R. C. Sproul and the Boys

My evaluation of ministerial performance is usually confined within the borders of my city’s limits. This time I ventured beyond these borders and up to the summit where our very best ministers are found: Ligonier Ministries.

Journey with me through my criticism of eighteen lectures with the Bible for our judge. You stand to learn much from both the faults and the merits of R. C. Sproul and the boys. I prove what I allege; that is, I back up what I allege by an appeal to both Scripture and history. You will be wrong, therefore, if you suppose that this is an unbiblical attack upon the most revered men in the evangelical sphere of God’s Church on earth.

If you think that the preaching or teaching of our very best men leaves little to be desired, you are not yet schooled in the history of reformation and revival, and you falsely believe that a middling step upon the ladder is the very pinnacle of holiness. These men may represent the summit of ministerial labor on the planet at this time; but that summit is just a high hill beside the Everest that we need.

That is the general truth, judging these lectures as a whole. My critique is far from being thoroughly negative, however. Here is an excerpt to show you that sometimes I was compelled to be very positive about the lecture that I had just heard:

"About three-parts through the lecture, some of the faces in the audience are shown. They are visibly startled that they are learning so much , and that they are being taught and moved at the same time . This is a noticeable change since the last lecture! The audience is literally stone-silent at one point. I believe that here, in some measure, is the kind of engagement that you read about in books about great preachers. There is something of that wonder here. The speaker warms up to his subject, and as he gets ever warmer he forgets about himself and ends up being impassioned."

And here is an excerpt from my concluding thoughts:

"There is something vital lacking even amongst our very best men in ministry today. And Christians have the right from Scripture to demand the very best of today to be as good as the very best of bygone ages, if not doctrinally (for who has the mind of Edwards or even Spurgeon), then holily (for we have the mind of Christ for that.) It is no sacrifice to put away a vain show and worldly amusements that war against the Spirit of regeneration, reformation, and revival. The men God uses in connexion to grace being poured out , not just sprinkled, will know that it is their duty to do so."