Ligon Duncan
Encyclopedia
J. Ligon Duncan III is an American Southern Presbyterian scholar and pastor.
. His father, J. Ligon Duncan, Jr. (1925–1992) was an eighth-generation Southern Presbyterian ruling elder. He had a small commercial printing company, still in existence: A Press, Inc. His mother, Shirley Ledford Duncan, taught music at Furman University
.
He graduated from Greenville Senior High School in 1979 and Furman University
in 1983 (B.A., History). He continued his studies at Covenant Theological Seminary
with an MDiv in 1986 and an MA in historical theology in 1987. He completed doctoral studies in theology at the University of Edinburgh
, New College
in 1995.
He served on the staff of Covenant Presbyterian Church, St. Louis, (1984–1987). He was licensed to preach in 1985 by the Presbytery of Calvary (PCA) in South Carolina, and ordained in 1990. While doing his doctorate in Scotland, Duncan regularly supplied pulpits in churches of the Presbyterian Association of England (now Evangelical Presbyterian Church of England and Wales), Church of Scotland
, and Free Church of Scotland
.
(RTS), Jackson, Mississippi, as the John R. Richardson Chair of Systematic Theology. At the same time he served as assistant pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi (1990–1995), and interim pastor at First Presbyterian Church, Yazoo City, Mississippi (1993).
) in 1996, and remains there in that capacity. An active churchman, he has been involved in the courts of the Presbyterian Church in America
(PCA) in various ways: General Assembly’s Committee on Psalmody; Committees of Commissioners for Covenant Theological Seminary, Mission to North America, and Bills and Overtures; member and chair of the Credentials Committee of the Presbytery of the Mississippi Valley (1996–2002); vice-chair of the General Assembly’s Creation Study Committee (1998–2000); member of the search committee for a Coordinator of Reformed University Ministries; chair of the General Assembly’s Theological Examination Committee; member of the PCA’s Strategic Planning Committee; moderator of the Presbytery of the Mississippi Valley (2001); moderator of the PCA General Assembly (2004), making him the youngest elected to this position in the denomination’s history.
, a broad coalition of evangelical Christians from various denominations. It aims to call the church to repent of what it see as its worldliness, and to take up the mantle of the Protestant reformers in recovering the centrality of worship and doctrine in the life of the church. In his capacity as president, Duncan regularly speaks at the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology, an Alliance-related forum that offers quarterly conferences on Reformed doctrine and history. He also contributes to the Alliance's online magazine and blog, Reformation21.
He is also a council member of the Gospel Coalition, a “group of (mostly) pastors and churches in the Reformed heritage who delight in the truth and power of the gospel, and who want the gospel of Christ crucified and resurrected to lie at the center of all we cherish, preach, and teach.” They have created The Gospel Coalition Network, which is a consortium of “Christian pastors and other leaders who stimulate one another to faithfulness and fruitfulness in life and ministry in this rapidly-changing, increasingly urbanized, and spiritually hungry world.”
and Don Carson
who insist that the context shows that Paul is prohibiting women from publicly judging prophecy in the church. In the church he serves, men teach mixed adult Sunday school classes, occasionally husband/wife teams teach on issues such as parenting and marriage.
Early life and education
Duncan is native to Greenville, South CarolinaGreenville, South Carolina
-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
. His father, J. Ligon Duncan, Jr. (1925–1992) was an eighth-generation Southern Presbyterian ruling elder. He had a small commercial printing company, still in existence: A Press, Inc. His mother, Shirley Ledford Duncan, taught music at Furman University
Furman University
Furman University is a selective, private, coeducational, liberal arts college in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. Furman is one of the oldest, and more selective private institutions in South Carolina...
.
He graduated from Greenville Senior High School in 1979 and Furman University
Furman University
Furman University is a selective, private, coeducational, liberal arts college in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. Furman is one of the oldest, and more selective private institutions in South Carolina...
in 1983 (B.A., History). He continued his studies at Covenant Theological Seminary
Covenant Theological Seminary
Covenant Theological Seminary is the denominational seminary of the Presbyterian Church in America . It is located in St. Louis, Missouri, and its purpose is to train leaders for work in the church and the world — especially as pastors, missionaries, and counselors. It does not require all...
with an MDiv in 1986 and an MA in historical theology in 1987. He completed doctoral studies in theology at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, New College
New College, Edinburgh
New College was opened in 1846 as a college of the Free Church of Scotland, later of the United Free Church of Scotland, and from the 1930s has been the home of the School of Divinity of the University of Edinburgh...
in 1995.
He served on the staff of Covenant Presbyterian Church, St. Louis, (1984–1987). He was licensed to preach in 1985 by the Presbytery of Calvary (PCA) in South Carolina, and ordained in 1990. While doing his doctorate in Scotland, Duncan regularly supplied pulpits in churches of the Presbyterian Association of England (now Evangelical Presbyterian Church of England and Wales), Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
, and Free Church of Scotland
Free Church of Scotland (post 1900)
Free Church of Scotland is that part of the original Free Church of Scotland that remained outside of the union with the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland in 1900...
.
Reformed Theological Seminary
In the Summer of 1990, Duncan joined the faculty of Reformed Theological SeminaryReformed Theological Seminary
Reformed Theological Seminary is a non-denominational, evangelical Protestant seminary. RTS's first campus remains in Jackson, Mississippi, United States though the school has expanded to include several additional campuses.-Founding:...
(RTS), Jackson, Mississippi, as the John R. Richardson Chair of Systematic Theology. At the same time he served as assistant pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi (1990–1995), and interim pastor at First Presbyterian Church, Yazoo City, Mississippi (1993).
First Presbyterian Church and the PCA
Duncan was named senior pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Jackson, Mississippi (PCAPresbyterian Church in America
The Presbyterian Church in America is an evangelical Protestant Christian denomination, the second largest Presbyterian church body in the United States after the Presbyterian Church . The PCA professes a strong commitment to evangelism, missionary work, and Christian education...
) in 1996, and remains there in that capacity. An active churchman, he has been involved in the courts of the Presbyterian Church in America
Presbyterian Church in America
The Presbyterian Church in America is an evangelical Protestant Christian denomination, the second largest Presbyterian church body in the United States after the Presbyterian Church . The PCA professes a strong commitment to evangelism, missionary work, and Christian education...
(PCA) in various ways: General Assembly’s Committee on Psalmody; Committees of Commissioners for Covenant Theological Seminary, Mission to North America, and Bills and Overtures; member and chair of the Credentials Committee of the Presbytery of the Mississippi Valley (1996–2002); vice-chair of the General Assembly’s Creation Study Committee (1998–2000); member of the search committee for a Coordinator of Reformed University Ministries; chair of the General Assembly’s Theological Examination Committee; member of the PCA’s Strategic Planning Committee; moderator of the Presbytery of the Mississippi Valley (2001); moderator of the PCA General Assembly (2004), making him the youngest elected to this position in the denomination’s history.
Other Organizations
He is currently president of the Alliance of Confessing EvangelicalsAlliance 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...
, a broad coalition of evangelical Christians from various denominations. It aims to call the church to repent of what it see as its worldliness, and to take up the mantle of the Protestant reformers in recovering the centrality of worship and doctrine in the life of the church. In his capacity as president, Duncan regularly speaks at the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology, an Alliance-related forum that offers quarterly conferences on Reformed doctrine and history. He also contributes to the Alliance's online magazine and blog, Reformation21.
He is also a council member of the Gospel Coalition, a “group of (mostly) pastors and churches in the Reformed heritage who delight in the truth and power of the gospel, and who want the gospel of Christ crucified and resurrected to lie at the center of all we cherish, preach, and teach.” They have created The Gospel Coalition Network, which is a consortium of “Christian pastors and other leaders who stimulate one another to faithfulness and fruitfulness in life and ministry in this rapidly-changing, increasingly urbanized, and spiritually hungry world.”
Gender Roles
Duncan holds to a complementarian view of gender roles. He believes that 1 Corinthians 14:34, which says 'women should keep silent in the churches', refers to women teaching men (like found in 1Timothy 2:12), This puts him odds with the popular view espoused by Wayne GrudemWayne Grudem
Wayne A. Grudem is a Protestant theologian and author. He was born in 1948 in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin and married Margaret White on June 6, 1969 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin...
and Don Carson
Don Carson
Donald Arthur Carson is a Canadian-born evangelical theologian and professor of New Testament.-Background and education:...
who insist that the context shows that Paul is prohibiting women from publicly judging prophecy in the church. In the church he serves, men teach mixed adult Sunday school classes, occasionally husband/wife teams teach on issues such as parenting and marriage.
Authored/co-authored
- Does Grace Grow Best in Winter? (co-author with J. Nicholas Reid). P & R Publishing, 2009.
- Fear Not! (foreword by Jerry BridgesJerry BridgesJerry Bridges is an evangelical Christian author, speaker and staff member of The Navigators. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including The Pursuit of Holiness, which has sold more than one million copies...
). Christian Focus, 2008. - The Westminster Assembly: A Guide to Basic Bibliography (co-author with David W. Hall). Reformed Academic Press, 1993.
- A Short History of the Westminster Assembly(co-author/editor with William Beveridge). Reformed Academic Press, 1993.
- The Genesis Debate: Three Views of the Days of Creation (co-author with David W. Hall, Meredith Kline, Lee Irons, Hugh Ross, and Gleason Archer). Crux Press, 2000.
- Should We Leave Our Churches? (co-author with Mark Talbot). P&R, 2004.
- Women’s Ministry in the Local Church(co-author). Crossway, 2006.
Edited
- Matthew Henry’s Method for Prayer (editor). Christian Focus Publications/Christian Heritage, 1994.
- The Westminster Confession in the 2lst Century: Essays in Remembrance of the 350th Anniversary of the Westminster Assembly, (general editor and contributor) Mentor, Vol. 1, 2003; Vol. 2, 2004; Vol. 3, 2008.
- Give Praise to God: A Vision for Reforming Worship, (editor and contributor) P&R, 2003.
Contributor
- The Practice of Confessional Subscription (contributor). University Press of America, 1995.
- Reclaiming the Gospel and Reforming Churches, (contributor) Founders Press, 2003.
- Letters to Timothy, (contributor) Founders Press, 2004.
- Confessing Our Hope, (contributor) GPTS Press, 2004.
- The Devoted Life: An Invitation to the Puritan Classics, (contributor) IVP, 2004.
- Preaching the Cross (contributor), Crossway, 2007.
- Fear Not: Death and the Afterlife from a Christian Perspective (contributor), Christian Focus, 2008.
- In My Place Condemned He Stood(contributor), Crossway, 2008.