6 Powerful Quotes from Charles Ryrie

When I met Charles Ryrie, I had to shoulder my way through the throng of undergraduates just to shake his hand. He had just delivered a lecture during chapel at my little Bible college, and immediately following his closing prayer, the seats emptied and students surrounded him. Ryrie—who was already elderly and had to deliver his talk while seated in a wingback chair—graciously endured the onslaught. When I reached the front of the crowd I realized students weren’t simply shaking the hand of this patriarch of dispensational theology—many were asking him to sign their Bibles.

Specifically, they held out their copies of the Ryrie Study Bible. Some of us joked that, in these students’ eyes, Ryrie literally wrote the Bible. I wonder what this man who prized God’s Word above his own and who, by all accounts, was humble and self-effacing, thought of these students’ requests. He obliged them of course (how could he not?), but his life and legacy confirms that he sought to make much of his savior, not himself.

Charles Ryrie died this week. The long-time Dallas Theological Seminary professor did more to popularize dispensational theology in the twentieth century than perhaps any other. Though he may be most remembered for that contribution, those who sat under his teaching—as many of my own professors did—remember him for his uncanny ability to bring complex theological ideas down to earth.

In celebration of his life and legacy, here are a few choice quotes from Charles Ryrie. Commemorate the life of this influential theologian by sharing your favorites with friends and family. (Hover over each image to reveal sharing options.)

The Bible is the greatest of all books; to study it is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.” —Charles Ryrie Share on X The solution to the problems of the church today lies in solving the problems of individual Christians, and the remedy is a person—the Holy Spirit. —Charles Ryrie Share on X