Ryken, Philip
Each week, Dr. Philip Graham Ryken preaches God's Word in a clear, thorough, and authoritative manner that brings people to faith in Christ and helps them to grow in grace.
Dr. Ryken prayed to receive Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord as a small boy at his home near Wheaton College where his father still serves as Professor of English. He received his primary and secondary education at Wheaton Christian Grammar School and Wheaton North High School, where he developed his gifts for public speaking by broadcasting high school football games and competing on the national debate circuit. During these years he worshiped at Bethel Orthodox Presbyterian Church, and actively participated in the youth group and led worship.
He met his wife Lisa during freshman orientation at Wheaton College. They were married before their senior year. After graduating, the Rykens moved from Wheaton to Philadelphia, where Phil spent four years studying for the Master of Divinity degree at Westminster Theological Seminary and served as youth director at Trinity Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Hatboro, Pennsylvania. As they prepared for church on Sunday mornings they often listened to Dr. James Boice on The Bible Study Hour.
With the help of their families, the Rykens moved to England, where Phil attended Oxford University. This was the fulfillment of a childhood dream, since he had spent four summers in Oxford. In addition to earning his doctorate in historical theology, Dr. Ryken helped plant a Presbyterian church, played forward on a basketball team that won the British championship, studied preaching with Dr. Dick Lucas in London, and served a short internship in Scotland with Dr. William Still-an internship arranged by Charles Colson and Carl F. H. Henry.
In the summer of 1995 Dr. Ryken was called to preach with Dr. Boice at Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, and after Dr. Boice's death in 2000, he became the church's senior minister. During the past decade he has preached through Ruth, Philippians, Jeremiah, 1 Timothy, Galatians, and Exodus, as well as shorter series on the Lord's Prayer, the attributes of God, and the doctrines of salvation. He is the author or editor of nearly twenty books, including The Heart of the Cross (with Dr. Boice); Jeremiah & Lamentations; The Message of Salvation; The Doctrines of Grace (with Dr. Boice); and City on a Hill: Recovering the Biblical Pattern for the Church in the 21st Century.
The Rykens have five children: Josh, Kirsten, Jack, Kathryn, Karoline. When he is not preaching or playing with his family, he likes to read great books, shoot baskets, and ponder the relationship between the Christian faith and American culture.
Dr. Ryken is a Council Member of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. In January of 2004 he became the Bible Teacher for Every Last Word.