Church bulletin for April
The Anglican bishop John Charles Ryle wrote many good Christian books. Five English Reformers, Christian Leaders of the 18th Century, commentaries on the Gospels, Holiness and Practical Religion represent a small selection of outstanding volumes which continue to be widely read today.
J. C. Ryle was born on May 10, 1816 in Macclesfield, England. He was the eldest son of middle class parents who had acquired substantial wealth through the silk industry. He was raised in a nominal Anglican setting which enabled him to gain a first class education. In the 19th century, money + baptism into the Church of England = educational opportunity. Ryle went to Eton and then to Christ College Oxford where he studied Classics. At the completion of his studies his father intended for him to learn the ropes of the family business with a view to taking it over. God however had other plans.
Just as Ryle was preparing for his final exams he became seriously ill. As a consequence he sought God for mercy. The Lord graciously responded to his prayers and believing he had been spared, Ryle began regularly attending church services. It was during a service and the reading of Ephesians 2 that he came to Christ. The plans of Ryle senior were finally dashed when he lost his business through bankruptcy and the family was left destitute. His son thus turned his attention to the ministry and was ordained curate of Exbury in Hampshire at the end of 1841. Over the next 40 years Ryle ministered in a number of country parishes gaining wide acclaim as a bold yet plain preacher, and a staunch defender of Evangelicalism. In 1880 he accepted the newly appointed position of Bishop in Liverpool which he occupied until shortly before his death 20 years later.
Ryle is remembered today for his devotionally warm writing and his unwavering commitment to the authority of scripture against a tidal wave of liberalism. Although the two men had their differences, Spurgeon and Ryle esteemed one another highly. Spurgeon said of Ryle, “[He] is an evangelical champion, one of the bravest and best of men”. What does Ryle have to say to us today? Two things: firstly, our religion must be a religion of the heart; the fundamental concern of Christianity is what we are before God. Secondly, we must stand firm in the truth and resist the many compromises which make their way into the church. Ryle’s day is really no different to ours and therefore he speaks just as powerfully now as he did 150 years ago.