R. C. Sproul: Difference between revisions

'''Robert Charles Sproul''' (February 13, 1939 – December 14, 2017) was an American [[Reformed theology|Reformed]] [[theologian]], Christian apologist, and ordained pastor in the [[Presbyterian Church in America]]. He was the founder and chairman of [[Ligonier Ministries]], and could be heard daily on the ''Renewing Your Mind'' radio broadcast in the United States and internationally. Under Sproul's direction, Ligonier Ministries produced the ''Ligonier Statement on Biblical Inerrancy,'' which would eventually grow into the 1978 [[Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy]]. Along with [[Norman Geisler]], Sproul was one of the chief architects of the statement.<ref>{{Citation | last = Shellnutt | first = Kate | title =Died: R. C. Sproul, Reformed Theologian Who Founded Ligonier Ministries | journal = [[Christianity Today]] | date = December 14, 2017 | url = http://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2017/december/died-r-c-sproul-reformed-theologian-ligonier-ministries-pca.html}}</ref><ref>http://renewingyourmind.org/stations</ref> Sproul has been described as "the greatest and most influential proponent of the recovery of Reformed theology in the last century."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-rc-sproul-obituary-20171215-story.html|title=Prominent theologian R.C. Sproul of Sanford dies at 78|last=Comas|first=Martin E.|work=Orlando Sentinel|access-date=December 16, 2017}}</ref><ref>https://albertmohler.com/2017/12/14/bright-burning-light-robert-charles-sproul-february-13-1939-december-14-2017/</ref><ref>http://www.post-gazette.com/news/obituaries/2017/12/16/Obituary-Rev-R-C-Sproul-Presbyterian-theologian-founded-Ligonier-Ministries/stories/201712150131</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>

| 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>