The news came out this weekend that Dr. Philip Ryken will be the Eighth President of Wheaton College. I met Phil while at Oxford, he arrived a year before we did and left (as I recall) a year before us as well. He is clearly a very intelligent individual and has been very prolific in his writing. Made all the more remarkable since his 30 books have been published while a full time pastor at Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia and having 5 children.
I have great respect for Phil, but I have to question this decision by Wheaton College. I understand the reasons why, his father is a rightly revered faculty member at Wheaton, he grew up there, attended college there, and has been on their board. But Phil has never been in administration of higher education. I think that is not a good sign for the health of Wheaton College. (I should add that while I was invited to nominate candidates, I completed an MA in Biblical and Theological Studies at Wheaton, I did not apply for the position myself.) The ”letter of rationale and recommendation from the Selection Committee Co-Chairs” states the primary reasons for selecting Phil.
Fearless confidence in the Gospel in all its fullness is what we were looking for in a leader. His faithfulness to it assured an affirmation that God in Christ had spoken into being all that is and will be, and is central to all that can be known of natural and special revelation. It excited us to see the candidate’s freedom to excel in the joy of discovery and in the unity of faith and learning.
Further, the candidate, having been steeped in the liberal arts, recognizes its fertile soil for such exploration at the undergraduate level. He exudes confidence in such learning experiences and believes that in them students and faculty alike can never be far from the Author of both natural and special revelation. His confidence in the Gospel trusts that the seeking heart will find and rejoice in the Creator to the glory of God.
In affirming the College motto and mission and its endeavor for excellence and freedom in higher learning, he also affirms personally and for the College that faith, wisdom, and understanding are coveted gifts from God which are critical to truly knowing.
None of this addresses the ability of the leader to administrate a complex organization with often competing interests. While it is true that the affirmation by faculty of Wheaton’s Mission and Statement of Faith means that there are different arguments than one finds in, say, a state university or a secular college, one would be naive to believe that all interdepartmental discussions are harmonious and peaceful. (Paul had good reasons to write 1 Corinthians, well, I was going to point out chapter 6, but just take the whole letter.) It takes a very different kind of leadership to negotiate through such waters and while a church as large as Tenth is complex, it is not the same culture or dynamic as an academic institution.
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