Charles C. Ryrie

Today’s guest post comes to us from David S. Dockery for Baptist Press News. David is the president of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois.

Earlier this week I heard the news that Charles Caldwell Ryrie, well-known evangelical and baptistic theologian and longtime faculty member at Dallas Theological Seminary, had passed from this life into the presence of Christ (Philippians 1:21ff.).

Ryrie was a key member of that great Dallas Seminary faculty that, in addition to Professor Ryrie, included Bruce K. Waltke, S. Lewis Johnson Jr., Haddon Robinson and Howard Hendricks, among others. The news of his death brought to mind shaping times and periods in my Christian and theological formation, reflections resulting in a grateful heart that wanted to say “thanks be to God for Charles Ryrie.”

Hearing the news this week of the homegoing of Charles Ryrie has brought a tear to my eye and joyful reflections to my mind and heart. Though I never took a formal class from Dr. Ryrie, I have invested more than 30 years in the work of theological education and Christian higher education with a love for Christian theology that began in many ways with reading those basic doctrine books from Ryrie’s pen. In doing so, his books became some of my first theology teachers, pointing me to paths along this fascinating journey that I have been blessed to travel. Prof. Ryrie was a thoughtful theologian, a stalwart defender of the truthfulness of the Bible and faithful follower of Jesus Christ. On this day, I want to join with many others in offering thanks to God for the life, ministry, writings and legacy of Charles Caldwell Ryrie.

To read the entire tribute, click here.

Your partner in ministry,

Nelson

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About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.