Heroes of the Faith

God for “Dr. C.” I pray that future gen- 10Robert A. Rohm, Dr. C. (Chicago: Moody, erations of evangelicals will discover the 1990) 165. legacy of this great man of God. 11Jerry Sutton, The Baptist Reformation: The Conservative Resurgence in the Southern ENDNOTES Baptist Convention (Nashville: Broadman 61W. A. Criswell, Standing on the Promises: and Holman, 2000) 66-67. The Autobiography of W. A. Criswell (Dal- 12His autobiography gives four chapters las: Word, 1990) 160. to his experience at Baylor, and it is clear 72See, for example, Warren Wiersbe, Walk- that he loved the Baylor of the 1920s. He ing with the Giants: A Minister’s Guide to does indicate that there were some Good Reading and Great Preaching (Grand causes for concern, but that for the most Rapids: Baker, 1976) 35-41, 129-137; D. part, it was a spiritually and theologi- Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Preaching and cally healthy institution. Norris, of Preachers (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, course, held otherwise. Though he re- 1971) 64-80. spected Norris’s ability to move a crowd, 83Al Fasol, With a Bible in Their Hands: Bap- Criswell considered Norris to be “dia- tist Preaching in the South, 1679-1979 bolical.” Barry Hankins, God’s Rascal: J. (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1994) Frank Norris & the Beginnings of Southern 77-80, 84-87, quote from page 86. Fundamentalism (Lexington: University 94Fasol, 146-182. of Kentucky Press, 1996) 132. 55Leon McBeth, The First Baptist Church of Dallas: Centennial History, 1868-1968 D. A. Carson: When I was asked to write (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1968) 240- on a hero of the faith of my choosing, I 347. began by running through my mind some 66Criswell, Standing on the Promises, 206. of my personal favorites: John Chry- In the case of a couple of Old Testament sostom, Augustine, John Hus, John books, specifically, Leviticus and Song of Calvin, William Perkins, George White- Solomon, the Dallas pastor did not field, Andrew Murray M’Cheyne, preach every passage individually, but Adoniram Judson, the Countess of Hunt- gathered similar thematic sections up ingdon, Charles Spurgeon, and many and covered them in one or two sermons. more. Then I ran through some candidates 77For a major hermeneutical volume for the label from the twentieth century, D. A. Carson is research professor which defends and articulates this meth- some of them still alive, all of them of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical odology in moving from text to sermon remarkable: D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, John Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He construction, see Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., R. W. Stott, and quite a number of others. is the author of numerous commentar- Toward an Exegetical Theology (Grand Then I thought of some gifted Christian ies and monographs, and is one of this Rapids: Baker, 1988). leaders I have known from around the country’s foremost New Testament 88Examples include Jack Graham, James world, some of whom have suffered scholars. Among his books are Divine Merritt, Jerry Vines, Mac Brunson, and enormously, while others have exercised Sovereignty and Human Responsibility O. S. Hawkins. These men all cite magnificently fruitful ministries, some- (John Knox Press, 1981; reprint, Baker, Criswell’s influence on their preaching. times under appallingly difficult circum- 1994) and The Gagging of God: Chris- 99W. A. Criswell, Why I Preach that the Bible stances. Then I thought of Christian tianity Confronts Pluralism (Zondervan, Is Literally True (Nashville; Broadman, martyrs in Cambodia, among the Karen 1996). 1969). people of Burma, pastors in Iran, those 104 who have suffered and sometimes died Lord. Dirt poor, at certain periods of their in Indonesia and southern Sudan, only life they depended for their meals and for very few of whom I could name. Where their clothes on quiet intercessory prayer, should I begin? How can I possibly choose and nothing else. After twenty-five years one, when temperamentally I have never of ministry, Tom became a tentmaker, sup- fixated on just one person (save Jesus), just porting himself and his family, while he one book (save the Bible), or just one continued his ministry in his chosen movement? people-group. Finally I decided that, just as God over- When he was in his sixties, he finally turns many of the categories that we witnessed something of a movement of human beings think are so important, I the Spirit of God, but the leadership was would do the same. I will tell you about in the hands of others. He rejoiced to see Tom. the church grow, but deep down inside I won’t tell you his last name, or where he sometimes wondered if growth had he served, because some who read these taken so long coming because he was not lines might guess who he is. Certainly a sufficiently able and spiritual leader Tom never thought of himself as a hero of himself, and others, more gifted than he, the faith, not once. He was a largely had to appear on the scene. In his early unknown Baptist pastor, working in a seventies, his wife started drifting away very difficult cross-cultural context. In his in the long dementia associated with mid-twenties, the Lord laid such a bur- Alzheimer’s disease. He cared for her for den on him for this largely ignored nine long years. Released from this people-group that he moved there and responsibility, he started preaching and started to learn the language. During the visiting and serving again. Tom ran quiet course of twenty-five years, he planted regional day-sessions to encourage young two tiny churches. He never wrote a book. pastors in his area. After three years, he He was not asked to preach at large con- fell ill with some nasty flu, and had to be ferences. He never traveled overseas as a taken to the hospital. There a young doc- kind of influential ambassador of the tor made a mistake, and prescribed the gospel to Third World countries. He wrong medicine. Tom died. He was 81 wasn’t brilliant at the conceptual level, years old. though he had a careful mind that paid In some ways, his ministry was quite attention to details. Administratively he ordinary. He preached countless sermons, was at best a plodder. he counseled many people, he prepared On the other hand, every day of his and led services, he wrote letters. He was adult life he prayed, on his knees, for at astonishingly faithful in his visitation, not least 45 minutes, and often much longer. least evangelistic visits. Scrupulous to a He was a man of unimpeachable integ- fault, he devoted himself to his study, and rity, and amidst extraordinarily trying although he was never a gifted orator, his denominational conflict, he chose the path sheep did not come away hungry. He of rectitude without any trace of discern- was a meek man, and people often took ible malice towards those who tried to cut advantage of him. In the early years of his him up. He and his wife reared three chil- ministry among the people to whom he dren in the nurture and admonition of the was sent, there was a lot of virulent 105 opposition, including threats to life and above the humdrum problems that afflict property. He was hauled in by the police. mere mortals, but because in persecution Some other Baptist ministers in his area they endure to the end, they retain sound spent a total of eight years in prison, but doctrine when others follow some foolish during that time Tom managed to escape Jezebel, they keep rebuilding their first such treatment, only to see one or another love, and they live with one foot in eter- of his children being beaten up by neigh- nity. These are the overcomers, the heroes borhood toughs who were encouraged in of the faith. And Tom was one of them. their violence by the local religion. His Tom Carson was my Dad. R.I.P. stamina and sheer faithfulness were beyond reproach. When on occasion he was driven to despair, it simply meant he was driven to his knees. Persistence, faithfulness, integrity, loving lost sinners, car- ing for fledgling churches, keeping his peace, thinking well of people—these were the virtues that made him a hero of the faith. Tom stands for a lot of other heroes of the faith. They look after three demand- ing children under the age of five, and still love them and read to them. They perse- vere with trust in God’s wisdom even when they are scared and debilitated by the ravages of a terminal cancer. They use their retirement to help the most disad- vantaged in one of the most impoverished and dangerous countries of Africa. It is rare to hear a whining complaint escape their lips. They smile easily, laugh quickly, forgive readily, love graciously, hope for better things incessantly. You will often find them carrying the heavy end of the load. When they make mistakes, they apologize, and try to put things right. Many of them are blessed with the gift of encouragement. They are known in only a very limited circle, and they eschew the praises of people, but their names are writ- ten large in the ledgers of heaven. They are described in Scripture: they are “overcomers,” not because they are wiser or more famous than others, not because they are on TV, not because they float 106.

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