ReformedMandalorian: Created page with "{{Infobox theologian | image = RC-Sproul-Jr.jpg | birth_name = Robert Charles Sproul Jr. | birth_date = July 1, 1965 | birth_place = Unknown | occupation = Professor, author, pastor | spouse = Lisa Carol Sproul, formerly Denise Elizabeth Sproul (deceased) | children = 7 living, 1 deceased | theology = Reformed (Presbyterianism) }} '''Robert Craig Sproul''', be..."

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Created page with "{{Infobox theologian | image = RC-Sproul-Jr.jpg | birth_name = Robert Charles Sproul Jr. | birth_date = July 1, 1965 | birth_place = Unknown | occupation = Professor, author, pastor | spouse = Lisa Carol Sproul, formerly Denise Elizabeth Sproul (deceased) | children = 7 living, 1 deceased | theology = Reformed (Presbyterianism) }} '''Robert Craig Sproul''', be..."

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{{Infobox theologian
| image = RC-Sproul-Jr.jpg
| birth_name = Robert Charles Sproul Jr.
| birth_date = July 1, 1965
| birth_place = Unknown
| occupation = Professor, author, pastor
| spouse = [[Lisa Carol Sproul]], formerly [[Denise Elizabeth Sproul]] (deceased)
| children = 7 living, 1 deceased
| theology = [[Reformed theology|Reformed]] ([[Presbyterianism]])
}}

'''Robert Craig Sproul''', better known as '''R. C. Sproul Jr.''', (born July 1, 1965) is an American [[Calvinist]] writer, [[theologian]], and pastor, and the son of [[R. C. Sproul]].

==Life==
Sproul holds degrees from [[Grove City College]] (Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Literature, 1986) and [[Reformed Theological Seminary]] (Master of Arts in Theological Studies, 1991) and received his [[D.Min.]] in theology from [[Whitefield Theological Seminary]] (2001).

In 1989 Sproul began working for [[Ligonier Ministries]] in Orlando, Florida. In 1996 he moved to Meadowview, Virginia where he founded Highlands Study Center (later renamed Highlands Ministries). Sproul served as executive editor of ''Every Thought Captive'', a monthly magazine published by Highlands Ministries. Sproul planted Saint Peter Presbyterian Church in Bristol, Virginia in 1996 serving as senior pastor until 2001, then as Associate Pastor of Education until 2010. From 2009 to 2010, he worked as a teacher for Veritas Press, which specializes in Christian educational texts.<ref>{{Citation | contribution-url = http://highlandsministriesonline.org/about-highlands/a-brief-history/ | contribution = A brief history | title = About Highlands | publisher = Highland Ministries}}.</ref><ref name=ligonier>{{Citation | contribution-url = http://www.ligonier.org/learn/teachers/rc-sproul-jr/ | contribution = R.C. Sproul Jr. | title = Teachers | publisher = Ligonier Ministries}}.</ref>

In 2010, Sproul was appointed a Teaching Fellow and Associate Professor of theology, philosophy, and apologetics at Ligonier Academy in both the Bible college and D.Min. programs. In 2014 he was named Rector at [http://reformationbiblecollege.org/ Reformation Bible College] as well as the Chair of the Department of Theology and Philosophy.<ref name=ligonier /><ref>[http://r-c-sproul-jr.emurse.com/ R.C. Sproul Jr.] emurse.com.</ref>{{dead link|date=October 2024}}

In August 2015, Sproul wrote in his personal blog that he had briefly visited the [[Ashley Madison]] website in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|last=Sproul Jr.|first=R.C.|date=August 31, 2015|title=Judgment and Grace|url=http://rcsprouljr.com/blog/general/judgment-and-grace|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150831194530/http://rcsprouljr.com/blog/general/judgment-and-grace/|archive-date=August 31, 2015|work=Jesus Changes Everything}}</ref> As a result, [[Ligonier Ministries]] suspended him until July 2016.<ref>{{cite web|last=Neffinger|first=Veronica|date=August 31, 2015|title=R. C. Sproul Jr. Suspended from Ministry after Admitting to Visiting Ashley Madison Website|url=http://www.christianheadlines.com/blog/r-c-sproul-suspended-from-ministry-after-admitting-to-visiting-ashley-madison-website.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150902232803/https://www.christianheadlines.com/blog/r-c-sproul-suspended-from-ministry-after-admitting-to-visiting-ashley-madison-website.html|archive-date=September 2, 2015|work=Christian Headlines}}</ref> Sproul had addressed the recently announced [[Ashley Madison data breach]] in a July 22, 2015, blog entry that highlighted "the biblical truth that our sins will find us out", but without the acknowledgment made in August.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sproul Jr.|first=R. C.|date=July 22, 2015|title=Hacking Ashley Madison|url=http://rcsprouljr.com/jce/hacking-ashley-madison/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722161843/http://rcsprouljr.com/jce/hacking-ashley-madison/|archive-date=July 22, 2015|website=Jesus Changes Everything}}</ref>

On November 29, 2016, ten days after his ecclesiastical wedding ceremony, Sproul was arrested in Fort Wayne, Indiana, for drunken driving with two of his minor children in the car. He posted a $5,000 bond and was free under a "monitored conditional release."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.christianpost.com/news/r-c-sproul-jr-resigned-from-ligonier-ministries-after-felonious-dui-arrest-with-minor-in-vehicle-172192/|title=R.C. Sproul Jr. Resigned From Ligonier Ministries After Felonious DUI Arrest With Minor in Vehicle|website=The Christian Post|date=December 16, 2016 |access-date=December 29, 2017}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=http://christiannews.net/2016/12/23/affidavit-says-r-c-sproul-jr-drove-off-road-unable-to-walk-after-drunk-driving-arrest-with-children/|title=Affidavit Says R.C. Sproul Jr. Drove Off Road, Unable to Walk After Drunk Driving Arrest With Children|last=Clark|first=Heather|date=December 24, 2016|website=Christian News Network|access-date=December 25, 2016}}</ref> On June 2, 2017, Sproul filed a plea agreement in which he pled guilty to one felony count, 9-30-5-3(a)(2)/F6: Operating Veh. While Intox or Controlled Substance: Passenger Under 18. He was sentenced to a prison term of 1 year 183 days. Under the terms of the plea agreement his prison sentence was suspended and he was remanded to 1 year supervised probation.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.christianpost.com/news/rc-sproul-jr-avoids-prison-takes-plea-deal-for-driving-drunk-with-kids-188221/|title=RC Sproul Jr. Avoids Prison, Takes Plea Deal for Driving Drunk With Kids|access-date=September 26, 2018}}</ref>

On December 9, 2016, days after his arrest, the board of directors of Ligonier Ministries and Reformation Bible College received and affirmed Sproul's resignation request. Ligonier Ministries posted a statement on their website on December 12, 2016, saying that Sproul resigned "for personal reasons".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ligonier.org/rc-sproul-jr/|title=A Statement Concerning Dr. R.C. Sproul Jr.|website=Ligonier Ministries|access-date=December 12, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://christiannews.net/2016/12/18/bad-beer-or-no-beer-r-c-sproul-jr-who-advocated-drinking-well-arrested-for-felony-dui/|title='Bad Beer or No Beer?' R.C. Sproul, Jr., Who Advocated 'Drinking Well,' Arrested for Felony DUI|date=December 18, 2016|access-date=December 29, 2017}}</ref>

Early 2019 Sproul briefly worked as website manager for Bucs Dugout, [[SB Nation|SB Nation's]] community for [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] fans.<ref name=":0">Sproul Jr., R.C. "[https://www.bucsdugout.com/2019/2/20/18232067/permission-to-board Permission to Board]", BucsDugout.com, 2/20/19.</ref> His contract was terminated the morning after [[Deadspin|Deadspin's]] piece criticizing the hire.<ref name=":1">Wagner, Laura. "[https://deadspin.com/sb-nation-hired-a-disgraced-pastor-to-lead-a-team-site-1832800373 SB Nation Hired A Disgraced Pastor To Lead A Team Site And, Hoo Boy, Readers Have Questions]", Deadspin.com, February 21, 2019.</ref><ref name=":2">SB Nation Staff, "[https://www.bucsdugout.com/2019/2/22/18236411/an-update-on-bucs-dugout-management An update on Bucs Dugout management]", BucsDugout.com, February 22, 2019.</ref> Later that year he became ordained through Logos Ministries and formed Dunamis Fellowship (details under ''Church allegiances'').

=== Personal life ===
Sproul has been married twice. Sproul's first wife, Denise Elizabeth Sproul (née Rocklein), died in 2011, age 46, of cancer. They have seven surviving children, a disabled daughter died in 2012.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Denise Elizabeth Sproul Obituary (2011) Bradenton Herald|url=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/bradenton/name/denise-sproul-obituary?id=13096817|access-date=2022-02-25|website=Legacy.com}}</ref>

On October 14, 2016, Sproul married Lisa Carol Ringel ([[Given name|née]] Porter) in a civil ceremony. On November 19, 2016, his father R. C. Sproul Sr. officiated the church wedding ceremony. Ten days after his ecclesiastical wedding ceremony, Sproul Jr's [[Driving under the influence|DUI]] occurred. Lisa <ref>{{Cite web|last=thepurposedrivenwife.com|title=Journey of Faith|url=https://thepurposedrivenwife.com/f/journey-of-faith|access-date=2022-02-25|website=thepurposedrivenwife.com|language=en-US}}</ref> legally adopted the four youngest Sproul children on July 12, 2018. Combined they have twelve surviving children, eleven grandchildren and currently reside in Indiana.<ref name=":3" />

Several years after his father's death, Sproul Jr filed a [[Trust (law)|trust]] [[complaint]] against the RC Sproul Trust Agreement [[trustee]], mother Vesta Sproul; and the successor trustee, his sister. The [[Seminole County, Florida|Seminole County Florida]] [[probate]] case was filed in 2021 and, after a number of motions, voluntarily dismissed July 11 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller Seminole County, Florida |title=Case Details - Number: 2021CP001944 |url=https://courtrecords.seminoleclerk.org/civil/civil_details.aspx?d=O3TgVVFP51XIAMEfkTYHyw%3d%3d}}</ref>

==Church allegiances==

Sproul was first [[ordination|ordained]] in the [[Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church]] (ARP). After a failed attempt to transfer to the [[Presbyterian Church in America]],<ref>Johnson, Jerry. [http://www.presbyteriannews.org/volumes/v6/5/pr6-5.pdf#page=8 "The Saga of R. C. Sproul Jr."], ''Presbyterian & Reformed News'', vol. 5, no. 5, September–October 2000. pp. 8-9.</ref> he was ordained in the [[Reformed Presbyterian Church General Assembly]] (RPCGA) in 2000.


In January 2006, Sproul and the [[Presbyterian polity|Session]] of Saint Peter Presbyterian Church (SPPC), its governing body, were [[defrocking|deposed from office]] by the RPCGA under charges including "abuse of authority in an inexcusable manner" against several families, alleged illegal use of the ARP's [[tax identification number]], planting a church without authority, and practicing [[paedocommunion|infant communion]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pearceyreport.com/archives/2006/02/post_53.php|title=The Pearcey Report|website=www.pearceyreport.com|access-date=December 8, 2019}}</ref><ref>[http://hushmoney.org/RPCGA-judgment.pdf RPCGA judgment] hushmoney.org</ref> The SPPC Session issued a letter of apology and asked to be released from general membership in the RPCGA, and the denomination granted their request. SPPC requested pastoral oversight from the CREC, which accepted the congregation as a full member in October 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://crechurches.org/documents/reports/2006_pastoralcommission_stpeter.pdf|title=Public Statement from the CREC Pastoral Commission for Saint Peter Presbyterian Church, Bristol, TN|access-date=December 29, 2017}}</ref> The [[Confederation of Reformed Evangelical Churches]] (CREC) examined the case and accepted Sproul as an ordained minister in good standing in 2006. In 2010 Sproul transferred his ordination to the denomination [[Covenant Presbyterian Church]] (CPC).<ref>{{cite web|title=Leadership & Faculty|url=http://www.ligonier.org/academy/leadership-faculty/|publisher=[[Ligonier Academy]]|access-date=December 8, 2016}}</ref>

On March 27, 2019, Sproul announced, "I am a member in good standing at Pine Hills Church here in Fort Wayne. It is a part of the [[Fellowship of Evangelical Churches|Federation of Evangelical Churches]]."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/rcsprouljr/status/1111019924510724096|title=Bob, I am a member in good standing at Pine Hills Church here in Fort Wayne. It is a part of the Federation of Evangelical Churches. You can read their statement of faith online. I am grateful you asked, but it sounds like someone has been talking about me.|last=Sproul|first=R. C. Jr.|date=March 27, 2019|website=@rcsprouljr|language=en|access-date=April 1, 2019}}</ref> The FEC is an Anabaptist denomination of Amish Mennonite origin.


July 2, 2019, Sproul became ordained through Logos Ministries of Florida and formed the business entity Dunamis Fellowship. February 14, 2021, Sproul planted his newest church, Sovereign Grace Fellowship in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Sproul announced April 3, 2021, he would launch the Shepherd’s College, August 30, 2021, as a pastors college for training and mentoring men nationally and internationally.<ref>{{Cite web |last=RC |date=2021-07-19 |title=What is The Shepherd's College? {{!}} RC Sproul Jr. |url=https://rcsprouljr.com/what-is-the-shepherds-college/ |access-date=2022-02-28 |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Publishing==
Sproul has written twelve books, including ''When You Rise Up: A Covenantal Approach to Homeschooling,'' ''Bound for Glory,'' ''Biblical Economics,'' ''Almighty Over All,'' ''Eternity in Our Hearts,'' and ''Tearing Down Strongholds.'' He has edited four books, including ''After Darkness Light: Distinctives of Reformed Theology'', and contributed to several others. He was a regular columnist for ''[[World (magazine)|World]]'' magazine, ''Homeschooling Today'' magazine and the Covenant Syndicate. For eleven years he was the editor of ''Tabletalk'' magazine, a publication of Ligonier Ministries.

In ''Almighty Over All'' Sproul takes the position that God created man to have an object worthy of his wrath: "God is as delighted with his wrath as he is with all of his attributes... What I’ll do is create something worthy of my wrath, something on which I can exhibit the glory of my wrath" (p. 52). Sproul goes on to state that God is the author/creator of sin: "I am not accusing God of sinning; I am suggesting that He created sin" (p. 54).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Pierce |first1=Timothy M. |title=Enthroned on Our Praise: An Old Testament Theology of Worship |date=2008 |publisher=[[B&H Publishing Group]] |page=133 |isbn=9780805443844 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m1H8Vry5eO0C&pg=PA133 |access-date=May 9, 2019}}</ref>

==Books==
* ''Money Matters'', 1985. Reprinted as ''Dollar Signs of the Times: A Commonsense Guide to Securing Our Economic Future'', 1994, and ''Biblical Economics: A Commonsense Guide to Our Daily Bread'', 2002. Supplemented with ''Biblical Economics Study Guide'' in 2010.
* ''Almighty over All: Understanding the Sovereignty of God'', 1999.
* ''Quothe the Prophet'', 2000.
* ''The Brave Monk'', 2000.
* ''Eternity in Our Hearts'', 2002.
* ''Tearing Down Strongholds: And Defending the Truth'', 2002.
* ''Bound for Glory: God's Promise for Your Family'', 2003
* ''When You Rise Up: A Covenantal Approach to Homeschooling'', 2004.
* ''Believing God: Twelve Biblical Promises Christians Struggle to Accept'', 2009.
* ''The Call to Wonder: Loving God like a Child'', 2012.

== External links ==
*[http://saintpeterpresbyterian.org Saint Peter Presbyterian Church]
*[http://RCSproulJunior.Blogspot.com RC Sproul Jr] RC Sproul's blog.

==References==

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sproul, R. C. Jr.}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American Calvinist and Reformed theologians]]
[[Category:American Presbyterian ministers]]
[[Category:Grove City College alumni]]
[[Category:Place of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:1965 births]]
[[Category:20th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians]]
[[Category:Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church]]
[[Category:Presbyterians from Florida]]
[[Category:Presbyterians from Virginia]]

R. C. Sproul Jr. - Revision history