Slightly disheartened by Piper response

A reader (and friend from the church I formerly served as pastor), wrote:

It has been a while! After reading your response to John Piper I thought the following was unfair:

“I doubt he, or many like him, will ever change course because this kind of explanation, for them, is fidelity—to their way of reading the Bible, to their understanding of God, to their tradition of strict Calvinism. To propose another way of thinking about the issues must seem like proposing infidelity.”
From what I have gleaned from more than one of your books–I think it would be safe to say that if we jumped back 20 years your response to the Japan earthquake would have been similar to Piper’s. And while I agree with your response, I can say with confidence that if we were to jump back 10 years my response would definitely be the same as Piper’s.
So, when you state that you doubt that “he, or many like him, will ever change course” I believe it leaves God out of the equation. I honestly believe that God has changed both of our hearts to be more compassionate and that same God is capable of changing the hearts of everyone in this world including Piper’s.
Of course, the last sentence of the previous paragraph makes the assumption that we are right and Piper is wrong which is narrow-minded. While I agree with you that simple answers for the sake of comfort is not what God has called us to, there is the possibility that Piper is correct.
Anyway, if we are correct in our thinking and approach to our creator, while Piper and others with similar cognitive processes are incorrect with theirs, I am hopeful rather than doubtful that God will mold them into who he wants them to be, just as I am hopeful that God will continue you to mold you and me into who he wants us to be.

Thanks for this note. I think you’re right. That comment of mine wasn’t fair, nor was it helpful. That became all the more clear to me when I read this piece from a Presbyterian pastor who came to an “I was wrong” moment on the issue of homosexuality.
I suspect that my “they’ll never change” comment was in part an expression of cynicism, in part an attempt to be understanding rather than judgmental, and in part a way of publicly expecting the worst while secretly hoping for better. So thanks for your comment and your challenge to have more faith and hope. You’re right.