R c sproul biography

Prologue: The Great Escape

Chapter 1: Pittsburgh
Chapter 2: Ecclesiastes 11:3
Chapter 3: Student Professor Pastor Teacher
Chapter 4: Ligonier
Chapter 5: Inerrancy
Chapter 6: Apologetics
Chapter 7: Holiness
Chapter 8: Stand
Chapter 9: Holy Space, Holy Time
Chapter 10: A New Reformation
Chapter 11: Doxology
Chapter 12: A Glorious Savior, a Great Salvation

R.C. Sproul Timeline
Books by R.C. Sproul
Crucial Question Booklet Series Titles by R.C. Sproul
Ligonier National Conference Themes and R. C. Sproul Lecture Titles
Representative Teaching Series by R.C. Sproul
Selected Sermons Series Titles Preached by R.C. Sproul at Saint Andrew’s Chapel

“This theologically rich, warm, and personal look at a rare servant of the Lord is masterful. The range of R. C.’s vast interest and contribution, along with the irresistible charm of his personality, require a biographer who is a church historian, theologian, and very close friend. Stephen Nichols is the best choice, as this account demonstrates. He has brought to the pages a story truly revealing R. C.—an account that lives and breathes the man we loved as our teacher and friend. There will be other biographies of R.C., but I cannot imagine any that would come close to this one.”

John MacArthur,Pastor, Grace Community Church, Sun Valley, California; Chancellor Emeritus, The Master’s University and Seminary

“This book is worth your time because it celebrates a man worth remembering. R. C. was a masterful theologian who could so easily squeeze sweetness from what others considered dry doctrine. His sermons and books beautifully adorned the gospel, but so did his life. It’s what I love about Stephen Nichols’s remarkable work. He takes us behind the scenes to reveal the true makings of this great saint of the twentieth century, why his words endure, and why we are inexorably drawn to his live-large character. I’ve always admired R. C. Sproul for his razor-sharp mind; now, with this biogra

Description

STEPHEN NICHOLS

Introducing the First Biography of the Life and Ministry of R. C. Sproul

R. C. Sproul (1939–2017) was a pastor, a professor, an author, and the founder and president of Ligonier Ministries. His contributions in the areas of biblical studies, theology, worldview and culture, Christian living, and church history continue to be held in high regard.

In this book, Stephen J. Nichols offers an in-depth look at Sproul’s life and ministry―his childhood; his formative seminary education; his marriage and partnership with his beloved wife, Vesta; his influence on broader American evangelicalism; and his many friendships with key figures such as James Montgomery Boice, John MacArthur, John Piper, J. I. Packer, and Chuck Colson. This biography details the profound impact Sproul had on the lives of many during his lifetime, and highlights the various ways his legacy continues to influence countless pastors and students worldwide.

Additional information

American Presbyterian theologian and pastor (1939–2017)

This article is about the founder of Ligonier Ministries. For his son, see R. C. Sproul Jr.

Not to be confused with Robert Gordon Sproul.

Robert Charles Sproul (SPROHL; February 13, 1939 – December 14, 2017) was an American Reformedtheologian, 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. Sproul has been described as "the greatest and most influential proponent of the recovery of Reformed theology in the last century."

Education and personal life

Sproul was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the second child of Robert Cecil Sproul, an accountant and a veteran of World War II and his wife, Mayre Ann Sproul (née Yardis). Sproul was an avid supporter of the Pittsburgh Steelers and 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.

Having become a Christian in 1957, Sproul met with his childhood minister to share his conversion. During the meeting, the minister stated, "If you believe in the resurrection of Christ, you're a damn fool!" stunning Sproul, left wrestling with "feelings of betrayal."

Proceeding with study, he obtained degrees from Westminster College, Pennsylvania (BA, 1961), Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (MDiv, 1964), the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Drs., 1969), and Whitefield Theological

Stephen Nichols, Crossway, 371 pages, 4 of 5 stars

I was in college when my parents received a flyer from Ligonier Ministries. The first teaching series I ordered was on the Five Solas. I was hooked. I’ve loved Sproul ever since.

It was with great excitement that I read Sproul’s bio written by Stephen Nichols. The book is balanced, inciteful, warm, and loaded with doctrine and humorous stories. For a full summary of the biography, look HERE.

I thought I knew the man well. But did you know that Sproul…?

1. Said he was the only person in church history to be converted by reading Ecclesiastes 11:3.
2. Earned a doctorate from the Free University of Amsterdam, even though he never wrote a dissertation.
3. Would speak Dutch to Cornelius Van Til as they sat on the man’s porch outside Philadelphia.
4. Married Tim and Kathy Keller, who were also students at the Ligonier Valley Study Center.
5. Wrote all through the night the 19 affirmations and denials of the Chicago Statement on Inerrancy, after the person assigned to the task failed to produce them.
6. Had 18,000 students and 800 resident students pass through his study center in 1977, only the sixth year of the school.
7. Was aboard the deadliest crash in Amtrak history, where 42 of the 202 passengers were killed.
8. Described the Evangelicals and Catholics Together affair as the most difficult time in his life.
9. Wrote vows for the board members and faculty of Reformation Bible College, to be recited annually, which included the Apostles’ and Chalcedonian creeds, the five solas and the consensus of the Reformed confession.
10. Within a few days after his death, had over 17,000 responses from around the world respond to the prompt from Crossway: “I am grateful for R.C. Sproul because….”

I love biographies and this does not disappoint. I only wish Nichols had added more stories and details about his family. For propriety sake, however, I can understand why they didn’t.

This is a book in wh