Robert Charles Sproul (/sproʊl/ SPROHL; February 13, 1939 – December 14, 2017) was an American Reformed theologian, Christian apologist, and ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church in America.

He was the founder and chairman of Ligonier Ministries,[a] and could be heard daily on the Renewing Your Mind radio broadcast in the United States and internationally.

"[13] Sproul recalls encountering theological opposition inside a liberal environment[b] during his early studies: When I was a seminary student ...

[18] Sproul was granted leave in 1965 due to his wife's second pregnancy and mother's illness (during which he was appointed to teach philosophy at Westminster College), and later resumed study at distance.

Having examined the effects of relativism on Western society, Sproul considered the 21st century to be "the most narcissistic generation in the history of the human race.

During a Q & A session, he misattributed to Jonathan Edwards an analogy regarding the "holy rape of the soul," claiming that "some people are violently offended by that language—I think it's the most graphic and descriptive term I can think of, to how I was redeemed," taking into consideration theological themes surrounding total depravity and being in a state of spiritual death prior to conversion.

"[27] Sproul first uses the analogy in his 1984 novel Johnny Come Home,[e] where Scooter, the main character, designed to be a "composite of John Guest, Jim Boice, and [himself],"[29] converts to Christianity in "a docile submission to the holy rape of the soul.

"[33] By 2002, Sproul had abandoned the analogy for a revised perspective: The person that God, the Holy Spirit, draws to Jesus comes to Jesus, not because he's raped, not because he's coerced, not because he's dragged, kicking and screaming against his will, but because God, the Holy Spirit, in that act of effectual drawing, changes the heart of the person.

Where that person previously was blind to the things of God, now the scales of the eyes have been removed, and that which was unpleasant to the soul now is shown to be sweet, attractive, and something that is altogether desirable.

After Darkness, Light: Essays in Honor of R. C. Sproul (ISBN 0875527043) included contributions from Robert Godfrey, Sinclair Ferguson, O. Palmer Robertson, Michael Horton, Douglas Wilson, John F. MacArthur, and Jay E. Adams.

I was there that day, I can tell you, there was a holy hush over that room as we were all forced to consider the sheer horror of what Jesus Christ endured on our behalf.

"[38] Sproul had long suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,[citation needed] and was hospitalized on December 2, 2017, because of difficulty breathing, the result of an apparent infection, an “exacerbation of his emphysema due to the flu” (“not pneumonia”).

[39][better source needed] After a twelve-day period of intermittent fever, and sedation and ventilator-assisted breathing, with effort given to restore his respiratory function, Sproul died on December 14, 2017 (at age 78).

[42] Through Ligonier Ministries and the Renewing Your Mind radio program and conferences, Sproul generated numerous audio and video lectures on the subjects of history of philosophy, theology, Bible study, apologetics, intelligent design, and Christian living.