Deconstructing Faith and Abraham Piper

Last April, I encountered an unfolding story that made my heart ache. Abraham Piper, the thirty-nine year-old son of writer and preacher John Piper, was building his TikTok following by posting an ongoing stream of short videos criticizing Christianity, his father and the larger evangelical movement. His irreverent and often-times profanity filled rants were done in ways that built his following to almost one million followers. Not only is Abraham Piper visually curated in ways that make him trendy to TikTok users, but his message of spiritual deconstruction plays well in a world where so many young people are leaving the faith. I’ve spent time wondering about the heartache Piper’s parents must feel. I am reminded that there’s no way to drag our kids kicking and screaming into God’s Kingdom. Salvation, the Bible says, is of the Lord. We must faithfully instruct our kids, but we must also realize that they will make their own decisions. Let’s remember to pray continually for our kids.