The Roots of Endurance - John Piper

Published as an audiobook by Blackstone Audio, Inc., 2019.
Released 11-06-2019. Narrated by Bob Souer.

John Piper is one of my favourite living theologians. He has an incredible passion for God's Word, and the resources available on his website Desiring God are ones I often find myself referring to when writing sermons. This is the first book of his I have read/listened to, as usually I am reading/listening to sermons or podcasts by him instead.

In this book - apparently the third in a series - Piper looks at the lives of John Newton, Charles Simeon and William Wilberforce, all of whom faced great opposition in their lives and yet continued to endure in their faith. Each of the three gets a section of the book devoted to their lives, with Piper taking us through the biographical elements, but also more importantly the theological convictions that made these men tick. It comes as no surprise that Piper attributes their endurance to their devotion to God, but it is fascinating to hear just how many things they needed to endure through. For example, Charles Simeon, who is the one I knew the least about to begin with, endured the outright hostility of the congregation to whom he had been appointed. For literally years, congregation members would lock their pews in protest, preventing others from taking their seats in the church and forcing those who attended to stand in the aisles during services.

As I have said before, listening to theological works on audiobook isn't always the easiest for me, as I enjoy taking my time with them and writing down notes, and this is not always easy when listening to something - particularly when driving or doing some other task. I had that frustration at times listening to this book as well; there are so many things I'd love to reference but just didn't make note of in the moment. Overall, though, I really enjoyed listening to this book and getting a better understanding of these important Christian figures. It makes me curious to hear more about each of them.

The narration by Bob Souer is slightly monotone at times, but is also clear and easy to follow.

Well worth a read.

Completed 20 December 2022.

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