Pastor George’s Tribute to R.C. Sproul

“No one gave me a greater sense of the glory of God than R.C. Sproul”

I was first exposed to the ministry of R.C. Sproul over 20 years ago. He had a different style than the preachers I was used to listening to on the radio. I could tell he was not speaking behind a pulpit but behind a lectern. His words were not directed towards the pew but towards the classroom. He used theological terms that were repeated, defined, and spelled out in chalk. No other radio program I knew of regularly featured the scratch of a chalkboard. I was back in school again.

It took me a few programs to get used to the format but once I did, I was riveted. I would schedule my lunch breaks around the “Renewing Your Mind” broadcast and search for the program if I was on the road away from home. He didn’t have to raise his voice or bang on a podium to get my attention. He spoke with such conviction that even a whisper communicated deep passion about God.

He spoke of God’s holiness in a way that made me tremble. He taught Church History in a way that made departed saints my old friends. He introduced the Reformation in a way that drew me into the battle for the gospel. He opened the Scriptures in a way that swept away confusion and brought clarity. He explained Systematic Theology in a way that filled me with love for the God who revealed truth. No one gave me a greater sense of the glory of God than R.C. Sproul. I remember being so overwhelmed by a series that he taught on the glory of God, that it felt as if I would fly into God’s very presence. When I shared this story with R.C. he said, “Don’t stop. Fly! Fly!” On Thursday, December 14, 2017 it was R.C. Sproul, who flew into the presence of God.

I join with hundreds of thousands of Christians across the globe who mourn the death of a man who has been the face of Reformed Theology for half a century. I once heard R.C. Sproul say that the death of his friend and co-laborer James Montgomery Boice was a judgment on evangelicalism. I wonder if the same can be said about his own passing.

Join me in praying for the family of R.C. Sproul, Ligonier Ministries, and the thousands of people who have lost a clear voice and a faithful leader.

Psalm 116:15 “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.”

In Christ Alone,
George Lawson