TGC Announces The Carson Center for Theological Renewal

On behalf of The Gospel Coalition, I’m pleased to announce the launch of a major new initiative: The Carson Center for Theological Renewal.

Around the world today, biblical illiteracy inhibits spiritual depth—not just in the shrinking church of the West but even in the growing churches of the South and East. But there’s no spiritual renewal without returning to Scripture. And while the internet offers unprecedented access to the Bible, many of the most widely used resources for studying God’s Word are unhelpful at best or heretical at worst.

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That’s why TGC has started The Carson Center for Theological Renewal, named in honor of TGC cofounder Don Carson. As we see in Scripture and church history, spiritual renewal follows theological renewal when the ancient gospel of Jesus Christ recaptures our hearts and minds.

This new initiative fosters spiritual renewal around the world by providing excellent theological resources for the whole church—for anyone called to teach and anyone who wants to study the Bible.

The Center helps Bible study leaders and small group facilitators teach God’s Word, so they can answer tough questions on the spot with a quick search on their smartphones. At no cost to users, the Center publishes theological journals and scholarly books for pastors and theologians, no matter where they live. For teachers who lack formal training, the Center provides free resources on hundreds of theological topics and every book of the Bible. All they need is internet access to find many of these resources in their own languages.

Today the Center launches with thousands of Bible and theology resources available and ready to search. But with translation projects underway and new resources under development, we’re just getting started.

What You Can Expect

Over the next few years, The Carson Center aims to do the following:

1. Create: The Carson Center will produce and distribute a multi-resource, digital-first collection designed to serve church leaders around the world. Resources will include commentaries on every book of the Bible, Bible and theological dictionaries, a hermeneutics handbook, and more. We want every church leader to have access to the core tools necessary to thrive in biblical study.

2. Curate: The Carson Center will collect and distribute a wide range of biblical and theological material. This collection will include a sermon library, free courses on hundreds of theological and practical ministry topics, book reviews, and scholarly articles on a range of topics. For the first time, the Carson Digital Library compiles Don Carson’s work, including more than 600 sermons and conference messages in audio and transcript form; multiple free ebooks; hundreds of articles and reviews on topics ranging from the authority of Scripture to the challenges of postmodernism; and several courses, including the well-known lecture series The God Who Is There.

3. Cultivate: A select group of fellows—top biblical scholars and theologians from around the world—will help lead The Carson Center by producing resources to serve the next generation of church teachers. These fellows will also provide online cohort-style training to Bible teachers, students, and anyone else who wants to become better acquainted with God through his Word.

How You Can Get Involved

The Carson Center prepares the soil of theological renewal by planting resources that help Bible teachers and students grow into maturity. Here’s how you can get involved:

1. Explore the Center’s resources to find articles, sermons, commentaries, essays, books, and lectures that will serve you and your church.

2. Pray that God uses this new resource to strengthen church leaders around the world. Pray also for The Carson Center’s program director, Phil Thompson, as well as for our search for the executive director and fellows.

3. Make a financial gift to partner with the Center in its mission.

4. Spread the word about this resource to other Bible teachers and students who could benefit.