The John Piper Library consists of the personal library of pastor and author John Piper. In 2017, Dr. Piper donated a portion of his collection to the Bethlehem College & Seminary Library. The collection currently consists of approximately 1,200 titles, most in English and some in German.
John Stephen Piper was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to William Solomon Hottle Piper (1919–2007) and Ruth Eulalia Mohn Piper (1918–1974) on January 11, 1946. When John and his older sister, Beverly (three years his senior), were still young, the Pipers moved to Greenville, South Carolina where John spent the rest of his youth and graduated from Wade Hampton High School. His father was an itinerant evangelist who ministered through international radio and Bible courses.
At Wheaton College (1964–1968), John majored in Literature and minored in Philosophy. Studying Romantic Literature with Clyde Kilby stimulated a love for writing poetry. At Wheaton, John also met Noël Henry whom he married in 1968. Following college he completed a Bachelor of Divinity degree at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California (1968–1971). While at Fuller he took several courses from Daniel Fuller and through him discovered the writings of Jonathan Edwards. John did his doctoral work (D.theol) in New Testament Studies at the University of Munich, Munich, West Germany (1971–1974), under Leonhard Goppelt. His dissertation, Love Your Enemies, was published by Cambridge University Press (1979).
Upon completion of his doctorate, he taught Biblical Studies at Bethel College (now Bethel University) in St. Paul, Minnesota for six years (1974–1980). In 1980, after what he described as an irresistible call of the Lord to preach, John became the senior pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he was Pastor for Preaching and Vision until 2013. He is also the founder of Desiring God ministries and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary.
The Collected Works of John Piper by