I’ve read one Piper book. I liked most of what it said (besides the use of another version)—it was on the Passion of Christ, put out around the time of Mel Gibson’s film. However, I thought much more was needed in the way of differentiating true doctrine from the false doctrine of Gibson. He was using the hype of Gibson to market his book, the cover even looking like the Gibson promotional material, without saying anything bad about what Gibson believed or was portraying. People needed something to expose the wrong view of the passion—he was all positive all the time—very much like a new-evangelical.

Regarding your quotes, people don’t want to judge Piper. They want to bask in his glow. They do want to tar and feather anyone with high standards (the old fundamentalist standards) of personal separation.

Tozer bugs me – he seems to be so borderline on mysticism that I am never comfortable reading his stuff.

The Rice quote was the one I appreciated – he has a very balanced approach.

I am not that familiar with Barnhouse. He seems to be Calvinistic.

I do not know the last two authors either – but their quotes don’t sit well with me. Lambert’s quote actually contradicts the Bible in favour of his experience (ie. he contradicts it because he hasn’t experienced it yet):

I cannot reckon myself “dead indeed unto sin” unless I have been through this radical issue of will before God.

We are to reckon ourselves dead unto sin – ie. believe it even before we experience – not hold off believing it until we’ve experienced it.