\u2019t always gotten it right in its response to matters surrounding pornography and sexuality, today can mark the start of a new path forward. Churches have a unique opportunity to address this issue and offer hope and healing to those struggling with porn use, as well as those affected by another\u2019s porn use.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a culture where nude images and immodesty is just a click away, Pastor John Piper is calling on Christians to pursue a life of \u201cradical purity.\u201d The 79-year-old pastor addressed the topic during a recent episode of his \u201cAsk Pastor John\u201d podcast. \u201cSexualized content is everywhere,\u201d said one caller. \u201cAdvertisers use suggestive images to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":28766,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28763","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nJohn Piper Challenges Christians to Live a Life of \u201cradical purity\u201d<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Pastor John Piper urges Christians to embrace \u201cradical purity,\u201d rejecting nudity in media and calling the 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