Don Carson

Don Carson is research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois, and co-founder (with Tim Keller) of The Gospel Coalition.
 

Feb

26

2012

Don Carson|10:15 PM CT

Contemporary Tolerance Is Intrinsically Intolerant
Contemporary Tolerance Is Intrinsically Intolerant avatar


The notion of tolerance is changing, and with the new definitions the shape of tolerance itself has changed. Although a few things can be said in favor of the newer definition, the sad reality is that this new, contemporary tolerance is intrinsically intolerant. It is blind to its own shortcomings because it erroneously thinks it holds the moral high ground; it cannot be questioned because it has become part of the West's plausibility structure. Worse, this new tolerance is socially dangerous and is certainly intellectually debilitating. Even the good that it wishes to achieve is better accomplished in other ways.

Let's begin with dictionaries. In the Oxford English Dictionary, the first meaning of the verb "to tolerate" is "To respect (others' beliefs, practices, etc.) without necessarily agreeing or sympathizing. 3. to...

 
 
 
 

Jan

29

2012

Don Carson|10:15 PM CT

Reflections on the Church in Great Britain
Reflections on the Church in Great Britain avatar




In light of my friend Mark Driscoll's recent comments about pastoral ministry in Great Britain, I wanted to share a few of my own reflections on the diverse ministries that have prospered, or floundered, there. Between 1972 and 1996, I spent nine full years there, scattered over that range of years; and since then, I have been in the UK between two and six times every year. I am neither boasting nor complaining; I'm merely establishing that my knowledge of the country is not entirely superficial. I have no reason to doubt Mark's sincere concern for the gospel in the UK and for young ministers there. Nevertheless, you might be interested in hearing another perspective.


(1) Mark correctly observes the low state of genuine Christian confessionalism in the UK. Still,
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Oct

03

2011

Don Carson|7:00 AM CT

New Monthly Update from TGC
New Monthly Update from TGC avatar

The Gospel Coalition is a fellowship of evangelical churches deeply committed to renewing our faith in the gospel of Christ and to reforming our ministry practices to conform fully to the Scriptures. As a part of that effort, we aim to produce resources from a trusted editorial perspective that reflects the values of our confessional statement and theological vision for ministry. We've been encouraged by the readership we receive each month at thegospelcoalition.org. In fact, it's a challenge for us to help our readers navigate the diverse and growing collection of resources now available on our site. As a result, we've decided to offer a monthly email that makes it simple to find some of our website's best content and draw your attention to upcoming events.

This month, for example, you'll read Tim Keller...

 
 
 
 

Aug

05

2011

Don Carson|6:00 AM CT

Two Changes Bring Further Clarity to TGC's Foundation Documents
Two Changes Bring Further Clarity to TGC's Foundation Documents avatar


At its meeting on Tuesday morning, April 12, the Council of The Gospel Coalition, by unanimous vote, made two changes in our Foundation Documents (download PDF). We do not make changes lightly or quickly, so we want to explain why we made these two. In one case, we made a change because we were not clear enough; in the other, a sharp-eyed critic convinced us that what we said was not in line with Scripture. Here are the changes:

(1) Our Preamble used to read, in part:
Our desire is to serve the church we love by inviting all our brothers and sisters to join us in an effort to renew the contemporary church in the ancient gospel of Christ so that we truly speak
...

 
 
 
 

Aug

04

2011

Don Carson|3:00 PM CT

TGC Welcomes Two New Council Members
TGC Welcomes Two New Council Members avatar

The Gospel Coalition welcomes to its Council two new members with a track record of gospel-centered ministry in highly diverse contexts.

Matt Chandler is the lead pastor for teaching at The Village Church in Dallas, Texas. He assumed this role in August 2002 after several years of serving on a local church staff and as an itinerant preacher. Since then, Chandler has led the congregation through uncompromised gospel-centered preaching and visionary leadership. The church has grown from 160 to more than 6,000 people meeting on three campuses. Chandler is involved in church planting around Dallas and across the world through The Village Church and other partnerships such as Acts 29. He delivered a plenary address at The Gospel Coalition's 2011 national conference in Chicago.
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Feb

17

2011

Don Carson|9:27 AM CT

How the Bible Hangs Together
How the Bible Hangs Together avatar


We Christians believe that the Bible is 66 books; we also believe the Bible is but one book. We believe this Bible embraces both the Old and New Testaments; we believe there is but one huge plot, one storyline. Yet those of us who teach and preach the Bible regularly admit that sometimes we do not do a good job showing how the entire Bible hangs together. In particular, we would often like some help on how better to preach the Old Testament. Certain snippets we manage reasonably well—Genesis 12, perhaps, plus 2 Samuel 7, Psalm 23, Isaiah 53, and so forth. But much of the Old Testament we ignore in the pulpit. To compound the challenge, when we observe how the New Testament handles the Old, we sometimes wonder...

 
 
 
 

Dec

20

2010

Don Carson|12:40 AM CT

TGC Asks Don Carson: When Has a Preacher Crossed the Line into Plagiarism in His Sermon?
TGC Asks Don Carson: When Has a Preacher Crossed the Line into Plagiarism in His Sermon? avatar

Note from Collin Hansen, TGC editorial director: This week we're examining the thorny issue of pulpit plagiarism. We'll hear from pastors, ethicists, scholars, and researchers to work toward common understanding on this pressing, perennial dilemma. First up is TGC president and New Testament scholar Don Carson.
* * * * * * * * * *


First: Taking over another sermon and preaching it as if it were yours is always and unequivocally wrong, and if you do it you should resign or be fired immediately. The wickedness is along at least three axes: (1) You are stealing. (2) You are deceiving the people to whom you are preaching. (3) Perhaps worst, you are not devoting yourself to the study of the Bible to the end that God's truth...

 
 
 
 

Oct

18

2010

Don Carson|8:00 AM CT

TGC Asks Don Carson: How Do We Work for Justice and Not Undermine Evangelism?
TGC Asks Don Carson: How Do We Work for Justice and Not Undermine Evangelism? avatar

Note from TGC's editorial director, Collin Hansen: The Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization opened on Saturday, October 16, and will conclude on Monday, October 25. The event, convening 4,000 evangelical leaders from 200 countries, will address issues including poverty, HIV/AIDS, consumerism, and child sex trafficking. No doubt these and many other issues crying for justice in a broken world affect evangelistic efforts. But already, some observers wonder whether the evangelical bird (to borrow John Stott's analogy popularized through Lausanne) is tilting toward the justice wing and away from the evangelism wing. So TGC turned to four leaders and asked: How do Christians work for justice in the world and not undermine the centrality of evangelism? Don Carson responds today. He'll be followed on Tuesday by Ray Ortlund, Wednesday by Russell Moore, and Thursday by Mike Wittmer.

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Sep

07

2010

Don Carson|1:26 PM CT

Introducing Kathleen Nielson
Introducing Kathleen Nielson avatar

I'm delighted to introduce Kathleen Nielson, who is helping The Gospel Coalition launch a women's initiative. She is one of several women who will be leading breakout sessions at the 2011 national conference in Chicago. Other exciting TGC projects and events are in the planning stages.

Kathleen has extensive speaking experience at women's conferences. She has published seven Bible studies for P&R, with guides on Isaiah and Nehemiah forthcoming. She holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in literature from Vanderbilt University and a B.A. from Wheaton College. She has taught English at Vanderbilt, Wheaton, and Bethel (MN). Kathleen and her husband Niel live in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, where Niel is president of Covenant College, a PCA institution.

TGC is grateful for Kathleen's involvement and encouraged to see what the Lord has in store for this initiative.

Read more about Kathleen and TGC's women's...

 
 
 
 

Jul

20

2010

Don Carson|6:08 PM CT

Welcome Collin Hansen
Welcome Collin Hansen avatar

The Gospel Coalition is pleased to announce the appointment of Collin Hansen as full-time editorial director, starting this week. A graduate of Northwestern University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Collin possesses a unique mix of theological acuity and pastoral sensitivity, an excellent appreciation for church history and remarkable skill as a journalist. We have been in conversation with him for two years, and we are delighted that in the mercy of God he has now agreed to join the team. Many will know Collin through his work for Christianity Today and especially his first book, Young, Restless, Reformed: A Journalist’s Journey with the New Calvinists. As editorial director for TGC, Collin will write and edit pieces that spotlight the advance of the gospel worldwide, feature trustworthy and effective local church ministries, and bring theological discernment to cultural...

 
 
 
 
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