Isn’t Freedom a Reason To Be or Not To Be Vaccinated? — A Response to John Piper’s article: “A Reason to be Vaccinated: Freedom”

You can read (and/or listen to John Piper read) the article in its entirety at the link below. I did both hoping that hearing his tone would help me better understand his heart and his reason for the article, but honestly, it left me confused and concerned about a well respected Christian influencer’s interpretation of freedom.

A Reason to Be Vaccinated: Freedom (Article by John Piper posted on 10/19/21)

Granted, Piper’s article focuses on freedom FROM the fear of man in which he concludes, or rather assumes, for his audience, this freedom leads to a reason FOR vaccination, not FOR choice. He glosses over those who may have chosen not to be vaccinated for various reasons, to focus on those he fears are falling prey to dangerous ideologies or conspiracies that might be the peer pressure holding them back from getting vaxxed.

Isn’t freedom a reason to be or not to be? Isn’t there peer pressure on both sides?

While I highly respect John Piper as a Bible teacher, and while I know he knows and loves God and longs that others would know and love Him, too, I found his latest article confusing because in my opinion, it was contradictory, and quite honestly not a topic that needed his two cents, nor his two words, “Get vaccinated.”

He is an intelligent man — well read, well spoken, and well versed, but in the article, as he attempts to liberate his readers to “get vaccinated” as they are only “slaves to Christ,” he elevates the liberation “to be” above the liberation “not to be” vaccinated. 

He says...

“Christians are owned by no man — no society, no company, no clan, no family, no school, no military, no government, no political interest group. God alone owns us. And God alone rules us. We are not ruled by any man. We are free from all human ownership and rule.”

He goes on to further this “call to freedom” by calling believers to “contrite courage” because he says, “Liberation from man is not exaltation of self,” with which I totally agree. It’s with his supporting scripture and reasoning, I take pause and beg to differ. 

Piper says...

“But woe to us Christians if this radical freedom makes us cocky. ‘Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil’ (1 Peter 2:16). And the greatest evil is the pride of self-exaltation. Peter is clear about how God’s ownership and Fatherhood should affect his slave-like, son-like people.”

To that I ask the question: How exactly is pouring over data (from reputable sources) that show the risks vs. the rewards of said vaccine and the efficacy of natural immunity vs. the efficacy of said vaccine cocky, self exaltation? How is using the freedom to critically think and logically conclude “to be” or “not to be” vaccinated covering up any kind of evil?

I actually believe it’s quite the contrary. I believe as Christians, we are to use our freedom not to cover up evil, but rather to call it out, to expose it, and to combat it with the truth of the Word of God.

So, Piper’s point was this: “Don’t be enslaved by fear of man. Don’t be enslaved by the fear of breaking ranks with ideological allies. The old name for this is peer pressure. You are free.” 

Just because someone arrives at a decision to not be vaccinated does not imply they made that decision because they were enslaved by the fear of man, nor does it mean they have ideological allies pressuring them to not get vaccinated. In my opinion and from my point of view, the “peer pressure” from political and, ironically, evangelical leaders and influencers to “get vaccinated” is far greater than any peer pressure on those to remain unvaccinated.

You are absolutely right, Dr. Piper — my “conscience is increasingly clear.” However, it does not say, “Get vaccinated.” And I assure you, there is no “niggling fear of looking left wing, or progressive, or Democratic, or compromised, or woke!”

I am free. I am free to choose. I will always choose to trust God and not to fear man. His Word alone helps me discern truth from lies, light from dark, good from evil, and there are countless scientist and medical experts who are doing just that and arriving at a conclusion that doesn’t support vaccination.

Again, I respect John Piper as a Bible teacher. I am grateful for his ministry, but I believe it is best for religious leaders to stick to the calling of bringing people to Christ and not use their standing to apply peer pressure on others’ personal medical decisions.

I will continue to exercise my freedom — my freedom to choose to be or not to be vaccinated. Praise God that decision does not affect my standing with Him. It may very well affect my standing with man, but I’ll choose to please Him over man.

“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” ~ Galatians 1:10