Philip Ryken

The Reverend
Philip Ryken
Ryken in front of the pulpit of
Tenth Presbyterian Church, 2010
8th President of Wheaton College
Incumbent
Assumed office
July 1, 2010
Preceded byDuane Litfin
Personal details
BornPhilip Graham Ryken
(1966-09-29) September 29, 1966 (age 60)
Spouse
Lisa
​
(m. 1987)​
Parent
EducationWheaton College (BA)
Westminster Theological Seminary (MDiv)
University of Oxford (DPhil)
Ecclesiastical career
ReligionChristianity (Presbyterian)
ChurchPresbyterian Church in America
CongregationsTenth Presbyterian Church
Academic background
ThesisThomas Boston (1676–1732) as Preacher of the Fourfold State (1995)
Academic work
DisciplineTheology
Sub-discipline
School or tradition
InstitutionsWheaton College

Philip Graham Ryken (born 1966) is an American theologian, Presbyterian minister, and academic administrator. He is the eighth president of Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois.

Early life and education

Ryken was born on September 29, 1966. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature and philosophy from Wheaton College in 1988. He completed a Master of Divinity degree from Westminster Theological Seminary in 1992 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in historical theology from the University of Oxford in 1995.

Professional life

Ryken is an ordained teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America. He joined the pastoral staff of historic Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia in 1995 and was elevated to the position of senior minister upon the death of James Boice in 2000. In February 2010, the board of trustees at Wheaton College announced his selection as the college's eighth president, succeeding the retiring Duane Litfin. Ryken took office on July 1, 2010, and was formally inaugurated on September 17, 2010, at Edman Chapel.

He is a member of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, serving as a member of the alliance council, which features his expository preaching on its weekly national radio and internet broadcast, Every Last Word.

Scholarship

He has written over thirty books on a wide variety of Christian subjects, including:

Ryken has also coauthored a series of commentaries on individual books of the Bible with R. Kent Hughes. Ryken and his father, literary scholar Leland Ryken, have collaborated to produce a study Bible, and the father-son team worked with James Wilhoit to write Ryken's Bible Handbook, which focuses on the literary genres and styles in each book of the Bible.

Criticism

In July 2026, The Roys Report published an investigation reporting that Ryken had been formally censured by the Philadelphia Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) in 2017 for his handling of abuse allegations against Paul Jones, the longtime music director at Tenth Presbyterian Church, where Ryken served as senior minister from 2001 to 2010. According to the report, the PCA concluded that Ryken and other church leaders had failed to conduct an adequate investigation, withheld information from the congregation, and prioritized the church's institutional reputation over the welfare of abuse victims. The article also cited a later GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment) investigation, which concluded that the church's response allowed Jones to continue abusive behavior. The report further alleged that Ryken demonstrated a similar pattern while serving as president of Wheaton College by declining to publicly disclose allegations against a former administrator accused of sexual abuse. According to Wheaton College, Ryken informed the board of trustees of the PCA censure, accepted the denomination's admonition, and publicly apologized for failing to provide sufficient pastoral oversight, although one abuse survivor disputed the college's characterization of Ryken's response.

In October 2026, dozens of protestors gathered in a park near Wheaton College and marched onto the campus demanding Ryken's resignation based on an alleged coverup of sexual misconduct by former Wheaton administrator Dennis Massaro.

Personal life

Ryken is the son of the Christian literary scholar and Wheaton professor emeritus Leland Ryken. Ryken met his wife, Lisa, while the two were students at Wheaton. They were married after their junior year. The couple have five children, and reside in Wheaton. He is known to enjoy basketball, soccer, golf, and poetry.

Works

Books

References

  1. ↑ Tenth Presbyterian Church - Philadelphia, PA: Dr. Philip G. Ryken
  2. ↑ Grant, Jennifer (27 August 2010). "Alum Becomes New President: Wheaton College's Choice of Dr. Philip Ryken, Son of a Longtime Professor, Was Greeted with Open Arms, and a Few Cold Shoulders". Chicago Tribune. p. 1 – via ProQuest.
  3. ↑ "Phillip Ryken Named New President of Wheaton College". Church Report (Press release). Christy Media. 2010-02-20. Archived from the original on 2019-02-28. Retrieved 2010-02-21.
  4. ↑ Council - Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, Inc
  5. ↑ Silliman, Daniel (15 July 2026). "EXCLUSIVE: PCA Censured Wheaton President Phil Ryken for Aiding the Strong in Preying on the Weak". The Roys Report. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  6. ↑ Silliman, Daniel (July 29, 2026). "Minister Who Confessed Abuse to Philip Ryken in 2001 Later Listed Ryken as a Reference". The Roys Report. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  7. ↑ Lissau, Russell (October 3, 2026). "'This Is Enough': Demonstrators Protest How Wheaton College Hid Sex Abuse Allegations". Daily Herald. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  8. ↑ Taylor, Claire (October 5, 2026). "Homecoming Weekend Protest Calls for Ryken to Resign". The Wheaton Record. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
  9. ↑ Roys, Julie (October 4, 2026). "Alumni and Students Protest at Wheaton College over Lack of Accountability for Sex Abuse Cover-Up". The Roys Report. Retrieved October 9, 2026.