Biographies were a major source of encouragement and growth for John Piper early in his pastoral ministry. His love for biography led him to prepare a mini-biography of a life that displayed the majesty of God each year for the Bethlehem Pastor’s Conference.
Over the years these talks have been compiled into The Swans are Not Silent book series and most recently in the larger compilation just released called 21 Servants of Sovereign Joy: Faithful, Flawed, and Fruitful. DesiringGod.org has audio (and in some cases video) of each of the following biographies, giving you virtually a free audiobook (preached by the author, the best kind). Right-click the links below to save audio files.
- Augustine
- Martin Luther
- John Calvin
- John Bunyan
- William Cowper
- David Brainerd
- John Newton
- Charles Simeon
- William Wilberforce
- Athanasius
- John Owen
- J Gresham Machen
- William Tyndale
- John Paton
- Adoniram Judson
- George Herbert
- George Whitefield
- C.S. Lewis
- Charles Spurgeon
- George Muller
- Hudson Taylor
Piper Biographies not contained in 21 Servants of Sovereign Joy:
- Jonathan Edwards
- Martyn Lloyd-Jones
- Bill Piper (John Piper’s father)
- Robert Murray McCheyne
- J.C. Ryle
- Andrew Fuller
You may also enjoy: 100 of the Best Christian Biographies