Conference Speakers

Voddie Baucham

Dr. Voddie Baucham, Jr. has been referred to as an “evangelist to intellectuals.” He is one of the most sought-after preachers of his generation. His unique blend of sound biblical exposition, theological content, down-to-earth demeanor, and engaging presence make it clear why this man is considered a modern day prophet.

However, that is only part of the story. He is also a pastor, church planter, author, (The Ever Loving Truth, Broadman /Holman, 2004; Family Driven Faith, Crossway, 2007) professor, husband, father, and chef. Born in Los Angeles, California, in 1969, Voddie was raised by his single, teen-aged mother after his father went off to pursue a career in professional football. Voddie was not raised in a Christian home. In fact, his mother was a practicing Buddhist. It was not until his freshman year in college that he actually heard, understood, and responded to the saving message of Jesus Christ.

Dr. Baucham’s formal theological training began at Houston Baptist University, where he earned BAs in Christianity and Sociology. From there he went on to earn degrees from Southwestern and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminaries, respectively, and has done additional post-graduate study at the University of Oxford, England. His academic disciplines include Evangelism/Missions and Apologetics. He has served as an adjunct professor at a number of colleges and seminaries, including the College of Biblical Studies (Houston), and Union University (Jackson, Tennessee).

He has spent sixteen of the last seventeen years laboring in the local church. He has spent nine years as a Pastor of Missions, four years as a Teaching Pastor, and currently serves as Pastor of Preaching at Grace Family Baptist Church in Spring, Texas, where he resides with his wife and six children. For more information on Dr. Baucham, visit www.voddiebaucham.org

D.A. Carson

Donald A. Carson is research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He has been at Trinity since 1978.

Dr. Carson came to Trinity from the faculty of Northwest Baptist Theological Seminary in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he served for two years as academic dean. He also taught at Northwest Baptist Theological College, Richmond College, and Central Baptist Seminary in Toronto. He has served as assistant pastor and pastor and has done itinerant ministry in Canada and the United Kingdom.

Dr. Carson received the Bachelor of Science in chemistry from McGill University, the Master of Divinity from Central Baptist Seminary in Toronto, and the Doctor of Philosophy in New Testament from Cambridge University.

Dr. 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 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, and the Institute for Biblical Research.

Dr. Carson has written or edited more than fifty books, including The Sermon on the Mount (Baker 1978), Exegetical Fallacies (Baker 1984), Matthew (Zondervan 1984), From Triumphalism to Maturity (Baker 1984), Showing the Spirit (Baker 1987), How Long, O Lord? Reflections on Suffering and Evil (Baker 1990), The Gospel According to John (Eerdmans 1991), A Call to Spiritual Reformation (Baker 1992), New Testament Commentary Survey, 6th ed. (Baker 2006) and Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church (Zondervan, 2005). His book, The Gagging of God: Christianity Confronts Pluralism (Zondervan 1996), won the 1997 Evangelical Christian Publishers Association Gold Medallion Award in the category “theology and doctrine.”

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. For more information on Dr. Carson, visit www.thegospelcoalition.org/resources/author-index/a/da_carson