R. C. Sproul
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| Name: | R. C. Sproul |
| Birth: | 1939 |
| School/tradition: | Calvinism |
| Main interests: | Calvinism, the character of God, classical apologetics |
| Influences: | John Gerstner, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Thomas Aquinas |
| Influenced: | R. C. Sproul, Jr. |
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- This article is about the Christian theologian and radio teacher. For the article about his son, also a theologian, see R. C. Sproul, Jr..
Robert Charles Sproul, (born 1939 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American Calvinist theologian and pastor. He is the founder and chairman of Ligonier Ministries (named after the Ligonier Valley just outside of Pittsburgh, where the ministry started as a study center for college and seminary students) and can be heard daily on the Renewing Your Mind radio broadcast in the United States and throughout 60 countries. Ligonier hosts several theological conferences each year, including the main conference held each year in Orlando, Florida, at which Sproul is one of the primary speakers.
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[edit] Education & Career
Sproul holds degrees from Westminster College, Pennsylvania (B.A., 1961), Pittsburgh-Xenia Theological Seminary (M.Div, 1964), the Free University of Amsterdam (Drs., 1969), and Whitefield Theological Seminary (Ph.D., 2001), and he has taught at numerous colleges and seminaries, including Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando and Jackson, Mississippi, and Knox Theological Seminary in Ft. Lauderdale.
Currently, he is Senior Minister of Preaching and Teaching at Saint Andrews Chapel in Sanford, Florida. Sproul was ordained as an elder in the United Presbyterian Church in the USA in 1965, but left that denomination because of liberalism around 1975 and joined the Presbyterian Church in America. (St. Andrews Chapel, however, is independent and not affiliated with that or any other denomination.) Sproul is a Council member of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals.
Sproul has been an ardent advocate of Calvinism in his many books and audio and video publications, and he is also known for his advocacy of the Thomistic approach to Christian apologetics and his rejection of both evidentialism and presuppositionalism. A dominant theme in many of Sproul's Renewing Your Mind lessons is the holiness and sovereignty of God. Sproul has suggested that the lesson series titled From Dust to Glory, a 57-part overview of the entire Bible, was one of the more important works of his ministry.
[edit] Publications
Through Ligonier Ministries and the Renewing Your Mind radio program and conferences, Sproul has generated a vast array of audio and video lectures on subjects such as the history of philosophy, theology, Bible study, apologetics, intelligent design, and Christian living. In addition, Sproul is a prolific author who has written more than 60 books and many articles for evangelical publications. He signed the 1978 Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, which affirmed the traditional view of Biblical inerrancy, and he wrote a commentary on that document titled Explaining Inerrancy. He also served as the editor of the Reformation Study Bible (ISBN 0-87552-643-8), which has appeared in several editions and was also known as the New Geneva Study Bible.
Sproul's work The Holiness of God (ISBN 0-8423-3965-5) is considered a modern classic on the subject of God's character, and his book Not a Chance: The Myth of Chance in Modern Science and Cosmology (ISBN 0-8010-5852-X) was highly praised by those who reject the materialism advocated by some in the scientific community.[1]
Other works include:
- Knowing Scripture, InterVarsity, 1977 (ISBN 0-87784-733-9)
- If there is a God, why are there atheists?: A surprising look at the psychology of atheism, Bethany Fellowship, 1978 (ISBN 0-87123-238-3)
- Reason to Believe: A Response to Common Objections to Christianity, Zondervan, 1982 (ISBN 0-310-44911-1)
- Classical Apologetics with John Gerstner and Arthur Lindsley, Zondervan, 1984 (ISBN 0-310-44951-0)
- Abortion: A Rational Look at an Emotional Issue, Navpress, 1990 (ISBN 0-89109-345-1)
- Lifeviews: Make a Christian Impact on Culture and Society, Revell, 1990 (ISBN 0-8007-5357-7)
- Chosen by God, Tyndale, 1994 (ISBN 0-8423-1335-4)
- The Mystery of the Holy Spirit, Tyndale, 1994 (ISBN 0-8423-4378-4)
- Pleasing God, Tyndale, 1994 (ISBN 0-8423-5024-1)
- Now, That's a Good Question!, Tyndale, 1996 (ISBN 0-8423-4711-9)
- Grace Unknown: The Heart of Reformed Theology, Baker, 1997 (ISBN 0-8010-1121-3)
- The Invisible Hand: Do All Things Really Work for Good?, Word Books, 1997 (ISBN 0-8499-1207-5)
- The Priest With Dirty Clothes A Timeless Story Of God's Love And Forgiveness with Liz Bonham (illustrator), Tommy Nelson, 1997 (ISBN 0-8499-1455-8)
- Willing to Believe: The Controversy over Free Will, Baker, 1997 (ISBN 0-8010-6412-0)
- Essential Truths of the Christian Faith, Tyndale, 1998 (ISBN 0-8423-2001-6)
- Renewing Your Mind: Basic Christian Beliefs You Need to Know 3rd ed., Baker, 1998 (ISBN 0-8010-5815-5)
- Faith Alone: The Evangelical Doctrine of Justification, Baker, 1999 (ISBN 0-8010-5849-X)
- Gospel of God: An Exposition of Romans, Christian Focus, 1999 (ISBN 1-85792-490-8)
- The Consequences of Ideas: Understanding the Concepts That Shaped Our World, Crossway, 2000 (ISBN 1-58134-172-5)
- The King Without a Shadow with Liz Bonham (illustrator), P & R, 2000 (ISBN 0-87552-700-0)
- The Last Days According to Jesus, Baker, 2000 (ISBN 0-8010-6340-X)
- Loved By God, W Publishing Group, 2001 (ISBN 0-8499-1648-8)
- The Purpose of God: An Exposition of Ephesians, Christian Focus, 2002 (ISBN 1-85792-609-9)
- Saved from What?, Crossway, 2002 (ISBN 1-58134-417-1)
- The Dark Side of Islam with Abdul Saleeb, Crossway, 2003 (ISBN 1-58134-441-4)
- Defending Your Faith: An Introduction to Apologetics, Crossway, 2003 (ISBN 1-58134-519-4)
- Getting the Gospel Right, Baker, 2003 (ISBN 0-8010-6447-3)
- The Glory of Christ, P & R, 2003 (ISBN 0-87552-703-5)
- The Intimate Marriage: A Practical Guide to Building a Great Marriage, P & R, 2003 (ISBN 0-87552-708-6)
- What's in the Bible: A One-Volume Guidebook to God's Word with Robert Wolgemuth, W Publishing Group, 2003 (ISBN 0-8499-4460-0)
- The Soul's Quest for God: Satisfying the Hunger for Spiritual Communioun with God, P&R Publishing, 2003 (ISBN 0-87552-706-2)
- The Character of God: Discovering the God Who Is, Servant Publications, 2004 (ISBN 0-8307-3398-1)
- Scripture Alone: The Evangelical Doctrine, P & R, 2005 (ISBN 1-59638-010-1)
- What Is Reformed Theology?: Understanding The Basics, Baker, 2005 (ISBN 0-8010-6559-3) - the author describes it as "a shorthand introduction to the crystallized essence of Reformation theology."
- Discovering the God Who Is.
