Welcome back to the Ask Pastor John podcast with John Piper. Our goal is to point you to the

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Like-minded teams that are united by the gospel are absolutely precious. And we can't do this podcast without your help. So thank you. But what doctrines

preserve our gospel unity? Pastor John is with us. And you are a longtime member of the Gospel Coalition Council

from its founding and a contributor to its founding documents 20 years ago. Those were written and

published. One question that comes up over the years is this one. Pastor John, if this is a gospel

coalition, why does it define itself

confessionally in those documents as reformed or Calvinistic, which is what we read in the preamble

to the foundation documents, which says, quote, we are a fellowship of evangelical churches

in the reformed tradition, end quote.

Now, obviously, you don't speak for everyone in the council or in any official capacity,

but what would be your personal answer to that question, or maybe more safely, why would

any church or school or ministry devoted to being gospel-centered and gospel advancing

define its identity as reformed or Calvinistic rather than something broader?

...