R.C. Sproul Interview - 5 Things Every Christian Needs to Grow: Part 3

Posting that new Obama ad reminded me to post part three of that three-part interview with Dr. R.C. Sproul. You'll see why in a moment. We're talking about his most recent book, Five Things Every Christian Needs To Grow. You might want to read Part 1 and Part 2 first.

CHEDIAK: In the course of your ministry, do you think Christians in general have gotten better or worse in regards to their preparation for corporate worship?

SPROUL: Throughout church history there was always a strong sense in the church that worship is not something that you do just on the fly, but it’s important to prepare yourself for it, to prepare yourself for the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, to prepare yourself for coming into the presence of God, and that sense of preparation has all but disappeared. You know, they tell us that the number one reason why people come to church today is for fellowship. Now, fellowship is important, and I could add that as a means of grace. I believe that fellowship is very important for the Christian to grow. You don’t grow in isolation from the body of Christ. We need each other, and it’s a wonderful thing to have choice fellowship on Sunday morning or during the rest of the week at our church, but that’s not the primary reason why we come to church or should come to church. The primary reason we come is not to be involved with each other but to be involved with Him, to enter into His presence.

I believe a church building involves a threshold. It’s a symbol. You leave the secular. You enter the sacred. You leave the profane. You enter the holy. You leave the commonplace, and you step into the uncommon. But we’ve lost that sense of sanctity, and I think it’s important that we recover it.

CHEDIAK: Now let me ask you a couple light-hearted questions. Some people wonder why you are resistant to the use of computers, but yet you seem so deeply immersed in the understanding of TiVo?

SPROUL: I get razzed a lot about my lack of computer ability. I am computer illiterate, although I’ve written several books on the computer, using them strictly as word processors, and so I’ve been assisted from that perspective. I’m not against computers. I just don’t know how to use them. Fortunately I have wonderful people at Ligonier who help me if I need some information from the Internet on research, they’ll look it up for me and give me the hard copy. I use, of course, computerized technology recording football games on TV, but as far as an actual computer, I don’t have one. That’s not because I think they’re evil things. It’s just because I’m so challenged electronically.

CHEDIAK: Do you think your love of football just forced you to work through the discomfort of learning how to program TiVo, because that looks to me more intimidating than computers.

SPROUL: Well, you know, it took me a while to get into TiVo. But I think TiVo’s the greatest invention of the modern age. I had never in my life recorded a TV program until a friend of mine showed me how TiVo operates. I got TiVo so that I could look at the list of upcoming movies and athletic events, record them while I sleep at night, and then watch them at my leisure. It’s an amazing thing, that this thing is recording programs while my TV’s off. I don’t understand how they do it. It amazes me, but I’m glad that they do.

Related: Interview with R.C. Sproul - Part One; Part Two; Short Videos