Muriel Spurgeon Carder (November 1, 1922 – June 14, 2023) was a Canadian Baptist who was the first woman ordained as a Baptist minister in Ontario and Quebec;

William H. Brackney William Henry Brackney (January 30, 1948 – November 13, 2022) was the Millard R. Cherry Distinguished Professor of Christian Thought and Ethics Emeritus at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. He was an ordained Baptist minister, accred ...

, ''Baptists in North America: An Historical Perspective'', Blackwell Publishing, 2006, p. 152. she was also a missionary in India.

Life

Childhood and studies

Muriel Spurgeon was born in

Woodford Green Woodford Green is an area of Woodford, London, Woodford in East London, England, within the London Borough of Redbridge. It adjoins Buckhurst Hill to the north, Woodford Bridge to the east, South Woodford to the south, and Chingford to the we ...

, England to Elizabeth Frances (Keeley) and Carey Bradford Spurgeon (December 13, 1892 – March 2, 1968). Carder is related to

Charles Spurgeon Charles Haddon Spurgeon (19 June 1834 – 31st January 1892) was an English Particular Baptist preacher. Spurgeon remains highly influential among Christians of various denominations, to some of whom he is known as the "Prince of Preachers." ...

, a

Reformed Baptist Reformed Baptists, also called Particular Baptists, or Calvinist Baptists, are Baptists that hold to a Calvinism, Calvinist soteriology (salvation belief teached by John Calvin). The name "Reformed Baptist" dates from the latter part of the 20 ...

minister, and had a brother named David. Her mother, Elizabeth Frances (Keeley), died in 1953.Transactions of Society of Actuaries, Volume 20, Point 1, Number 56 AB, 1968. p. 160
/ref> Her father was born in India to the

Reverend The Reverend (abbreviated as The Revd, The Rev'd or The Rev) is an honorific style (form of address), style given to certain (primarily Western Christian, Western) Christian clergy and Christian minister, ministers. There are sometimes differen ...

Robert Spurgeon. He was a fellow of the

Institute of Actuaries The Institute of Actuaries was one of the two professional bodies which represented actuaries in the United Kingdom. The institute was based in England, while the other body, the Faculty of Actuaries, was based in Scotland. While the Institute a ...

and an associate of the

Society of Actuaries The Society of Actuaries (SOA) is a global professional organization for actuaries. It was founded in 1949 as the merger of two major actuarial organizations in the United States: the Actuarial Society of America and the American Institute of A ...

; he was also on a tour of duty in the

Battle of Vimy Ridge The Battle of Vimy Ridge was part of the Battle of Arras, in the Pas-de-Calais department of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the four divisions of the Canadian Corps in the First Army, against three divisions of ...

. Carder enrolled at the

McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood, Ontario, Ainslie Wood and Westdale, Ontario, Westd ...

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...

, where she received a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in 1944 and a

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD, DB, or BDiv; ) is an academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies. ...

(

B. D. In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD, DB, or BDiv; ) is an academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies. At ...

) degree in 1947. The

Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec (CBOQ) is a Baptist Christian denomination in central Canada. The organization's headquarters is based in Etobicoke, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. CBOQ is a partner of Canadian Baptist Ministries. History In 1 ...

ordained her the same year.Susan Hill Lindley, Eleanor J. Stebner (Eds.), ''The Westminster Handbook To Women In American Religious History'', Westminster John Knox Press, 2008, pp. 33-34
/ref> The ceremony took place on September 16 at the King Street Baptist Church in Cambridge, Ontario. Carder was the first woman to receive a

degree from

, and the first woman to be ordained as Baptist minister in

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

and

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

Missionary work and teaching in India

Carder took up evangelism, and was sent to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

as a representative of the

Canadian Baptist Mission The Canadian Baptist Mission (CBM) is an international Baptist Christian missionary society. It is a constituent board affiliated with the Canadian Baptist Ministries. History It was established in 1850 by the Canadian Baptist Ministries. The CB ...

serving in schools and hospitals.McMaster University Alumni Association
Accessed 15 January 2009. She was also associated with the leprosy mission in India. Carder's work in the country mirrored the efforts of her paternal grandfather who also did missionary work in India. She returned to Canada and taught for a year at McMaster Divinity College from 1956 to 1957. From 1957 to 1958 she pursued postgraduate studies at

Union Theological Seminary (New York) Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York (shortened to UTS or Union) is a private ecumenical liberal Christian seminary in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, affiliated with Columbia University since 1928. Presently, Columbia University ...

, obtaining a

Master of Sacred Theology Master of Theology (, abbreviated ThM, MTh or MTheol, or ''Sacrae Theologiae Magister''; abbreviated STM) is a post-graduate degree offered by universities, divinity schools, and seminaries. It can serve as a transition degree for entrance into a ...

(S.T.M.) degree. During the academic year 1965–1966, she again taught New Testament and Greek at McMaster Divinity College. Carder began teaching the New Testament and Theology and Ethics from 1967 to 1969 in

Rajahmundry Rajahmundry ( ), officially Rajamahendravaram, is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and district headquarters of East Godavari district. It is the fifth most populated city in the state. During British rule, the district of Rajahmu ...

, where the B.D. section of the Ramayapatnam Baptist Theological Seminary is today located on the campus of

Andhra Christian Theological College Andhra Christian Theological College (ACTC) is a seminary in Telangana which was founded in 1964. It is affiliated with India's first university, the Senate of Serampore College (University) (a university under section 2(f) of the University Gr ...

. Soon after the merger of the Ramayapatnam Baptist Theological Seminary with Andhra Christian Theological College in 1969, the campus moved to

Secunderabad Secunderabad () is a twin cities, twin city of Hyderabad and one of the six zones of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Telangana. It is the headquarters of the South ...

; Carder followed, and continued teaching there until 1976. At that time Carder enrolled as a doctoral candidate at the

Toronto School of Theology Affiliated with the University of Toronto, the Toronto School of Theology (TST) is an Ecumenism, ecumenical consortium of seven Seminary, theological colleges. Its seven member schools are Emmanuel College, Toronto, Emmanuel College, Knox College, ...

and was awarded a

Th.D. Doctor of Theology (, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equivalent to the Doctor of ...

in 1969, based on her thesis entitled ''An Inquiry into the Textual Transmission of the Catholic Epistles''.

Retirement and chaplaincy

Soon after Carder retired in 1976, she returned to Canada and began serving as a

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...

. She first served as an intern at the Hamilton Psychiatric Hospital and

Toronto General Hospital The Toronto General Hospital (TGH) is a major teaching hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and the flagship campus of University Health Network (UHN). It is located in the Discovery District of Downtown Toronto along University Avenue (Toronto), ...

before becoming chaplain at the D'Arcy Place Developmental Centre in

Cobourg Cobourg ( ) is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in Southern Ontario east of Toronto and east of Oshawa. It is the largest town in and seat of Northumberland County. Its nearest neighbour is Port Hope, to the west. It is ...

and, later, at Oxford Regional Centre of Woodstock General Hospital. In 1984, Carder was certified as a clinical pastoral education supervisor.

Death

Carder died in

Woodstock, Ontario Woodstock is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The city has a population of 46,705 according to the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 Canadian census. Woodstock is the seat of Oxford County, Ontario, Oxford County, at the head of the Thames River, On ...

on June 14, 2023, at the age of 100.

Publications

;Articles *''A Caesarean Text in the Catholic Epistles?'' ''

New Testament Studies Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to the study of the Bible, with ''Bible'' referring to the books of the canonical Hebrew Bible in mainstream Jewish usage and the Christian Bible including the canon ...

'', 1970. *''The Biblical Concept of Sin in Translation''. ''Indian Journal of Theology'', 1971. *''Spiritual and Religious Needs of Mentally Retarded Persons''. ''Journal of Pastoral Care'', Volume 38, Number 2, June, 1984. *''Journey into understanding mentally retarded people's experiences around death''. ''Journal of Pastoral Care'', Volume 41, Number 1, 1987, pp. 18–31.Muriel Spurgeon Carder, ''Journey into understanding mentally retarded people's experiences around death''. Reprinted in the ''Journal of Pastoral Care'', Volume 41, Number 1, 1987, pp. 18-31.
Cited by Kathryn Pekala Service, Diane Lavoie (Eds.), ''Coping with losses, death and grieving''. In Matthew P. Janicki, Arthur J. Dalton (Ed.), ''Dementia, Aging and Intellectual Disabilities'', Psychology Press, Philadelphia, 1999. ;Translations When the Andhra Pradesh Auxiliary of the

Bible Society of India The Bible Society of India is a Christian body that is authorized to translate, produce, distribute and market the Bible and is a member of the United Bible Societies. The motto of the Society is to translate the word of God into languages, which ...

began a Telugu New Testament translation, Carder served as a panel member on the Translations Committee with P. Dass Babu,

A. B. Masilamani Acharya A. B. Masilamani or Abel Boanerges MasilamaniK. Ranjit Kumar, ''Bhakti as one of the leading factor for transformation in the lyrics of Acharya A. B. Masilamani in the Telugu Christian Hymnal'', Master's College Theological Journal, Volu ...

, K. David and

Victor Premasagar Victor Premasagar (1927–2005) was the fourth successor of Frank Whittaker as Bishop in Medak. He was an Indian churchman and Old Testament scholar who made major contributions to research on the Old Testament and to the field of theology. Prem ...

. She has translated a Greek grammar text and the

Didache The ''Didache'' (; ), also known as ''The Lord's Teaching Through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations'' (), is a brief anonymous early Christian treatise ( ancient church order) written in Koine Greek, dated by modern scholars to the first or (l ...

into Telugu.

Awards and affiliations

In 2007, Carder received the Katharine Hockin Award for Global Mission and Ministry from the Canadian Churches' Forum for Global Ministries,

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, in recognition of her missionary service in

.Milestones

Victoria University in the University of Toronto Victoria University is a federated college of the University of Toronto located at the St. George campus in Downtown Toronto. The school was founded in 1836 by the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Canada as a nonsectarian literary institution. From ...

The citation also noted that her ordained status was a contributing factor to the later ordination of women in the

Church of South India The Church of South India (CSI) is a united Protestant Church in India. It is the result of union of a number of Protestant denominations in South India that occurred after the independence of India. With a membership of over 4.5 million, it ...

. Carder was a member of the Society for Biblical Studies in India and the

Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas The Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas (SNTS) is an international society of New Testament scholars. The current president is John Kloppenborg (Canada). The SNTS publishes the academic journal ''New Testament Studies Biblical studies is ...

.Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas membership list (updated up to 2006)
.Accessed 15 January 2009.

Student's reminiscence

Talathoti Punnaiah who studied a three-year theology course leading to

Bachelor of Theology The Bachelor of Theology degree (BTh, ThB, or BTheol) is a two- to five-year undergraduate degree or graduate degree in theological disciplines and is typically (but not exclusively) pursued by those seeking ordination for ministry in a church, de ...

at the

, both at

and at

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

from 1970 to 1973 recalls his association with Muriel Carder,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carder, Muriel Spurgeon 1922 births 2023 deaths 20th-century Canadian Baptist ministers Translators of the Bible into Telugu Baptist writers Editors of Christian publications Union Theological Seminary alumni University of Toronto alumni McMaster University alumni People from the London Borough of Redbridge People from Woodford, London Christian clergy from Andhra Pradesh Indian Christian theologians Academic staff of the Senate of Serampore College (University) Canadian expatriates in India Canadian Baptist Ministries missionaries in India Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars Canadian Baptist Ministries British emigrants to Canada Canadian women centenarians