Bio | D.A. Carson

Biographical Sketch:

HT: Monergism

Don (D. A.) Carson (b. 1946) – Reformed evangelical at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. His theology is similar to that of Wayne Grudem except on charismatic issues, where his view may be described as “open but cautious.” Carson’s tendency is to strive for balance and amicability in disputes but is uncompromising on the essentials of the faith. He is a complementarian but supports gender-neutral Bible translations. Carson also helped produce the NLT. Titles: How Long O Lord, A Call to Spiritual Reformation; The Cross and Christian Ministry; The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God; Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility; Exegetical Fallacies; For the Love of God; The Gagging of God; The Inclusive Language Debate; Introduction to the New Testament; New Testament Commentary Survey; Scripture and Truth (Ed. with John Woodbridge); Worship by the Book; Pillar Commentaries on Matthew and John and contributer to Who Will be Saved. He also edits the New Studies in Biblical Theology book series.

Carson’s areas of expertise include biblical theology, the historical Jesus, postmodernism, pluralism, Greek grammar, Johannine theology, Pauline theology, and questions of suffering and evil. He has written books on free will and predestination from a generally compatibilist and Calvinist persepective. He is a member of the Tyndale Fellowship for Biblical Research, the Society of Biblical Literature, the Evangelical Theological Society, the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies, the Institute for Biblical Research, the Christ on Campus Initiative, Themilios, and the Gospel Coalition.

Dr. Carson and his wife, Joy, reside in Libertyville, Illinois. They have two children. In his spare time, Dr. Carson enjoys reading, hiking, and woodworking.

Articles:

Must I Learn How to Interpret the Bible?
The Dangers and Delights of Postmodernism
The Emerging Church
The Tabula Rasa Fallacy
Why Should Christians Think about Postmodernism?
On Distorting the Love of God
D. A. Carson critiques the Emerging Church – Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V<, Part VI, Part VII by Dr. Sam Storms
Systematic Theology and Biblical Theology
Are Christians Required to Tithe?
The Love of God and the Atonement

Sermons:

A veritable goldmine of biblical teaching has been made available through the The Gospel Coalition, as over 400 sermons and lectures from DA Carson (“The Don”) have been uploaded and organized by date and topic. Here is the link (don’t miss the topically organized list to the left of the screen):

DA Carson Resources

Andy Naselli says this about the new resources:

I’d highly recommend that you redeem the time and systematically and thoughtfully listen to these MP3s. I have profited immensely from them. Carson’s manner of speaking is just as articulate, thoughtful, and engaging as his publications. He exalts Christ by exegeting his words, tracing themes through the Bible’s salvation-historical storyline, addressing hot topics with clarity and nuance, and engaging and confronting bad theology as well as the culture.

Up until now, it has been difficult to track down sermons and lectures from DA Carson, along with some other great teachers like Tim Keller, without paying a hefty fee for the resources. I love to see preachers giving away their sermons for free, in the same way that John Piper has been giving away all of his sermons and articles at DesiringGod.org on a whatever-you-can-afford basis, and Mark Driscoll uses TheResurgence.com to spread missional theology resources in hopes of serving the Gospel of Jesus Christ in culture. The Gospel of Jesus Christ should not be for sale. Any preacher who sells his own sermons, even if the proceeds are to be used for multiplying the ministry, inevitably presents himself as an opportunist trying to profit from people who are hungry for truth. When it comes to the preaching of God’s word, the same paradigm should always remain: give as you feel led. I’m thankful that these very important theological resources have been freed up for the edification of the body.