Alistair Begg
Encyclopedia
Alistair Begg is the senior pastor of Cleveland's Parkside Church (located in Bainbridge, Geauga County, Ohio
), a position he has had since 1983. He is the voice behind the Truth for Life Christian radio preaching and teaching ministry that broadcasts his sermons daily to stations across the United States. He is also the author of several books and has played one small role as a film actor.
Begg is a strong advocate of historic Protestant Evangelical
theology. He stresses the importance of believing the Bible
to be the completely authoritative Word of God, and the importance of using the mind to know the Bible and knowing God through repentance and faith in Jesus
.
in 1975 and then served eight years in Scotland at Charlotte Baptist Chapel
in Edinburgh and Hamilton Baptist Church in Lanarkshire. Begg is a Council member of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals
. He was educated at Trent University
and Westminster Seminary
. Among Begg's influences are: Martyn Lloyd-Jones
, John Stott
, Derek Prime, Eric Alexander, Sinclair Ferguson
, Dick Lucas, Eric Liddell
, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Jim Elliot
, and Hudson Taylor
.
Begg's wife, Susan, is American by birth and Begg himself became a U.S. citizen in 2004. He and his wife have been married over 30 years and have three grown children. In 2004, he played Stewart Maiden in the film Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius.
and supremacy
of Scripture, and in the saving power of Christ alone
. He has stated that the core belief of Parkside Church is "that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has died as an atoning sacrifice for our sins, and that to know Him is to know life, both now and forever [...] Jesus Christ is the only Savior, because Jesus is the only one who is qualified to save." Fellow theologian and author R.C. Sproul wrote that "Alistair Begg incarnates this Neo-Puritan
movement, a humble champion who has been galvanized by a magnificent obsession with the God-centered life. [...] Begg is an anachronism. He breaks the mold of contemporary evangelicalism, the mold that has been marred by narcissism
and sullied by a preoccupation with a man-centered focus on method, technique, and a virulent form of self-esteem." His work has been praised by such people as John MacArthur
, Max Lucado
and Joseph M. Stowell. Begg is critical of Hyper-Calvinism
and he also removed himself as one of the speakers at the "REiMAGINE" conference because of some of its other speakers, such as Leonard Sweet
who has been criticized for New Age
teachings.
Bainbridge, Geauga County, Ohio
Bainbridge is a census-designated place in Geauga County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2000 census, Bainbridge had a population of 3,417.- History :...
), a position he has had since 1983. He is the voice behind the Truth for Life Christian radio preaching and teaching ministry that broadcasts his sermons daily to stations across the United States. He is also the author of several books and has played one small role as a film actor.
Begg is a strong advocate of historic Protestant Evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
theology. He stresses the importance of believing the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
to be the completely authoritative Word of God, and the importance of using the mind to know the Bible and knowing God through repentance and faith in Jesus
Sola fide
Sola fide , also historically known as the doctrine of justification by faith alone, is a Christian theological doctrine that distinguishes most Protestant denominations from Catholicism, Eastern Christianity, and some in the Restoration Movement.The doctrine of sola fide or "by faith alone"...
.
Biography
Begg was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1952 and still carries a distinctive accent after nearly 30 years of ministry in the United States. On November 2, 1972, his mother died. Regarding the incident, Begg wrote that "more spiritual progress is made through failure and tears than success and laughter." Begg graduated from The London School of TheologyLondon School of Theology
The London School of Theology is an English interdenominational evangelical theological college based in Northwood within the London Borough of Hillingdon. A second campus is based in Watford, 20 miles northwest from central London, known as the Centre for Missional Leadership...
in 1975 and then served eight years in Scotland at Charlotte Baptist Chapel
Charlotte Baptist Chapel
Charlotte Chapel is a church in Rose Street in central Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. Though calling itself a Baptist Chapel, it is in reality an independent church and is not a part of the Baptist Union of Scotland, which is the official denominational body of Baptists in Scotland.-History:The church...
in Edinburgh and Hamilton Baptist Church in Lanarkshire. Begg is a Council member of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals
Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals
The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals is a Christian ministry which produces print and internet resources, broadcasts radio programs The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals is a Christian ministry which produces print and internet resources, broadcasts radio programs The Alliance of Confessing...
. He was educated at Trent University
Nottingham Trent University
Nottingham Trent University is a public teaching and research university in Nottingham, United Kingdom. It was founded as a new university in 1992 from the existing Trent Polytechnic , however it can trace its roots back to 1843 with the establishment of the Nottingham Government School of Design...
and Westminster Seminary
Westminster Theological Seminary
Westminster Theological Seminary is a Presbyterian and Reformed Christian graduate educational institution located in Glenside, Pennsylvania, with a satellite location in London.-History:...
. Among Begg's influences are: Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Martyn Lloyd-Jones
David Martyn Lloyd-Jones was a Welsh Protestant minister, preacher and medical doctor who was influential in the Reformed wing of the British evangelical movement in the 20th century. For almost 30 years, he was the minister of Westminster Chapel in London...
, John Stott
John Stott
John Robert Walmsley Stott CBE was an English Christian leader and Anglican cleric who was noted as a leader of the worldwide Evangelical movement. He was one of the principal authors of the Lausanne Covenant in 1974...
, Derek Prime, Eric Alexander, Sinclair Ferguson
Sinclair Ferguson
Sinclair Ferguson is a Scottish theologian known in Reformed Christian circles for his teaching, writing, and editorial work. He is currently a professor at Redeemer Seminary in Dallas.-Career:Ferguson received his Ph.D...
, Dick Lucas, Eric Liddell
Eric Liddell
Eric Henry Liddell was a Scottish athlete, rugby union international player, and missionary.Liddell was the winner of the men's 400 metres at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris...
, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Jim Elliot
Jim Elliot
Philip James Elliot was an evangelical Christian who was one of five missionaries killed while participating in Operation Auca, an attempt to evangelize the Waodani people of Ecuador.-Early life:...
, and Hudson Taylor
Hudson Taylor
James Hudson Taylor , was a British Protestant Christian missionary to China, and founder of the China Inland Mission . Taylor spent 51 years in China...
.
Begg's wife, Susan, is American by birth and Begg himself became a U.S. citizen in 2004. He and his wife have been married over 30 years and have three grown children. In 2004, he played Stewart Maiden in the film Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius.
Theological views
Begg believes in the inerrancyBiblical inerrancy
Biblical inerrancy is the doctrinal position that the Bible is accurate and totally free of error, that "Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact." Some equate inerrancy with infallibility; others do not.Conservative Christians generally believe that...
and supremacy
Sola scriptura
Sola scriptura is the doctrine that the Bible contains all knowledge necessary for salvation and holiness. Consequently, sola scriptura demands that only those doctrines are to be admitted or confessed that are found directly within or indirectly by using valid logical deduction or valid...
of Scripture, and in the saving power of Christ alone
Solus Christus
Solus Christus , sometimes referred to in the ablative case as Solo Christo , is one of the five solas that summarise the Protestant Reformers' basic belief that salvation is through Christ alone and that Christ is the only mediator between God and man, see also New Covenant.-Protestant-Catholic...
. He has stated that the core belief of Parkside Church is "that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has died as an atoning sacrifice for our sins, and that to know Him is to know life, both now and forever [...] Jesus Christ is the only Savior, because Jesus is the only one who is qualified to save." Fellow theologian and author R.C. Sproul wrote that "Alistair Begg incarnates this Neo-Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
movement, a humble champion who has been galvanized by a magnificent obsession with the God-centered life. [...] Begg is an anachronism. He breaks the mold of contemporary evangelicalism, the mold that has been marred by narcissism
Narcissism
Narcissism is a term with a wide range of meanings, depending on whether it is used to describe a central concept of psychoanalytic theory, a mental illness, a social or cultural problem, or simply a personality trait...
and sullied by a preoccupation with a man-centered focus on method, technique, and a virulent form of self-esteem." His work has been praised by such people as John MacArthur
John F. MacArthur
John Fullerton MacArthur, Jr. is a United States evangelical writer and minister noted for his internationally known and broadcast radio program titled Grace to You...
, Max Lucado
Max Lucado
Max Lucado is a best-selling author and writer and preacher at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas...
and Joseph M. Stowell. Begg is critical of Hyper-Calvinism
Hyper-Calvinism
Hyper-Calvinism is a pejorative term referring to a denial of the free offer of the gospel and duty-faith. The term "Hyper-Calvinism" is used in the writings of Iain Murray, Curt Daniel, Peter Toon and others who seek to defend the free offer of the gospel as well as duty faith.The controversy over...
and he also removed himself as one of the speakers at the "REiMAGINE" conference because of some of its other speakers, such as Leonard Sweet
Leonard Sweet
Leonard I. Sweet is an author, preacher, scholar, and ordained United Methodist clergyman currently serving as the E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism at Drew Theological School, in Madison, New Jersey; and a Visiting Distinguished Professor at George Fox University in Portland, Oregon...
who has been criticized for New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
teachings.