Robert Charles Sproul

Robert Charles Sproul was born February 13, 1939, 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 and his wife, Vesta (née Voorhis), were married 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, Fla., 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.

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 and wrote a commentary on that document.

Dr. Sproul was author of more than one hundred 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 lecture series that have been translated into dozens of languages and have been used by people and churches around the world. Dr. Sproul also served as executive editor of Tabletalk magazine and as general editor of the Reformation Study Bible. His radio program, Renewing Your Mind, is broadcast daily on hundreds of radio stations around the world and can also be heard online.

Dr. Sproul had a distinguished teaching career at various colleges and seminaries including Gordon College, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Reformed Theological Seminary, and Knox Theological Seminary. In addition, Dr. Sproul was founder of Reformation Bible College in Sanford, Fla. He served as copastor of Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford and was ordained as a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America.

R.C. Sproul—beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, friend, leader, faithful and kind man of God—will be greatly missed by his family and all who knew him. He is survived by his wife, Vesta; their two children, Sherrie Dorotiak and Robert Craig Sproul; eleven grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

A public memorial service will be held at Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Fla., on Wednesday, December 20, at 2 p.m. The service will also be streamed live online at RCSproul.com. In lieu of flowers, cards, letters, and donations may be sent to Ligonier Ministries or Saint Andrew’s Chapel.