Andy Naselli

Thoughts on Theology

D. A. Carson

“Forgiving oneself is, quite frankly, incoherent.”

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And what biblical warrant is there for this easy way many have of talking about “forgiving myself”? In the domain of pop psych, we all know, more or less, what we mean. But in the matrix of Wright’s discussion of what forgiveness is and entails, you have to have two parties to talk about forgiveness: the offender and the offended. Forgiving oneself is, quite frankly, incoherent. One can accept God’s forgiveness, and the forgiveness of others, and press on in various ways. But talk of forgiving oneself merely has the effect of muddying the crispness of the earlier discussion.

-D. A. Carson, review of N. T. Wright, Evil and the Justice of God, RBL (April 23, 2007): 7-8 (emphasis added).

Ossified Orthodoxy

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Although I think it extremely dangerous to pursue a second blessing attested by tongues, I think it no less dangerous not to pant after God at all, and to be satisfied with a merely creedal Christianity that is kosher but complacent, orthodox but ossified, sound but soundly asleep.

-D. A. Carson, Showing the Spirit: A Theological Exposition of 1 Corinthians 12–14 (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1987), 160.

D. A. Carson on Logical Fallacies

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D. A. Carson opens his chapter entitled “Logical Fallacies” in Exegetical Fallacies (2d ed.; Grand Rapids: Baker, 1996; pp. 87–123) with this:

Why Are Fire Engines Red?

They have four wheels and eight men;
four plus eight is twelve;
twelve inches make a ruler;
a ruler is Queen Elizabeth;
Queen Elizabeth sails the seven seas;
the seven seas have fish;
the fish have fins;
the Finns hate the Russians;
the Russians are red;
fire engines are always rushin’;
so they’re red.

I do not remember where I learned this little gem, but it raises in an extreme form the subject of logic. We see the argument is ridiculous; but why is it ridiculous? What is the nature of the breaches as we move from line to line, or even within one line? Why should we not accept this argument as a valid answer to the question, “Why are fire engines red?”

Carson proceeds to discuss “The Nature and Universality of Logic” followed by “A Select List of Logical Fallacies” (with explanations and illustrations):

  1. False disjunctions: an improper appeal to the law of the excluded middle
  2. Failure to recognize distinctions
  3. Appeal to selective evidence
  4. Improperly handled syllogisms
  5. Negative inferences
  6. World–view confusion
  7. Fallacies of question–framing
  8. Unwarranted confusion of truth and precision
  9. Purely emotive appeals
  10. Unwarranted generalization and overspecification
  11. Unwarranted associative jumps
  12. False statements
  13. The non sequitur
  14. Cavalier dismissal
  15. Fallacies based on equivocal argumentation
  16. Inadequate analogies
  17. Abuse of “obviously” and similar expressions
  18. Simplistic appeals to authority

Carson concludes,

These are certainly not the only logical fallacies than can trip up those of us who are intimately involved in the exegesis of the Bible; but they are among the most common. All of us will fall afoul of one or more of these fallacies at some time or another; but alert awareness of their prevalence and nature may help us escape their clutches more frequently than would otherwise be the case.

Like the other chapters of this book, this one is more negative than positive; but if it results in interpreters who are marginally more self–critical in their handling of Scripture, and in readers who are somewhat more discerning when they devour commentaries, expositions, and other studies, this sustained critique will be amply rewarded (p. 123).

Carson and Piper on Training the Next Generation of Evangelical Scholars and Pastors

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On November 20, 1998 in Orlando, Florida at the annual meeting and fiftieth anniversary of the Evangelical Theological Society, D. A. Carson and John Piper gave back-to-back hour-long plenary addresses to about 1,000 ETS members (mostly college and seminary professors):

  1. D. A. Carson, “Training the Next Generation of Evangelical Scholars” (MP3)
  2. John Piper, “Training the Next Generation of Evangelical Pastors and Missionaries” (MP3 | manuscript)

James A. Borland reported this in the next issue of the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society:

On Friday afternoon, two plenary sessions were held. In Don Carson’s message, “Training the Next Generation of Evangelical Scholars,” he painted the landscape of the future for Christian higher academics. John Piper then addressed the subject of “Training the Next Generation of Evangelical Pastors and Missionaries.” He pointed out that one may learn much, but if the main thing is ignored or missing, all is lost. That one thing is to know God and to delight in him above everything else. Several questions succeeded Carson’s speech, but a holy hush of meditation followed Piper’s challenge before the large audience began to sing “Fairest Lord Jesus,” a capella (JETS 42 [1999]: 175).

On April 23, 2009 (over ten years later), D. A. Carson and John Piper will once again give back-to-back hour-long addresses on the same topic, only more focused: “The Pastor as Scholar, and the Scholar as Pastor: Reflections on Life and Ministry with John Piper and D.A. Carson.”

Update: Mike Bird reflects on DAC’s lecture.

Carson’s 7-Minute Extemporaneous Overview of The Gospel Coalition

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In my recent post “D. A. Carson: ‘Making Sense of Suffering,'” I wrote this:

DAC also led a pastor’s session on “Preaching and Biblical Theology.”

After his hour-long address on biblical theology, DAC was asked to “say something about The Gospel Coalition” (59:24 to 1:06:10 in the MP3). Since people often ask, “What exactly is The Gospel Coalition?”, I turned DAC’s useful extemporaneous overview of TGC into this 7-minute MP3.

Related:

  1. from my recommended theological writings page: *The Gospel Coalition (D. A. Carson, Tim Keller, et al.): “Who We Are,” council members, foundational docs (preamble, confessional statement, theological vision for ministry), resources (including video interviews and video Q&A), and Themelios
  2. from my post “TGC Videos“: Introduction to The Gospel Coalition (In order of appearance: Carson, Dever, Ryken, Keller, Harris, Anyabwile, Mahaney, Carson, Keller, Piper)

D. A. Carson: “Making Sense of Suffering”

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This weekend D. A. Carson spoke at a conference on “Making Sense of Suffering” to Omaha Bible Church:

  1. Part 1
  2. Part 2
  3. Part 3
  4. Part 4 (Gospel Reflections on Trials and Tribulations)

DAC also led a pastor’s session on “Preaching and Biblical Theology.”

HT: Erik Raymond

Related:

  1. D. A. Carson MP3s
  2. The Logical and Emotional Problems of Evil: This links to a handout that lists recommended resources on suffering, including this annotation:

* Carson, D. A. How Long, O Lord? Reflections on Suffering and Evil. 2d ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2006. [1. Outstanding, clear, practical, pastoral. The entire book rewards thoughtful reading, especially chapters 11–13. Chapter 11 condenses and updates the major argument of his Ph.D. dissertation completed at Cambridge University in 1975 and reprinted as Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility: Biblical Perspectives in Tension (2d ed.; Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2002).]

Response to Carson’s Review of “Rescuing the Bible”

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A couple weeks ago I noted this: “The latest batch of RBL reviews includes D. A. Carson’s review of Roland Boer’s Rescuing the Bible. The analysis and conclusion are refreshingly blunt.”

Roland Boer just responded to DAC’s review on his blog. His response is telling and sad. It is filled with incorrect assumptions about DAC and reveals his misunderstanding of what he lumps together as “the religious right,” which is “extreme.” This is a common tendency I’ve noticed in people (including ones at BJU and TEDS): people generally present themselves as the sensible mediating position between two self-constructed or self-perceived “extremes.”