Dr R. C. Sproul, founder of Ligonier Ministries, theologian, author, broadcaster, teacher and pastor, died 14 December, 2017 aged 78.
Robert Charles Sproul was born in Pittsburgh, the son of Robert Cecil and Mayre Ann (née Yardis) Sproul. He held degrees from Westminster College (B.A., 1961), Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (B.D., 1964), and the Free University of Amsterdam (Drs., 1969) and received several honorary degrees. He married Vesta (née Voorhis) in 1960.
He founded the Ligonier Valley Study Center in western Pennsylvania in 1971 as a place where Christians could immerse themselves in guided biblical, theological and philosophical study. As its outreach expanded, the ministry moved to Orlando in 1984 and was renamed Ligonier Ministries. Since that time, it has grown to be the largest Reformed educational and discipleship ministry in the world.
Biblical inerrancy
A staunch defender of the inerrancy of the Bible, Dr. Sproul was a member of the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy. He helped draft, and signed, the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy in 1978.
Dr Sproul was author of more than 100 books, including the classic work The Holiness of God, the St Andrew’s Expositional Commentary series, and several children’s books. He also recorded hundreds of audio and video lectures that have been translated and used around the world. His radio programme Renewing Your Mind is broadcast daily on hundreds of radio stations globally and can also be heard online.
Dr Sproul had a distinguished teaching career at various colleges, including Reformed Theological Seminary and Gordon-Conwell Seminary. In addition, he was founder of Reformation Bible College in Sanford. He served as co-pastor of Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford and was ordained as a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America.
