Married to @AbbyClosson; Dada; Director, Center for Biblical Worldview @FRCdc; Member @CHBCdc; Author, “Life After Roe;” alum @SBTS and @SWBTS
Washington, DC
Joined June 2009
- Tweets7.2K
- Following900
- Followers2.1K
- Likes38.3K
Pinned Tweet
The day is finally here- the release day for my first solo-authored book, “Life After Roe: Equipping Christians in the Fight for Life Today.”
I poured my heart into this project and, truthfully, I wish I could hand out thousands of copies for free to pastors, students, and faithful pro-life Christians across the country.
Since the overturning Roe, the conversation about abortion continues to unfold in legislatures, courtrooms, churches, classrooms, and homes around the country. I wrote this book to help Christians engage thoughtfully and biblically in that conversation. By exploring the biblical, theological, historical, legal, and political dimensions of the issue, I hope readers will be equipped to advocate for life in a post-Roe America.
In recent interviews, I’ve been asked why I wrote this book. My answer is threefold:
-To educate Christians on what God’s Word — and the witness of church history — teaches about the most pressing moral issue of our time.
-To equip pastors, lawmakers, and activists to engage the life issue with wisdom, clarity, and conviction.
-To encourage readers with stories of how the pro-life movement has advanced since the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
My heartfelt prayer is that this book helps Christians think more accurately and faithfully about abortion and the value of life. The overturning of Roe marked significant progress — but much work still lies ahead. May this book serve to equip the church for the important work that remains.
amazon.com/Life-After-Roe-Eq…
David Closson retweeted
Great tribute.
The apologetics/philosophy department at SBTS had some gems. Took Coppenger and Parker for several classes; gleaned a lot.
Parker taught "Christianity and the Arts"--a unique and enriching class for me. He was kind, witty, and generous--he cared about students.
David Closson retweeted
This is a good tribute. Dr. Parker was also servant-hearted, and generous. He let me stay at his condo in Dallas in the late 90’s and early 2000’s so that I could get schooling at Criswell College. He was gregarious (or extroverted, unlike me) and so impacted a lot of people, even in little ways, through personal interaction, not by way of books and academic writing. A few years ago, he gave @WesleyLHuff his entire library.
I have funny memories of him sometimes acting like a stereotypical fundamentalist, even though he was far from that, and an intellectual. But as David Closson says below, Jim never wore his academic credentials on his sleeve. That taught me, long ago, that the truly educated never do that. Jim sometimes dressed as Gandalf, and to his abundance of friends, Parker modeled that virtuous wizard’s qualities.
Hat Tip to @DrDavidLAllen for telling me this news.
I am saddened to learn that my former @SBTS professor, Dr. James Parker, passed away last night. Dr. Parker had an extraordinary academic pedigree. He studied at Baylor, Trinity, Princeton, Basel, and Johns Hopkins, and he delighted in pointing out that he could trace his academic lineage through generations of teachers all the way back to John Calvin.
What made this even more endearing was how lightly he wore all of it. While many of his colleagues built substantial publishing careers, Dr. Parker often joked that one of his great contributions to scholarship was a 2001 Baptist Press article about Santa Claus. He could trace his academic lineage to Calvin, but he was far more likely to tell you a funny story than to remind you of his credentials.
During my years as a student at Southern Seminary, Dr. Parker became a regular part of my life. I joined his shepherding group as an M.Div. student—admittedly, in part because I had heard he took his students to a very nice Brazilian steakhouse at the end of the semester. Later, during my doctoral studies, I worked in the School of Theology, and it was almost guaranteed that Dr. Parker would stop by for an hour or more to talk and tell stories. He seemed to know nearly every significant evangelical figure of the twentieth century, and his stories about them were endlessly entertaining.
Dr. Parker also somehow convinced the dean to let professors eat in the seminary dining hall for half price, which meant that over my five years as an on-campus student, I shared literally hundreds of meals with him. He taught one of my doctoral colloquium, but some of the most important things I learned from him came outside the classroom. Dr. Parker taught me, among other things, not to take myself too seriously.
For several years I lived at the Duck and Goose, a house long associated with men preparing for ministry at Southern. Dr. Parker told me that years earlier the men there had hosted professors for dinner, and he encouraged my roommates and me to revive the tradition—with the understanding, of course, that he would be the first professor invited. We gladly obliged and hosted him several times.
I am grateful for the classes, the meals, the long conversations, the stories, and the friendship. Southern Seminary has lost one of its great characters, and I will miss him.
David Closson retweeted
On the first day of class, Dr. Parker would hand out his academic pedigree traced back to Calvin. I am thankful for this, as now I can do the same for my students having sat under his instruction, connecting us all to a Great Tradition.
RIP
I am saddened to learn that my former @SBTS professor, Dr. James Parker, passed away last night. Dr. Parker had an extraordinary academic pedigree. He studied at Baylor, Trinity, Princeton, Basel, and Johns Hopkins, and he delighted in pointing out that he could trace his academic lineage through generations of teachers all the way back to John Calvin.
What made this even more endearing was how lightly he wore all of it. While many of his colleagues built substantial publishing careers, Dr. Parker often joked that one of his great contributions to scholarship was a 2001 Baptist Press article about Santa Claus. He could trace his academic lineage to Calvin, but he was far more likely to tell you a funny story than to remind you of his credentials.
During my years as a student at Southern Seminary, Dr. Parker became a regular part of my life. I joined his shepherding group as an M.Div. student—admittedly, in part because I had heard he took his students to a very nice Brazilian steakhouse at the end of the semester. Later, during my doctoral studies, I worked in the School of Theology, and it was almost guaranteed that Dr. Parker would stop by for an hour or more to talk and tell stories. He seemed to know nearly every significant evangelical figure of the twentieth century, and his stories about them were endlessly entertaining.
Dr. Parker also somehow convinced the dean to let professors eat in the seminary dining hall for half price, which meant that over my five years as an on-campus student, I shared literally hundreds of meals with him. He taught one of my doctoral colloquium, but some of the most important things I learned from him came outside the classroom. Dr. Parker taught me, among other things, not to take myself too seriously.
For several years I lived at the Duck and Goose, a house long associated with men preparing for ministry at Southern. Dr. Parker told me that years earlier the men there had hosted professors for dinner, and he encouraged my roommates and me to revive the tradition—with the understanding, of course, that he would be the first professor invited. We gladly obliged and hosted him several times.
I am grateful for the classes, the meals, the long conversations, the stories, and the friendship. Southern Seminary has lost one of its great characters, and I will miss him.
In 11 days, voters in Idaho, Missouri, Nevada, and Virginia will have the opportunity to weigh in on ballot measures related to abortion. Yesterday on Washington Watch, I briefly explained what each measure would do:
David Closson retweeted
What an honoring tribute to a beloved @SBTS professor. I took several classes with Dr. Parker. The man was an institution unto himself.
I am saddened to learn that my former @SBTS professor, Dr. James Parker, passed away last night. Dr. Parker had an extraordinary academic pedigree. He studied at Baylor, Trinity, Princeton, Basel, and Johns Hopkins, and he delighted in pointing out that he could trace his academic lineage through generations of teachers all the way back to John Calvin.
What made this even more endearing was how lightly he wore all of it. While many of his colleagues built substantial publishing careers, Dr. Parker often joked that one of his great contributions to scholarship was a 2001 Baptist Press article about Santa Claus. He could trace his academic lineage to Calvin, but he was far more likely to tell you a funny story than to remind you of his credentials.
During my years as a student at Southern Seminary, Dr. Parker became a regular part of my life. I joined his shepherding group as an M.Div. student—admittedly, in part because I had heard he took his students to a very nice Brazilian steakhouse at the end of the semester. Later, during my doctoral studies, I worked in the School of Theology, and it was almost guaranteed that Dr. Parker would stop by for an hour or more to talk and tell stories. He seemed to know nearly every significant evangelical figure of the twentieth century, and his stories about them were endlessly entertaining.
Dr. Parker also somehow convinced the dean to let professors eat in the seminary dining hall for half price, which meant that over my five years as an on-campus student, I shared literally hundreds of meals with him. He taught one of my doctoral colloquium, but some of the most important things I learned from him came outside the classroom. Dr. Parker taught me, among other things, not to take myself too seriously.
For several years I lived at the Duck and Goose, a house long associated with men preparing for ministry at Southern. Dr. Parker told me that years earlier the men there had hosted professors for dinner, and he encouraged my roommates and me to revive the tradition—with the understanding, of course, that he would be the first professor invited. We gladly obliged and hosted him several times.
I am grateful for the classes, the meals, the long conversations, the stories, and the friendship. Southern Seminary has lost one of its great characters, and I will miss him.
David Closson retweeted
An endearing tribute to an endearing man.
I am saddened to learn that my former @SBTS professor, Dr. James Parker, passed away last night. Dr. Parker had an extraordinary academic pedigree. He studied at Baylor, Trinity, Princeton, Basel, and Johns Hopkins, and he delighted in pointing out that he could trace his academic lineage through generations of teachers all the way back to John Calvin.
What made this even more endearing was how lightly he wore all of it. While many of his colleagues built substantial publishing careers, Dr. Parker often joked that one of his great contributions to scholarship was a 2001 Baptist Press article about Santa Claus. He could trace his academic lineage to Calvin, but he was far more likely to tell you a funny story than to remind you of his credentials.
During my years as a student at Southern Seminary, Dr. Parker became a regular part of my life. I joined his shepherding group as an M.Div. student—admittedly, in part because I had heard he took his students to a very nice Brazilian steakhouse at the end of the semester. Later, during my doctoral studies, I worked in the School of Theology, and it was almost guaranteed that Dr. Parker would stop by for an hour or more to talk and tell stories. He seemed to know nearly every significant evangelical figure of the twentieth century, and his stories about them were endlessly entertaining.
Dr. Parker also somehow convinced the dean to let professors eat in the seminary dining hall for half price, which meant that over my five years as an on-campus student, I shared literally hundreds of meals with him. He taught one of my doctoral colloquium, but some of the most important things I learned from him came outside the classroom. Dr. Parker taught me, among other things, not to take myself too seriously.
For several years I lived at the Duck and Goose, a house long associated with men preparing for ministry at Southern. Dr. Parker told me that years earlier the men there had hosted professors for dinner, and he encouraged my roommates and me to revive the tradition—with the understanding, of course, that he would be the first professor invited. We gladly obliged and hosted him several times.
I am grateful for the classes, the meals, the long conversations, the stories, and the friendship. Southern Seminary has lost one of its great characters, and I will miss him.
I am saddened to learn that my former @SBTS professor, Dr. James Parker, passed away last night. Dr. Parker had an extraordinary academic pedigree. He studied at Baylor, Trinity, Princeton, Basel, and Johns Hopkins, and he delighted in pointing out that he could trace his academic lineage through generations of teachers all the way back to John Calvin.
What made this even more endearing was how lightly he wore all of it. While many of his colleagues built substantial publishing careers, Dr. Parker often joked that one of his great contributions to scholarship was a 2001 Baptist Press article about Santa Claus. He could trace his academic lineage to Calvin, but he was far more likely to tell you a funny story than to remind you of his credentials.
During my years as a student at Southern Seminary, Dr. Parker became a regular part of my life. I joined his shepherding group as an M.Div. student—admittedly, in part because I had heard he took his students to a very nice Brazilian steakhouse at the end of the semester. Later, during my doctoral studies, I worked in the School of Theology, and it was almost guaranteed that Dr. Parker would stop by for an hour or more to talk and tell stories. He seemed to know nearly every significant evangelical figure of the twentieth century, and his stories about them were endlessly entertaining.
Dr. Parker also somehow convinced the dean to let professors eat in the seminary dining hall for half price, which meant that over my five years as an on-campus student, I shared literally hundreds of meals with him. He taught one of my doctoral colloquium, but some of the most important things I learned from him came outside the classroom. Dr. Parker taught me, among other things, not to take myself too seriously.
For several years I lived at the Duck and Goose, a house long associated with men preparing for ministry at Southern. Dr. Parker told me that years earlier the men there had hosted professors for dinner, and he encouraged my roommates and me to revive the tradition—with the understanding, of course, that he would be the first professor invited. We gladly obliged and hosted him several times.
I am grateful for the classes, the meals, the long conversations, the stories, and the friendship. Southern Seminary has lost one of its great characters, and I will miss him.
David Closson retweeted
Four states have abortion-related measures on the ballot in this election:
Idaho
Missouri
Nevada
Virginia
@DavidClosson: "Pro-life voters have a very important opportunity to vote their pro-life values and convictions."
Guest host: @JodyHiceFRCA
David Closson retweeted
Today on Washington Watch with guest host @JodyHiceFRCA:
@CaseyHarper33
@RepBuddyCarter
Peter McIlvenna, @HeartsofOakUK
@PeteSessions
@tperkins
@DavidClosson
El-Sayed, socialism/DSA agenda/economy, AI, France riots, healthcare fraud, abortion ballot, & Mo. Amdt. 3
David Closson retweeted
"How do societies that pride themselves on compassion come to regard deliberately ending a patient's life as health care? Part of the answer lies in the West's diminishing understanding of human dignity," writes @DavidClosson in @WNGdotorg.
wng.org/opinions/the-line-ke…
My latest for @WNGdotorg:
“Benjamin Franklin once famously observed that in this world, “nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Today, we might add a third certainty: Once assisted suicide is legalized, it expands. Recent statistics from Australia and Canada paint a sobering picture of Western society’s increasing embrace of assisted death.”
wng.org/opinions/the-line-ke…
Good article by @colinsmo:
Here’s the bottom line: Adam Hamilton wants Kansans to see him as a middle-of-the-road moderate, and he is using identity politics to try to get there by appealing to his status as a fifth-generation Kansan and pastor. But identity is meaningless without the substance. Any honest look at Hamilton’s public record shows that he is as out of step with Kansas as he is with historic Christianity.
True Kansans stand for truth, justice, and the American way. And pastors are called to warn the flock. Consider this my warning.
wng.org/opinions/bad-kansan-…
My latest for @WNGdotorg discusses a unique display of Revolutionary War statues in Washington DC:
Caldwell, Muhlenberg, and Daggett understood that Christian ministry did not relieve them of the responsibility to understand the times in which God had placed them. They sought to apply their convictions amid the political, cultural, and moral crises confronting their churches, communities, and country.
As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, the stories of these ministers—and others honored at Freedom Plaza—deserve to be remembered. Their examples should encourage Christians to consider their own calling with similar seriousness: to honor God, serve Christ’s church faithfully, and live wisely and courageously in the time and place God has given them.
wng.org/opinions/pastors-of-…
David Closson retweeted
I address the allegation that Elisabeth Elliot was a "bisexual" in a column for WORLD Opinions today.
The allegation is based on a tendentious interpretation of thin evidence and shouldn't have seen the light of day.
There's a link to the full article in the thread below.
David Closson retweeted
"I want to clarify and dispel all the wild and malevolent conjectures about why it is that evangelicals tend to vote for Republicans.
The calculus isn’t difficult: Evangelicals who take the Bible seriously find more resonance in the current Republican platform, imperfect as it is. That’s really it."
@AndrewTWalker
dailywire.com/news/why-chris…
Please!!
BREAKING: CNN's Scott Jennings emerges as the favorite to be Trump's next press secretary.
18% chance.
🔗 polymarket.com/r/PressSec202…
I’d love to see the president tap @ScottJenningsKY for the role of Press Secretary. I’ve enjoyed watching him spar on CNN and I think he’d ably represent the administration.
This need becomes more acute as medical aid in dying spreads and is normalized. Christians must recover a biblical vision of human dignity—one that sees compassion not as ending suffering by ending a life, but as faithfully caring for those who suffer.
I just met via Zoom with an @SBTS online student who is an emergency medicine physician and is considering a transition to hospice and end-of-life care. He wanted my thoughts on the relationship between Christian ethics and caring for those at the end of their lives. It's hard to overstate how encouraged I am to see Christians think Christianly about caring for people with compassion and to get to talk with them about it.
I really love teaching ethics.