Father's Day Book Review: Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor by D.A. Carson

Carson, D. A. Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor: The Life and Reflections of Tom Carson. Wheaton, ILL: Crossway, 2008. Trade Paperback, 160 pages. $15.99

Purchase: Crossway | WTS | CBD | Amazon

Excerpt: Preface and Chapter 1 - 541K PDF

ISBNs: 1433501996 / 9781433501999

I read this book a few weeks ago and decided to hold off on my review until today, Father’s Day. Over the past few months I have learned a great deal from D. A. Carson regarding fatherhood. These lessons began with my downloading and listening to his three messages delivered at the 2008 Desiring God Conference for Pastors:

1. The Pastor as Son of the Heavenly Father (MP3 audio | MP4 video)
2. The Pastor as Son of an Earthly Father (MP3 audio | MP4 video)
3. The Pastor as Father to His Family and Flock (MP3 audio | MP4 video)

[HT: Andy Naselli]

While addressed to a group of pastors, these messages would be beneficial to any Christian father. At the root level, these messages present a theology of the father/son relationship with special attention given to the Father/Son relationship and how it is a model for pastoral ministry. Sprinkled throughout the messages are anecdotes from Carson’s own experience. Many of the stories shared are elaborated upon in Carson’s memoir of his father, Tom Carson. It was after listening (and re-listening) to these messages that I determined to request a copy of this book so that I could review it here.

Some years ago I asked my pastor about a particular biography and he responded that one ought to be concerned with not only the subject of the biography but also the biographer. A biographer can either make or break your perception of the subject. Normally you want to read about a subject by a biographer who was very close to that subject. For instance, Jill Morgan’s biography of G. Campbell Morgan, her father-in-law, is considered to be the best on his life. Theodore Beza on Calvin is very helpful; Islay Burns on his brother, William C. Burns, is fantastic; Dr. & Mrs. Howard Taylor on J. Hudson Taylor is a classic; A. T. Robertson on his friend and colleague, John A. Broadus is superb; and S. Pearce Carey on his great-grandfather, William Carey, is not to be passed by. However, some of those who seem to be best-suited to write on a particular subject’s life are not always to be preferred. The temptation is to put the subject into the best light possible diminishing faults and errors.

Over the past year I’ve read a handful of critical biographies by researchers who did not have a prescribed agenda. They didn’t have anything to lose by exposing an area of weakness, nor did they necessarily have anything to gain by inflating the praiseworthy features of their subject. Certainly, every biography leans subjectively toward the biographer’s limited perspective and knowledge of the facts; however allowing “the warts and all” to remain is a benefit to the reader. The biographer’s job is not to campaign for the canonization of his subject as a saint, but rather to display how God selected, taught and used a jar of clay.

I find in D. A. Carson’s biography of his father a respectable balance between a loving memoir of one who was very dear to him, and a careful accounting of the work of a fellow-servant of Christ with respect to his times, place of ministry, giftedness for service, ecclesiastical struggles, display of leadership in the home, and personal battles. In the technical sense, this memoir is not a critical biography, however Carson’s giftedness as a researcher shines through in the way that this biography is outlined and filled out. Carson does use footnotes (not endnotes, Thank you!) but only sparingly.

Carson begins with a historical sketch of Canada, its growth as a nation and the makeup of its people. This is a very important chapter and ought not to be neglected. It sets the stage for a proper understanding of the types of ministries Tom Carson pursued and how the changes that came in the latter part of his ministry were so significantly different from those in the former.

Chapters two and three introduce us to Tom and Marg Carson. Chapter two unwraps Tom’s educational track, his marriage to Marg and the early years of his ministry among both English and French Speaking congregations. Chapter three gives us a glimpse into the tasks of this “ordinary pastor” as he labored to evangelize the residents of Montréal, Canada. Tom was not out for numbers, but for souls. He systematically carried out his missionary calling via door-to-door evangelism, tract distribution and regular mailings. The work was very difficult and it seemed as if the town, being predominantly Catholic, was completely against the simple, Baptist Protestant. Even though the results were few, Tom is shown to have remained persistent in his duties.

Chapter four introduces a major crisis in Tom’s ministry. A promising opportunity presented itself in another city but a division ensued between Tom and the Union of Regular Baptist (of which Tom was a dedicated member). Here the reader is left to rely upon the Carson’s understanding and research into the details of this crisis. I’m not in a position to critique Carson’s account of this incident; however, having been reared in a very similar circle, it all appears to be believable. In fact, Carson is very careful in this section to document his claims by reproducing portions of key letters and documents. He also adds as an Appendix to this book “The Letter of 5 May 1948”. In this letter Tom Carson presents his position and accounts for the way in which he dealt with the crisis over finances for planting the Drummondville church. One further note about this chapter that I cannot pass up is the point Carson makes about Tom not mentioning this issue to his children, and his choice "to accept the loss, speak softly, weep over the deterioration of a great leader, and move on" (p. 58). This is profound wisdom and a powerful display of trust in the sovereign Lord who alone is able to right all wrongs.

The most fascinating portion of chapter five is Carson’s account of family life. After a hilarious story about Carson’s mother counseling his sister, Joyce, to strike back “once, as hard as she could” in an effort to deal with a young tormentor, Carson walks us through some of the things that were most sacred to the family. For instance, Tom and Marg used the mealtimes to feed their children both physically and spiritually. Tom is remembered as being eager and willing to play with his children. Having small children myself, I’m learning how much they need this and was glad for the reminder/instruction found here. Tom, although a studious minister, did not neglect physical exercise either. The family valued music and the children were taught to sing. Discipline was a coordinated effort between the parents, disrespect and bad attitudes were punishable offenses, and whining was not tolerated. The children were taught to respect Tom’s study and prayer times. The image of a praying father is still burnt on Carson’s memory (this is invaluable). And Tom was a man of the Word, having memorized so many texts that he was able to use phrases for his natural responses.

All of these positive features of the Carson home are balanced out by the admission of particular weaknesses. Carson does not dwell long on these things, not that we should desire him to, but he at least mentions them so that the reader might have a more balanced view of the subject of this biography. It is also important to note the fact that Tom was a very private person, one reticent to show outward affection, often overly concerned with details so that we might see more clearly how the Lord caused him to grow and mature.

Chapter six serves as the heart of this memoir. The previous crisis was awful, but this one seemed to be nearly devastating. For me, this was a hard chapter to read and I’m not a pastor. I know a handful of men who have or are struggling in similar situations. In this chapter the reader is introduced to Tom’s journal-keeping exercise. It seems that this exercise stemmed from Tom’s extremely high work-ethic. Tom tended by be very introspective and held himself to rigorous goals. He kept records of what he did, when he preached and how many were present in each of the services.

In this chapter, we also come to the place where Tom decides that it is time for him to resign his ministry. This is a difficult thing to read through, but many circumstances brought Tom and Marg to follow through with this. The work was very difficult, the costs were very great, and the fruit was very small. Tom was burdened to see sinners brought to Jesus and when a long period of barrenness came he became discouraged. This leads into a “must read” section of this memoir where Carson outlines nine reflections intended “not only [to] put some of Tom’s comments into perspective but…[also to] help discouraged ministers of the gospel today” (92). Let me say it this way, these four-plus pages are worth more than the price of the book.

Chapter seven recounts Tom’s transition from full-time sacred service to secular service. This, I’m sure, was a difficult step to take, but this chapter is very encouraging as the reader gets to see how the providence of God worked to continue to allow Tom to be useful and to be able to grow spiritually in new ways. During this period the Lord opened up new doors of “academic” opportunity and leadership within a different local assembly.

Chapter eight brings the story full-swing from the hard, depressing days of the first seven chapters into days of transformation and growth in the Gospel. New leadership had arisen and a new air of openness in the Canadian society was being evidenced. In fact, the Lord was working in ways that men like Tom Carson had prayed for and prepared for throughout the previous decades. This brought about new challenges for Tom as he learned to deal with the success of others, and it also brought about further opportunities of service for the sake of the gospel.

Chapters nine and ten take us into the final days of weakened health for both Marg and then Tom. First we see Marg’s struggle with Alzheimer’s and Tom’s adjustment to the more supportive role up until her death. Then we are taken into the final years of Tom Carson, as he learns to cope with the loss of his life-long friend, and as his body begins to weaken. However, during this period Tom begins to share his theological reflections and meditations more frequently in his journals. During these years he includes many poems and hymns in his entries. I found it interesting that Carson chose to include Tom’s opinion of Graham, regarding his cooperation with Roman Catholics, as “Jehoshaphat with Ahab” (p. 142).

[Interestingly enough, this is the same biblical account that Mark Minnick shared with Mark Dever in a 9Marks interview that touched on the issue of ecclesiastical associations.]

In his final days, Tom was surrounded by family, but when he crossed over Jordan, “there were no crowds outside the hospital, no editorial comments in the papers, no announcements on the television, no mention in Parliament, no attention paid by the nation. In his hospital room there was no one by his bedside” (p. 148). He was an ordinary pastor, who did not seek notoriety, but earnestly sought for the well-being of his family and the cause of gospel of Jesus Christ.

This is a thoroughly engaging book, well-written, well-documented, easy to read, and spiritually encouraging. If I had the means I would send a copy to every pastor I know. In this memoir the reader is caused to reflect upon the mystery of God’s providence. We don’t always have the best perspective on what God is doing, but the ordinary pastor continues to be faithful, committed to Christ, his family and the ministry allotted to him, believing that God is in control and that He alone deserves the glory.

Father's Day Book Review: Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor by D.A. Carson