In last few years, we've started the necessary conversation about how the pastorate attracts those w/ narcissitic tendencies. But that's only part of the conversation.
IME, the pastorate also attracts (& crushes) those who struggle w/ codependency. It's an ideal place to serve & feel needed. But the balance can quickly tip to loss of self & lead to a unique kind of spiritual abuse.
How is it that Piper lands where he lands on Election 2020 when MacArthur, Mohler, Grudem, & Wilson don't? In other areas, especially gender debates, he partners w/ these guys & breaking w/ them now has taken folks by surprise.
(To be clear, this thread is nothing more than a fun mental puzzle, observations about conservative evangelicalism. Don't make it more than it is.)
I feel like people are forgetting that John Piper was the guy who told an entire generation of evangelicals to pursue lives opposed to the American Dream.
Opposing the guy who's promising it to evangelicals is pretty on brand for him, tbh.
Like, we do remember that he's come out against spending one's life playing golf & picking up seashells on the beach, right?
One of the unexpected benefits of pursuing greater emotional literacy & self-awareness is being able to recognize when your emotions are being manipulated.
The trouble w/ repressing or denying emotions as valid is that a person becomes emotionally illiterate. Emotions don't go away; you're just unable to recognize & interact with them.
I don't think it's a coincidence that traditions & leaders who invalidate emotions are also those most likely to be controlled & swept along by them.