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R. C. Sproul: Difference between revisions
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== Education and personal life == | == Education and personal life == | ||
Sproul was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the second child of Robert Cecil Sproul, an accountant and a veteran of [[wikipedia:World War II|World War II]] and his wife, Mayre Ann Sproul (née Yardis).<ref name="Legacy"> | Sproul was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the second child of Robert Cecil Sproul, an accountant and a veteran of [[wikipedia:World War II|World War II]] and his wife, Mayre Ann Sproul (née Yardis).<ref name="Legacy">http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/orlandosentinel/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=187536237</ref><ref name="TGC">https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/r-c-sproul-1939-2017/</ref> Sproul was an avid supporter of the [[wikipedia:Pittsburgh Steelers|Pittsburgh Steelers]] and [[wikipedia:Pittsburgh Pirates|Pittsburgh Pirates]] as a youth, and at the age of 15, he had to drop out from high school athletics in order to support his family.<ref name="TGC"/> He obtained [[academic degree|degrees]] from [[Westminster College, Pennsylvania]] (BA, 1961), [[Pittsburgh Theological Seminary]] ([[MDiv]], 1964), the [[wikipedia:Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam|Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam]] ([[wikipedia:doctorandus|Drs.]], 1969), and [[Whitefield Theological Seminary]] (PhD, 2001). He taught at numerous colleges and seminaries, including [[Reformed Theological Seminary]] in [[wikipedia:Orlando, Florida|Orlando]] and in [[wikipedia:Jackson, Mississippi|Jackson, Mississippi]], and [[Knox Theological Seminary]] in [[wikipedia:Ft. Lauderdale, Florida|Ft. Lauderdale]].<ref name="Sproulbio">http://www.ligonier.org/about_founder.php</ref> | ||
One of Sproul's mentors was [[John Gerstner|John H. Gerstner]], being one of his professors at [[Pittsburgh Theological Seminary|Pittsburgh-Xenia Theological Seminary]]. The two of them, along with Arthur Lindsley, another of Gerstner's students, co-authored the book ''Classical Apologetics'' in 1984. Sproul's ministry, Ligonier Ministries, made recordings of Gerstner teaching various courses on theology and the Bible. [[John Frame (theologian)|John M. Frame]] records that Gerstner was Sproul's "main intellectual influence."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Frame |first=John M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pefwrQEACAAJ |title=A History of Western Philosophy and Theology |publisher=[[P&R Publishing]] |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-62995-084-6 |location=Phillipsburg, NJ |pages=536–537 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240721005156/https://books.google.com/books?id=pefwrQEACAAJ |archive-date=July 21, 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> | One of Sproul's mentors was [[John Gerstner|John H. Gerstner]], being one of his professors at [[Pittsburgh Theological Seminary|Pittsburgh-Xenia Theological Seminary]]. The two of them, along with Arthur Lindsley, another of Gerstner's students, co-authored the book ''Classical Apologetics'' in 1984. Sproul's ministry, Ligonier Ministries, made recordings of Gerstner teaching various courses on theology and the Bible. [[John Frame (theologian)|John M. Frame]] records that Gerstner was Sproul's "main intellectual influence."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Frame |first=John M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pefwrQEACAAJ |title=A History of Western Philosophy and Theology |publisher=[[P&R Publishing]] |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-62995-084-6 |location=Phillipsburg, NJ |pages=536–537 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240721005156/https://books.google.com/books?id=pefwrQEACAAJ |archive-date=July 21, 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
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{{Blockquote | {{Blockquote | ||
| text = When I was a seminary student{{Nbsp}}... I was selected to preach the senior sermon before the whole student body, the whole faculty, and also the presbytery who met there that day. And I preached that day on sin, and I made reference to some of the definitions of sin that we had learned at seminary: that sin, you know, was [[Existentialism#Authenticity|existential, inauthentic existence]], or sin was some kind of [[neurosis]]{{Nbsp}}... And I said, you know, we may be neurotic, and we may be doing everything that we know how to destroy what authenticity of existence we may have, but{{Nbsp}}... the meaning of sin, as [Scripture and] our own confession says, | | text = When I was a seminary student{{Nbsp}}... I was selected to preach the senior sermon before the whole student body, the whole faculty, and also the presbytery who met there that day. And I preached that day on sin, and I made reference to some of the definitions of sin that we had learned at seminary: that sin, you know, was [[wikipedia:Existentialism#Authenticity|existential, inauthentic existence]], or sin was some kind of [[neurosis]]{{Nbsp}}... And I said, you know, we may be neurotic, and we may be doing everything that we know how to destroy what authenticity of existence we may have, but{{Nbsp}}... the meaning of sin, as [Scripture and] our own confession says, is that it's "any want of conformity to, or transgression of, the law of God."<ref>https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/westminster-shorter-catechism}</ref>{{Nbsp}}... Well, the student body that was largely liberal{{Nbsp}}... congratulated me, and they were very positive. I go make my way to the back of the church, and the dean of the institution comes up to me, and he's irate. [He physically threw me up against a wall and accused me of distorting the Bible.]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sproul |first=R. C. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sMT9SAAACAAJ |title=What Is Faith? |publisher=Reformation Trust |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-56769-207-5 |location=Grand Rapids, MI |page=39 |language=en}}</ref>{{Nbsp}}... So I went straight upstairs to Dr. Gerstner's office, who was my mentor, and I said, Dr. Gerstner, did I distort the truth of God? [I was so upset, I was shaking.]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sproul |first=R. C. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sMT9SAAACAAJ |title=What Is Faith? |publisher=Reformation Trust |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-56769-207-5 |location=Grand Rapids, MI |page=40 |language=en}}</ref> And he looked at me, and he said,{{Nbsp}}... "Every Christian in heaven from [[Paul the Apostle|Paul]] to [[B. B. Warfield]] is rejoicing at the sermon that you preached in this house today."{{Nbsp}}... I was so relieved to hear his evaluation.<ref>https://renewingyourmind.org/2021/06/14/the-parable-of-the-unjust-judge</ref> | ||
}} | }} | ||
Gerstner convinced Sproul to study under [[G. C. Berkouwer]] at the [[Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam]] (Free University of Amsterdam) in Holland, where he initiated study in 1964.<ref> | Gerstner convinced Sproul to study under [[G. C. Berkouwer]] at the [[Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam]] (Free University of Amsterdam) in Holland, where he initiated study in 1964.<ref>https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/r-c-sproul-1939-2017/</ref> Sproul was granted leave in 1965 due to his wife's second pregnancy and mother's illness (during which he was appointed to teach philosophy at [[Westminster College (Pennsylvania)|Westminster College]]), and later resumed study at distance. He returned to Holland in 1969 to receive a [[doctorandus]] degree. | ||
He married Vesta Voorhis in 1960 and had two children, Sherrie Dorotiak and Robert Craig Sproul.<ref name="Legacy" /> | He married Vesta Voorhis in 1960 and had two children, Sherrie Dorotiak and Robert Craig Sproul.<ref name="Legacy" /> | ||
Sproul was a passenger on the [[Amtrak]] train that derailed in the [[1993 Big Bayou Canot train wreck]], and sometimes gave firsthand accounts of the story.<ref> | Sproul was a passenger on the [[wikipedia:Amtrak|Amtrak]] train that derailed in the [[1993 Big Bayou Canot train wreck]], and sometimes gave firsthand accounts of the story.<ref>https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/train-wreck</ref> | ||
== Career == | == Career == | ||