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Carson: The Pastors’ Pastor

Donald Arthur Carson distinguished himself as an evangelical theologian and prolific author. But his legacy goes beyond the 60 books and at least 250 articles that he published since 1977. At Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS), he is known for his caring for both students and colleagues and his focus on the importance of the Word.

“Dr. Carson has this huge pastoral heart that a lot of people don’t see. The way he cared for students and colleagues at Trinity was remarkable,” noted Dr. Scott Manetsch, a friend of Dr. Carson and former colleague who joined TEDS’ History Department in 2000.

Dr. Carson is the emeritus professor of New Testament at TEDS, where he has been teaching since 1978.

Dr. Manetsch welcomed the recent launch of The Carson Center for Theological Renewal, which provides free theological resources to pastors and lay leaders, including 600 of Dr. Carson’s sermons, besides ebooks, articles, topical reviews, and even lecture series.

“The Center reflects Don’s passion for church renewal through reclaiming a confessional evangelicalism,” said Dr. Manetsch, when asked about the importance of naming the Center after Carson.“That (Carson Center) honors him as a leader of The Gospel Coalition, as a pastors’ pastor, and as a scholar who never wandered far from pastoral life, pastoral practice, and pastoral concerns,” he adds.

The Carson Center is a project of The Gospel Coalition (TGC) founded by Dr. Carson and the late Rev. Timothy Keller at Trinity. Besides the two pastor-theologians, 40 North American leaders attended the first conference held at TEDS’s Deerfield campus of Trinity in 2005. (Read Trinity’s story on TGC’s founding battlecry here.)

“What is interesting is that TGC was launched on this campus and in many ways was a ministry that ran parallel to what was happening in the classroom (at the time). There are a lot of people that don’t know that this ministry was birthed here,” said Dr. Manetsch.

Dr. Manetsch said that Dr. Carson’s students came from around the world. “He taught and pastored them here (at TEDS), and he enjoyed and maintained contact with many of those students long after they departed Deerfield. It’s hard to imagine he had the capacity to care for so many students in such a personal way, but he did,” said Dr. Manetsch.

Dr. David Pao, the academic dean of TEDS, notes that Dr. Carson “is always an engaging lecturer and an intentional formation group leader.” Dr Pao affirms Dr. Carson’s capacity for caring, “Many of his students are able to recount valuable time spent in his office where Don offers wise pastoral care to them. His focus on the importance of the Word has made a huge impact on many.”

Dr. Carson’s zeal for shepherding students and other pastors led to his serving in pastoral roles in several churches in Canada and the United Kingdom, resulting in a global impact for the church at large.

“In many parts of the world, people look forward to Dr. Carson’s annual visit. In his writings and his preaching, he is able to draw out the implications of the gospel in various contexts. His knowledge of the global church is notable: I remember a president of an overseas seminary commenting on Don’s (Carson) impressive ability to address the struggles of the church in that particular context,” said Dr. Pao.

TGC noted that Dr. Carson’s writings “cover a wide range of biblical and theological matters (and) his influence has shaped generations of pastors and teachers.” Many of his academic projects are engaging social issues at the level that pastors care about.

Dr. Manetsch cited Dr. Carson’s book on postmodernism, which biblically addresses the philosophical debates of culture, “through a lens that can be of use to pastors.”

“So too, his commentaries are rich with pastoral reflections, so his academic work is never cold academic and sterile; it’s pulsating with concern for the life of the church,” said Dr. Manetsch.

Books that Set the Agenda for Critical Discussions

A prolific writer and persuasive speaker, Dr. Carson authored or edited more than 60 books and 250 articles. The list of all his publications can be found here, but many of his books are available at the Rolfing Library at Trinity International University. As a renowned theologian, he has been a speaker and lecturer in both the academe and church contexts around the world.

“The number does not tell the whole story,” said Dr. Pao. “Many of his books set the agenda for the critical discussion that followed, these include the following titles: The King James Version Debate, The Inclusive-Language Debate, Justification and Variegated Nomism, Jesus the Son of God, and Showing the Spirit (1 Cor 12-14). Many of his other works touch on matters central to our confession, especially the articulation of the gospel in the present context,” Dr. Pao explained.

These books include The Gagging of God (postmodernity and pluralism), Hermeneutics, Authority, and Canon (coedited with John Woodbridge), Scripture and Truth (coedited with John Woodbridge), The Enduring Authority of the Christian Scriptures (edited), and the Gospel as Center (coedited with Keller).

Dr. Manetsch identified the four currents of Dr. Carson’s legacy. “Don’s legacy is in the area of pastoring students well, being a very thoughtful commentator on Scriptures, engaging contemporary issues of concern to evangelicals, and his strategic role in founding TGC.”

“He’s a man who was raised in a pastor’s home, who himself was and is a pastor, and his commitment to provide resources and encouragement for other pastors,” said Dr. Manetsch.

“His pastor’s heart and his passion for theological renewal were at the center of this project,” he added, referring to TGC.

Carson earned a Bachelor of Science in chemistry at McGill University, a Master of Divinity from Central Baptist Seminary in Toronto, Canada, and a Ph.D. in New Testament from the University of Cambridge. He brought his extensive academic resume to TEDSin 1978 after serving for two years as academic dean of the Northwest Baptist Theological Seminary in Vancouver.

Dr. Carson’s legacy—his life and work—continues to have a monumental impact on the evangelical movement, so much so that Andreas J. Kostenberger and Robert W. Yarbrough edited a festschrift in honor of Carson’s 65th birthday in 2011.

Dr. Carson belongs to a league of Christian leaders “who understand the times and can guide us in our work as the body of Christ,” said Kostenberger and Yarbrough, stressing that Dr. Carson’s nearly fifty years of teaching and scholarship at TEDS have “influenced many students, a large number of whom have become pastors or scholars themselves.”

TGC’s Goal

“As Dr. Carson poured his energies and his time into this ministry, it grew very rapidly in the years that followed. Now it’s taken on a global dimension,” noted Dr. Manetsch. TGC conferences are hosted in Europe, Asia, and Africa, attracting committed evangelical leaders in all of those various places. TGC has always been primarily focused on pastors rather than academics. The aim is for pastors to share the wonders of Christ’s gospel with other pastors at these conferences.”

In his latest book, The Gospel and the Modern World, Carson says, “Gospel ministry is ministry that is faithful to the gospel, that announces the gospel and applies the gospel and encourages people to believe the gospel and thus live out the gospel,” Indeed, Carson himself considered the proclamation of the gospel (to unbelievers and believers alike) as central to the pastors’ larger task of doing gospel ministry.

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