RC Sproul

Robert Charles Sproul (born February 13, 1939 in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , † December 14, 2017 in Altamonte Springs , Florida ) was a Reformed pastor, professor of systematic theology and evangelical author.

Live and act

Sproul holds degrees from Westminster Theological Seminary in Glenside, Pennsylvania (BA, 1961), Pittsburgh-Xenia Theological Seminary (M.Div., 1964), Free University of Amsterdam (Drs., 1969) and Whitefield Theological Seminary (Ph .D., 2001). During his studies in the Netherlands he learned the language there . Sproul has taught at numerous schools and seminars, including the Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando , Florida, Jackson , Mississippi, and the Knox Theological Seminary in Fort Lauderdale , Florida. In 2011 he founded the Reformation Bible College in Sanford, Florida.

Most recently, Sproul was the senior minister of preaching and teaching in the Saint Andrew's Ward in Sanford , Florida. He was ordained in the United Presbyterian Church in the United States in 1965 , left it around 1975 because of its alleged liberalism and joined the Presbyterian Church in America . He was also a member of the Council of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals ( Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals ).

Sproul and his wife were survivors of the Big Bayou Canot railway accident , which he wrote a report about.

Private

Sproul was married to Vesta Ann from Pittsburgh and they have two children, Sherrie Sproul Dick and RC Sproul Jr. On December 14, 2017, at the age of 78, he died of complications from COPD .

Teaching

Sproul also became known as the founder of Ligonier Ministries , with which he wanted to bridge the gap between Sunday school and theology seminars. He was a leading signatory to the Chicago Declaration on the Inerrancy of the Bible (1978).

In 1982 he published an apologetic book with Zondervan in Grand Rapids entitled Reason to Believe - A Response to Common Objections to Christianity , in which he had worked out seven basic truths of Romans : 1. All people know about God. 2. All people reject God (and thus practice idolatry). 3. All people are guilty before God (and there are no innocents). 4. All people are condemned because they reject God. 5. God created a way of salvation for the lost. 6. All people can come to God by believing in Christ. 7. God commands his church to preach the gospel to all people. The Baptist theologian David Platt took over this short version of the Gospel in his bestseller Radical in 2010 to call on Christians to follow Christ more seriously and consistently .

Sproul was also considered a representative of creationism because, after examining various hypotheses and theories ( the gap theory, the day-age theory, the framework hypothesis ), he saw the literary meaning of the Genesis texts as a priority for his interpretation.

criticism

As a Calvinist theologian, Sproul held steadfastly to the premises of omnipotence, omniscience and sovereignty of God. It shows itself in the fact that every molecule in the universe is under the control of God. The Baptist theologian Gregory A. Boyd criticized this view as a questionable weakness, because the Bible rather describes God as an interactive and dynamic God who does not have to have everything under direct control.

Fonts (selection)

Sproul was also engaged on the radio through his radio show Renewing your mind . He was editor of the Geneva Study Bible and author of more than 100 books. In later years he also published some illustrated children's books.

• Knowing Scripture , 1977
• Classical Apologetics: A rational defense of the christian faith and a critique of presuppositional apologetics , Zondervan, Grand Rapids 1984 (with John Gerstner and Arthur Lindsay)
• The Holiness of God , 1985
• Chosen by God , 1986
• Pleasing God , 1988
• Surprised by suffering , 1989
• The mystery of the Holy Spirit , 1990
• The hunger for significance , 1991
• Essentiel truths of the christian faith , 1992
• Justified by Faith Alone , 1995
• The character of God , 1995
• Choosing my religion , 1996
• Now, that's a good question! 1996
• The King whitout a shadow , 1996
• Grace unknown: The heart of reformed Theology , 1997
• What is reformed theology? 1997
• Willing to believe , 1997
• Renewing your mind , 1998
• The last days according to Jesus , 1998
• Getting the Gospel right: The tie that binds Evangelicals together , 1999
• The Consequences of ideas: Understanding the concepts that shaped our world , 2000
• Loved by God , 2001
• The Reformation Study Bible , Reformation Trust Pub, 2001 and 2015, ISBN 978-1-56769-445-1
• Defending your faith: An introduction to apologetics , 2002
• Five things every christian needs to grow , 2002
• Saved from what? 2002
• The purpose of God , 2002
• The truth of the cross , 2007
• The prince's poison cup , 2008
• Can I know God's will? 2009
• Does prayer change things? 2009
• How should I live in this world? 2009
• The prayer of the Lord , 2009
• Can I be sure I'm saved? 2010
• Classic teachings on the nature of God , 2010
• What does it mean to be Born Again? 2010
• What is faith? 2010
• The Barber who wanted to pray , 2011
• Unseen Realities: Heaven, Hell, Angels and Demons , 2011
• What is the Trinity? 2011
• Moses and the burning bush , 2012
• Can I have joy in my life? 2012
• Does God control everything? 2012
• God's love: How the infinite God cares for his children , 2012
• How can I develop a christian conscience? 2013
• The promises of God: Discovering the one who keeps his word , 2013
• What is the church? 2013
• Can I lose my salvation? 2015

German translations

• The king without a shadow , Hänssler , Neuhausen 1976, ISBN 978-3-77512-529-1
• Die Heiligkeit Gottes , Francke, Marburg 1989, ISBN 978-3-88224-727-5 (new editions: Hänssler, Neuhausen 1996, ISBN 978-3-77512-605-2 ; CLV Bielefeld 2018, ISBN 978-3-86699-371 -6 )
• Living pleasingly to God , Hänssler, Neuhausen 1998, ISBN 978-3-7751-2693-9
• Faith from A to Z. 102 biblical terms simply explained , 3L, Waldems, 2005, ISBN 978-3-93518-854-8
• Bible study for beginners. An Introduction to Understanding the Holy Scriptures , Betanien, Oerlinghausen 2009, ISBN 978-3-93555-889-1
• What happened on the cross , Wort-Verlag, Warburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-93463-333-9
• Justification by Faith Alone , 3L, Waldems 2012, ISBN 978-3-94198-863-7
• The hairdresser who wanted to learn to pray , 3L, Waldems 2012, ISBN 978-3-943440-93-5
• The prince's poison cup , 3L, Waldems 2013, ISBN 978-3-943440-95-9
• The invisible world , 3L, Waldems 2015, ISBN 978-3-941988-59-0
• Suffering does not register , 3L, Waldems 2015
• What happens to the people who have never heard of Jesus? Herold, Leun 2015
• Luther's legacy , 3L, Waldems 2017, ISBN 978-3-943440-14-0
• Reformation Study Bible , 3L, Waldems 2017, ISBN 978-3-943440-27-0

Web links

• Burk Parsons: RC Sproul: A Man Called By God , Website Ligonier Ministries (detailed biography, English)
• RC Sproul's Sermons
• Short biography on website monergism.com
• Literature by and about RC Sproul in the catalog of the German National Library

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Introducing Dr. RC Sproul . Ligonier Ministries, accessed April 27, 2015.
2. ↑ Train Wreck. In: Ligonier Ministries. October 25, 2010, accessed April 14, 2016 . 
3. ↑ Dr. RC Sproul, Called Home to the Lord. Retrieved December 15, 2017 . 
4. ↑ biography
5. ↑ Kate Shellnutt: Died: RC Sproul, Reformed Theologian Who Founded Ligonier Ministries , December 14, 2017, Christianity Today website
6. ↑ David Platt: No compromises. Follow Jesus - at any price , Frontiers Germany, Meinersen 2017, p. 139ff, original title: Radical , Multnomah, Penguin Random, Colorado Springs 2010
7. ↑ Karisa Schlehr: What Is RC Sproul's Position on Creation? February 9, 2011, Ligonier Ministries website , accessed June 20, 2018
8. ↑ Manuel Schmid: God is an adventurer , Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2020, p. 169
9. ↑ https://www.ligonier.org/learn/teachers/rc-sproul/