Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg (born May 22, 1952) is an American pastor of Scottish birth. He is the former senior pastor of Parkside Church in Cleveland, Ohio,^[1] a position he held from 1983. He is the voice of Truth for Life, a preaching and teaching ministry broadcasting his sermons daily to more than 1,800 radio stations in North America. Begg is also the author of several books.

Pastor Alistair Begg
Born	(1952-05-22) 22 May 1952 (age 73) Glasgow, Scotland
Education	London School of Theology Nottingham Trent University Westminster Theological Seminary
Occupations	Pastor, author, teacher on the Truth for Life radio program
Years active	1975–present
Spouse	Susan Begg
Children	3
Honors	Honorary doctorates: Westminster Theological Seminary (2009) Cedarville University Grove City College (2015)
Website	truthforlife.org/about/about-alistair-begg

Biography

Begg was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1952^[2] and still has a distinctive Scottish accent after years of ministry in the United States. On 2 November 1972, his mother died. At the time, Begg wrote that "more spiritual progress is made through failure and tears than success and laughter."^[3] He graduated from the London School of Theology in Northwood, London in 1975. Next, he served Charlotte Chapel in Edinburgh and Hamilton Baptist Church in Lanarkshire for a combined total of eight years.^[4]

He was educated at Trent University in Nottingham, England and Westminster Theological Seminary in Glenside, Pennsylvania. He began studying for a DMin degree in the mid-1980s, but never completed the studies.^[5] He became senior pastor of Parkside Church in Cleveland in 1983

Among his 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. Westminster Theological Seminary conferred an honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity on Begg on May 28, 2009.^[6] Later, both Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania, on May 16, 2015,^[7] and Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio, conferred the same degrees upon him.

He married his wife, Susan in 1975. They have three married children and 8 grandchildren. Susan was born in the U.S. and Begg became a U.S. citizen in 2004.^{[citation needed]}

Theological views

Begg believes in the inerrancy and supremacy of Scripture, and in the saving power of Christ alone. He has said 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."^[8]

In January 2024, Begg received criticism for advising a grandmother to attend her grandson's wedding to a transgender person.^[9][10] Critics included Owen Strachan, provost of Grace Bible Theological Seminary in Conway, Arkansas,^[10][11] and the American Family Association,^[12] which removed Begg's Truth for Life broadcasts from its American Family Radio network.^[13]

Bibliography

• What Angels Wish They Knew: The Basics of True Christianity; Moody Publishers (1999); ISBN 0-8024-1709-4
• Preaching for God's Glory (2000); ISBN 1-58134-123-7
• Pathway to Freedom: How God's Laws Guide Our Lives; Crossway Books (2000); ISBN 1-58134-123-7
• The Hand of God: Finding His Care in All Circumstances; Moody Publishers (2001); ISBN 0-8024-1704-3
• On Being a Pastor: Understanding Our Calling and Work (with Derek Prime); Moody Publishers (2004); ISBN 0-8024-3120-8
• Made for His Pleasure: Ten Benchmarks of a Vital Faith; Moody Publishers (2005); ISBN 0-8024-7137-4
• Christmas Playlist: Four songs that bring you to the heart of Christmas; The Good Book Company (2016); ISBN 9781784981662
• Parenting God's Way; 10Publishing (2017); ISBN 9781911272656^[14]
• Name Above All Names (with Sinclair Ferguson); Crossway Books (2018); ISBN 1433563185
• Pray Big; The Good Book Company (2019); ISBN 1784983365
• Brave By Faith; The Good Book Company (May 2021); ISBN 1784986666
• Truth For Life: 365 Daily Devotions, Volume 1; The Good Book Company (November 2021); ISBN 1784985856
• Truth For Life: 365 Daily Devotions, Volume 2; The Good Book Company (October 2022); ISBN 1784987689
• The Christian Manifesto: Jesus' Life-Changing Words from the Sermon on the Plain; The Good Book Company (September 2023); ISBN 9781784989187
• Let Earth Receive Her King; The Good Book Company (August 2024); ISBN 9781802541106