I am so very disappointed that you took the liberty to announce this when the college was trying to give Dr. Ryken then chance to tell his congregation the news before it became public. I was at the gathering this morning in Corey (as apparently someone on your staff was as well), and it was abundantly clear that the announcement we were given was meant to be confidential until the Rykens had a chance to share the news themselves. I could not be more disappointed to find this newsflash on your site.

Phil Ryken, eh? I surprised that Wheaton would go that far Reformed. Phil is a member of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, advocates of old-style Calvinism and trying to engage an argument with CT-type mainstream evangelicalism. Here's a word from one of his blogs last year: Two Weeks Behind, But Marketing Like Crazy: "The first week of September (!) I received my first piece of Christmas mail: a holiday subscription offer from Time magazine. This week I received a similar offer from Christianity Today. That's evangelical Christianity for you: a couple of weeks behind the cultural trendsetters, but trying hard to keep up."

I entirely agree with Elin Crabtree's comment. It is extremely disappointing to me both that someone entirely outside the process, Ms. Bailey at CT, knew of this information ahead of time, and that she chose to post this information today. It was posted at 9.06 a.m., even before the private announcement was made to the Wheaton faculty and staff.

CT was not the first to let the cat out of the bag. According to a timestamp it was posted on Wikipedia at 10:30 pm (UTC) yesterday, likely after the official vote.

Yes, I too think that journalists should wait until everyone who cares already knows before posting the news. Wait... And I think being an alumna is enough to justify Ms. Bailey's interest. I for one appreciate the report.

Yes the information was a bit premature. I couldn't even find anything on Wheaton's site. But let's not make too much of a fuss yet over the appointing of Ryken to the position of president. Many were deeply concerned when Litfin was appointed the position 17 years ago. Many asked "Why would Wheaton choose a Dallas Seminary prof?". "Would Wheaton now become more dispensational?" But I must admit I smell a wee bit of nepotism here.

I, too, am disappointed that CT chose to break this news after it was made abundantly clear to the faculty and staff this morning that the Rykens wished to make this announcement to the congregation of Tenth Presbyterian Church in person after the worship service tomorrow. Sometimes a scoop needs to be sacrificed in favor of CTs larger goal of serving the church - in this case, an individual congregation that will be losing a beloved pastor.

I really appreciated this. Thanks!

Thanks for reporting.
Ryken is a great candidate who brings experience, knowledge, history of the institution, and yes, a conservative bent to the post. But he also brings a great education and ability with him. As an alum I look forward to seeing where he takes Wheaton next.

A few observations: 1) shame on you, CT, for breaking this. I will cancel my subscription Monday morning first thing, and will tell your customer service person why; 2) a great choice - a godly man with a Reformed persuasion who, as an alum, knows Wheaton; 3) in response to "E" above who has her underwear in a bunch about his biblical stance on the role of women, get over it. Whining like yours is so tiresome.

Sarah, did getting the scoop justify breaking the news to the world before the Rykens had even a *chance* to tell their flock? I'm disappointed in your choice. Cynicism says that in this technologically-driven world that you really didn't *have* the choice but you did...and you decided to post despite the fact that the WC community was asked to respect the Rykens' situation.

But Sarah Pulliam Bailey isn't the only one responsible here - she posted before the official announcement was made, which means someone inside the community who knew told her. And shame on all of those who were running their mouths after being told in confidence.

We were told this morning of the comprehensive plans to inform the WC family across the world over the next few days - does knowing 24 hours ahead of when they would have all known anyway justify the Rykens' church family discovering the news via the internet instead of from their pastor directly, whom they love? I think not. It's really too bad. This morning the chairman of the WC board asked that we give Tenth Presbyterian a "gift of love" and let them hear directly from Phil. So much for that gift.

It's called news, folks. This is what news organizations do. Report the news. As a member of the mainstream working press and a Wheatie, having someone keep an announcement like this under wraps would compel me to report it all the more.

It's like Ben Franklin once said; "Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead..."

Congratulations on your scoop. I sure hope you're pleased with yourselves.

Three cheers for our new president!

Dr. Ryken has a great reputation as a thoughtful writer, a powerful speaker, and a caring minister. As a Wheaton alum, he truly understands our college and its heritage. Wheaton should not forget that its role, as a Christian liberal arts college, is not to become a university (Rick Kennedy lecture) but to promote humility and service. President Ryken will do that.

Ironic that CT would pull a Books & Culture essay about the presidential transition at Wheaton, but then allow this disgraceful early release of the info by an alum who should know better. I too intend to cancel my subscription. The usual sense of the words "Officials announced ..." would suggest a press release or conference; that is not the same thing as a private gathering of faculty and staff. Shame on you not only for premature release of "news" but also for false witness. Officials haven't announced.

Although I am glad to see Wheaton get an excellent man to fill this position, I am extremely disappointed that this news broke before the Shepherd can tell the flock. All for the sake of 'breaking the news'. Concerning nepotism, if the candidate fits the position and is affirmed the the Board, why does it have to be presumed that nepotism is there. Shame on you Basil!

Shame shame shame on you for posting this before Phil could even meet with his session and their wives to explain this. We only just arrived home from that special session meeting to hear of your inappropriate, unprofessional posting. Do you realize that there is an entire congregation of people close to the Rykens that need to be able to hear it from him? Do you realize that close friends to the Rykens here in Philadelphia have yet to hear? Do you realized that now the pastors are scrambling to change the way this is announced at our church? This is exactly why I stopped reading Christianity Today way back in college -- even back then we referred to it as a joke. It represents all that is milquetoast and pathetic in American Christianity today. This is why we read Modern Reformation, Michael Horton's magazine ... it is still unapologetic in its message of the gospel.

Your posting only goes to reinforce the immaturity of those working at this magazine. The integrity that it once had when Dr. Boice was editor is long long gone.

And to happy dude, I agree with your comment to "E." Knowing him and Lisa as close friends, I can personally comment on his support and view of the special and unique role of women in the church and in the family. Your whining is indeed tiresome and ridiculous. Wheaton's gain is a tremendous and painful loss for those of us in Philadelphia.

Editor's note: Christianity Today did not break any embargoes related to this news. CT received notices from three people familiar with the details of this morning's meeting.

No one forces you to come online and read the news. Obviously if you are posting on this site, you were somewhat curious of who the new president is going to be. Sarah is not going around, tapping you on the shoulder, saying: "Guess what, I know a secret that I am going to tell you..." Don't comment here if you are going to complain, obviously you had some interest in this "secret" and searched it out on Google.

CT can whine all it wants about "embargoes," but that is simply further dishonesty. CT didn't receive embargoes because Wheaton officials (naively, perhaps) assumed this was still private. Faculty and staff were gag-ordered until noon tomorrow. Anyone who talked with CT did so in violation.

Furthermore, as noted above, "Officials announced" conveys a public announcement that is simply not true. Shame on CT for speaking falsely and then trying to cover up.

Wow, Dr. Ryken's congregation must really be a "flock" if they are truly going to be damaged by not hearing the news straight from his mouth. The news was leaked last night, and CT has no moral or Christian obligation to keep already leaked knowledge off of their news site. Grow up.

Dr. Ryken is a gentle spirit, but no one should make the mistake of thinking he is a theological bridge builder. He is a Fundamentalist Calvinist and, as a matter of deep personal conviction, he will not be able to table those commitments. He has the right to believe as he does and the Wheaton board has to right to chose whom it wishes. But there should be no mistake that this is anything other than a public declaration of where Wheaton wishes to be in the coming generation. It indicates a hard right turn for this one school in the present conversation of the future viability of Evangelicalism. I cannot imagine moderate or progressive faculty members breathing a sigh of relief.

Get over it people. There is no such things as private announcements. Not in churches, not in business, not in government. I am not at all disappointed in CT. They did their job.

You can't expect something like this not to leak. If the plan was simply for it not to leak then the problem was with the plan, not with CT.

The reason that so much news is released over twitter and blogs is that it is the only way to release info without having someone leak it. Yes it is less personal that meeting individually with every person, but it also better to be the one to release the info, than look like you did a bad job trying to control information.

This is the first step of leadership for Ryken. Handle it and move on.

There is only one test here: Is it true? If it is, and what's being reported is not libelous, threatening someone's safety or putting national security at risk, it must be told. Wanting to wait to relay the news on one's own terms or because some people will be sad doesn't pass the test.

Let's not lose sight of the forest for the trees here. I am excited to see where Wheaton moves forward under Dr. Ryken's leadership. I feel he is an outstanding selection, and I am awed by the time and prayer that went into this and grateful to all those involved in the process.

All of us could do ourselves better to spend a little less time arguing about this and a little more time praying for Dr. Ryken and his family and friends and for the future of an institution that continues to stand as a beacon in the Christian community after 150 strong years.

Despite the questionable notification to the public...now that the news is out, can we focus on the man rather than the controversy? Why continue to throw stones--blaming and shaming? How does that honor Phil Ryken?

President Ryken deserves a better start, other than Christians wrangling.

The man has a vision for learning and life that will enrich Wheaton. He knows how to listen, collaborate, AND lead--uncommon qualities, together.

Let's celebrate his gifts and their future benefit to students, faculty, and staff at Wheaton College.

He's pretty conservative... I'll be curious to see how this reflects on his leadership and decisions. I have a Bio prof that wasn't terribly thrilled to find out that he says evolution is completely unbiblical. This will be fun :)

It says something about the current culture at Wheaton (a la Chignell) that the announcement about a new president brings forth more fear than celebration. May the grace that Ryken is said to exemplify emerge as a primary trait of Wheaton in the future.

As a Wheaton alum, I'm still processing this news, however I'd be interested to hear from either:

A) Any complementarian Calvinists who are NOT excited about Ryken's selection

or

B) Any egalitarian non-Calvinists or "evangelical moderates" who are.

It will be interesting to observe the reaction from those evangelicals who are not Gospel Coalition/Restless Reformed types.

"happy dude" --

A soldier's death is given the honor of privacy, because the family members enduring the loss are private persons whose interests outweight public interests. Nor are soldiers considered to be public figures. Public figures have fewer privacy rights and the obligation to report news of their affairs in service of the public's interest attends to the journalistic profession.

Considering these things with regard to a pastor of a large and influential church moving on to the presidency of evangelicalism's perhaps most famous institution of higher education we do not have a clear definition of whether such a person is a "public figure" or merely a private one. In the legal sense, he is not. He is not like a government official. However, he is not like a soldier and his congregation is not like a spouse of a soldier. The news of his moving on is not inherently tragic like a death. The pastor's church and Wheaton College are highly visible institutions that matter to a large number of Christians and what happens to them is of great interest for good or ill.

With these things in mind, it does not seem that CT violated the privacy of private persons, but is reporting news given to them from multiple sources via the relevant institution. I can see why it may be bothersome, but I cannot see why it is unethical.

CT did not present the story as "leaked" or "rumor," but as officially announced fact. And it has not been officially announced to the public yet. Whether or not CT should have released the news, they didn't tell the truth - we were looking at it on the net in the very meeting where the private announcement was made ... before *any* form of announcement had yet been made. The time stamp reflects reality.

I love the fact that people appeal to human nature and Wheaton's naivete at trying to keep it private. Of course it was naive. But that doesn't make *CT* right, if we are trying to live as distinctively Christian communities that hold each other to higher standards.

As for Ryken's "flock," having lost a beloved pastor earlier this year, I entirely understand how shocked and sad they will feel, and that's got nothing to do with negative hero worship. And it would be ideal for them to receive this news in community. Incidentally, don't assume that I say this as someone who would favor Ryken's appointment.

Are you all serious??? She is a journalist!!!! Her job is to report the news as soon as she hears it!! I think his church will get over the fact that this was reported before he had a chance to tell them. If you have a "gathering" where you share the news then you can expect that the news will be made public regardless of your wishes. If Wheaton really wanted to allow him to tell his church first they should have not held a "gathering" announcing his hiring. Just tell him and then have an announcement on Monday.

There are two competing constituencies. The former church and the future faculty. The former church is large and influential and will publicly release the info once it is shared with them. The faculty is also fairly large and will likely release the info as well. The church has three services so it isn't like he was going to get everyone in a room and gently break it to them anyway.

I honestly don't get the furor. It is not like this has never happened before or it couldn't have been expected.

Does Ryken have any higher ed administrative experience?

The college actually pretty much released the fact that Ryken would be the new president at the Sesquicentennial Gala this past Monday. It wasn't blatant, but most students who go to Wheaton (and especially those who knew who the candidates were) should have picked up on it. There was a slideshow of past history that included quotes by all of the former presidents of the college and, you guessed it, Dr. Phil Ryken.

That said, I am not sure that I would agree with Dr. Litfin on some of his official stances on theological issues, but I am still grateful for the leadership that he has brought about on Wheaton's campus. I think that it is better that there is at least some conservative (in many respects) leadership to counterbalance the natural progression to the left (and at times, middle) that higher education inevitably brings. We don't need everyone just patting each other on their backs. If we aren't challenging each other on the "why" then an important aspect of our education is lost. Therefore, if Dr. Ryken ends up being another "Litfin" type presidency, I do not think that the Christian community (whether right or left if that is truly the crucial elements here) need be alarmed. There will probably be some decisions that will be considered too legalistic on the college's part, and I will probably personally disagree with some of them. There is always a "better" way of doing things.

Wheaton is producing far more than what some may be supposing to be merely evangelical automatons of the fundamentalist right. My experience would suggest that its alumni leave Wheaton with both a familiarity of and adherence to a wide range of stances on social, theological, and political issues. Alumni should remember that they are not the last freethinking generation to come to this college. Wheaton encourages us to go after the "why" and not just absorb the "what." (This is by no means a criticism of other Christian institutions as I have no personal experience witin their campuses, but rather a reminder of what this community of Christians intends to accomplish). Therefore, instead of interpreting Christian higher education through the lens of its President, we ought instead to look to its new generations of graduates as an indication of its success. If we are indeed a cause of alarm (or encouragement as I'd like to think) than who the President is will make little difference.

As a member of Tenth Church, I am extremely disappointed in CT's decision to leak this story. It may be hard to remember this in the age of electronic media, but this article affected *actual people*. It affects all of us who found out personal and shocking news about our own pastor via Facebook.

By publishing this news that was clearly 'leaked', Christianity Today violated a very real relationship between we, the people of Tenth Church, and our shepherd. I can only presume the motivation was acclaim without regard for the call to love others. If so, that's sin -- that ought to be grieved, not dismissed.

I can't believe CT reported on Benny Hinn's wife filing for divorce before he had a change to talk to his television audience about it. Shame, CT. Shame.

Let's PLEASE STOP THE HATEFUL COMMENTS ON THIS BLOG. Let's instead spend our energy in praying for Dr. Ryken in this new role and for his church and for his family in their transition. The evil one is smiling when he reads hateful comments expressed here. The enemy wishes to divide us. And, on the selection of Dr. Ryken, let's give him a chance before we pass judgment on the implications of his selection. Brothers and sisters, please, let's all commit this to prayer and express words here that edify.

Sharon, I am sorry you are losing your pastor. I have been there several times and as a pastor's kid I know both sides. But it really isn't about CT. Likely the 9 AM service would have been told and the 11 and 6 service would have found out via electronic media anyway.

This wasn't really leaked. There have been a number of misteps by Wheaton here. Anyone paying attention already knows. Wheaton lost control of this long before today and should have realized that and changed their plans.

Daily Herald has also "leaked" the news this afternoon: http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=360743
It's just not realistic for them to have expected this news to remain a secret for even one day. We live in a world where news travels the speed of 100 tweets per second. Even if Christianity Today didn't post this story, it was bound to be prematurely made public by some other outlet. It's just not worth the energy to get upset at CT for this "leak". Move on and congratulations to Philip.

What a fantastic choice.

I'm sorry, but the school should never have made the announcement. They have too much faith in people. The school should have waited before discussing it.

Sarah, thank you for sharing this important information about Wheaton. You did the right thing. If we hadn't heard it from you, it would have been some other blog. I hope you are able to shrug off the personal attacks from all those who don't seem to understand the pressures you must be facing, or the importance of this news to the Wheaton community. The importance to the Wheaton community far outweighs the sadness of the congregation at 10th Presbyterian.

Though it is undoubtedly difficult for 10th Presbyterian to hear this news, I would suggest that in order to make it up to them, we tell the trustees to pick a new and better president and tell Ryken to stay in Philly.

OK to you people who have criticized CT for breaking this story:

1) First of all, whenever a story is leaked, you blame the leaker, not the magazine/newspaper that published it. Its a journalist's job to print all the news he/she finds regardless of where it came from--that's what they do. So who should you all be angry at? The Wheaton faculty member who leaked the story.

2) If Wheaton really wanted to keep this hush-hush, why would they go and the several hundred faculty? They easily could have announced this decision after Sunday. This is like the President telling all of Congress a "secret" and telling them not to tell anyone else, and then getting mad at the NY Times when the story is published.

So if you want to get mad/cancel subscriptions/burn effigies, then get mad at Wheaton, not this magazine.

Note: I am not an employee of CT nor do I want to be. I just think its ridiculous that people are getting upset at CT about this.

Sarah is a great journalist and this post demonstrates that. Thank you Sarah for your wonderful reporting.

OK, sorry but the gatekeeper argument here is ridiculous. The moral responsibility of withholding information applies when people's lives or physical safety is at stake--i.e., if a newspaper learns a US govt. secret that could put servicemen's lives in danger if published. A newspaper should not be required to make an assessment to see if anyone might be emotionally put off before they publish something. That's just not their job. That's why institutions like Wheaton make their employees sign policies saying they will not contact media without approval of the college etc. It was the employee of who overstepped his professional bounds, not CT.

A journalist role as gatekeeper should be to release the truth in most every situation. If Wheaton wanted it to be secret they should have been the gatekeeper. SURELY Wheaton didn't expect this to be secret once it was announced to ALL the faculty!

After Books & Culture pulled the "Whither Wheaton" article at the last minute a few months ago (apparently due to pressure from WC?), maybe this helps to prove CT is in fact independent of the college's PR machine after all.

Could be worse, at least they didn't select Ken Starr a la Baylor (although I was a student when Starr's lecture in Barrows auditorium created quite a circus on campus).

OK, so I stand corrected. I shouldn't presume motives, so I take back the presumption of sinful motive. I was speaking fresh from the sting of surprise and loss, which seemed to be casually dismissed by many in this discussion -- but I did presume, and that was wrong.

Instead, I would instead pose this as a question -- why not just wait 24 hours to publish it, and honor the people involved? I simply can't come up with a *biblical* reason not to.

And yes, I certainly do hold CT to a higher standard than the Wall Street Journal, since they bear the name of Christ. I endeavor to hold myself to that same standard.

Enough mental energy spent on this. Praise the Lord for the work He's doing. Praise the Lord for what He will do at Wheaton and Tenth through his many people. We'll look forward to hearing from Phil and Lisa tomorrow at church.

Sharon,
May the presence of the Holy Spirit be known in your services tomorrow as you seek to honor Christ and glorify our glorious God. May Christ be your guide and the Spirit your comforter as Tenth grieves this loss -- all the while knowing God's faithfulness. Blessings.

As a Wheaton student, I am frustrated by the negative comments that have been posted in response to this article and to the selection of Dr. Ryken as Wheaton’s next president. Petty bickering and baseless accusations expose the hypocrisy within the Christian community and ultimately fail to display the love and grace we are to have for one another. Dr. Ryken, welcome back to Wheaton College – we are looking forward to meeting you.

I am a Tenth Pres member. I found out that my pastor is leaving my church through a text
message from my brother who read the news in an email from one of Tenth's other pastors. While it's obvious that Sarah should've honored the commitment to keep this news private until Ryken had the opportunity to prepare his flock for this devastating news and minister to us in our sorrow, the buck really stops with Wheaton College. If they were serious about keeping this private until Monday they should have kept the "circle of trust"-those in on the secret- very small. It was borderline disgraceful for them to announce this "news" to their faculty before Ryken had the chance to tell his flock. Their triumph is our tragedy and they should be ashamed of themselves.

Glad to read the news here. For the critics of the timeline - I can't imagine a man like Ryken leaving the elders of the church out of the loop. I don't think it will be a "surprise" to the congregation. Maybe a sad occasion to say good bye but not a shocker. Praying for God to bless the Ryken family and Wheaton College.

CT was under no obligation to embargo this news. The College asked the faculty and staff to keep the news confidential, which in itself is a stunningly stupid expectation. As a news magazine, it's CT's job to report truth, which it did. CT confirmed the news through multiple sources and got the story right. That's all that can be expected of the publication.

If the desire of the College and Dr. Ryken was to allow him to break the news to his congregation on his own terms, then he should asked the College to withhold its announcement until after Sunday morning. Only one institution can make the announcement first. Wheaton wanted to be first, which carries the implicit risk of the news becoming public.

I am stunned that the College really thought that in the era of blogs, Twitter, Facebook, text messaging, e-mail, et al, that they could control this message. Poor message management has been a hallmark of the College in recent years. I guess it continues.

Great breaking news CT! I intend to double my gift subscriptions this year! Appreciate your hard work!

Dear friends,

As a member of Tenth Church and someone who has benefited beyond words from the teaching and pastoring of Phil Ryken, I, too, am saddened that our congregation was unable to hear the news first from Phil. However, I would encourage those who have harsh comments for Christianity Today for jumping the gun with the news to take a deep breath and remember what the real battle is that we face. Cancelling subscriptions to Christ-honoring magazines for something so far removed from core doctrinal issues is a bit overkill...and ends up hampering the spreading the Gospel. I would ask you to reconsider. And for the others, please remember that just as the Lord had a plan when he brought Phil to Tenth, he has a plan as he leads him to Wheaton. Certainly, God's ways are not our ways...I would not choose to have Phil leave, but neither would I have chosen to allow cancer to take Jim Boice away! I am learning to trust God's wisdom and mercy much more than my own personal assessments on things. At least, I hope I am. The evil one seeks to create dissention among believers...let's not let him have his way.

With regard to the timing of all of this... Wheaton faculty and staff received an email on Thursday afternoon announcing the 9:30 AM Saturday morning meeting. The Saturday meeting was planned for the following reason (quoted from the email): "the particular timing of this announcement reflects the desire of the Selection Committee and the Trustees to share this information first with faculty, staff and administrators before going public with the announcement on Sunday."

The planned public announcement was, of course, for the sake of Ryken's congregation, which was meeting on Sunday. Whether or not Wheaton College was being naive in thinking that the news could be kept quiet for a day, the intention was to be fair both to the Wheaton College community and to Tenth Presbyterian. I'm assuming that Ryken was aware of this arrangement beforehand, although I don't know that for sure.

Anyone who was present at this morning's meeting (or who received Thursday's email) would have clearly understood all of the above. And whatever the typical journalistic protocols on these matters, I find it difficult to believe that CT wouldn't have reasonably expected some of the comments here expressing disappointment on their choice to break the story. While it's unfortunate that expressions of frustration are clouding substantive discussion of the selection, I honestly don't know how else the editors saw this playing out.

Personally I would have preferred a smoother announcement and more interesting conversation, but I suppose others have other priorities. The irony of CT dropping Chignell's article and then causing this bit of consternation was well noted by an earlier commenter. I wouldn't be so dramatic as to accuse CT of all manner of indecency, but they're certainly handling this whole thing rather awkwardly.

Friends:

Wheaton College had a poor communication plan for announcing its new president. It reflects a lack of understanding on how information flows, how media works, and how to manage a message.

CT is a news magazine; their job is to report on what they uncover or discover. We should actually want this: there are too many secrets and backroom deals in the church. Press in the Christian world should be independent, honest (check sources), and timely (including getting breaking news out asap). CT in this case seems to meet that test.

I'm not surprised by the bitterness of many of these posts (Christians always seem to trade the fruits of the spirit for rotten tomatoes in disagreements within the church) but I am surprised by the deep lack of understanding of how media works and the valuable function that having a resource like CT performs. It will be sad when we only have secular media reporting on the church which our "cancel my subscription" friends are unwittingly accelerating.

I'd suggest prayer for Wheaton, Ryken, his congregation, and the others involved in this transition and maybe, for a few, a little more thought on what the real issues are here. I'm going to be interested in how CT covers the story in more detail after this announcement. Maybe they will have the opportunity to present the pros and cons in a way that escaped them when they pulled the "Whither Wheaton?" article.

Marcus Brown said, "I am stunned that the College really thought that in the era of blogs, Twitter, Facebook, text messaging, e-mail, et al, that they could control this message," even though WC did delay the official announcement until Sunday. But does the technology itself really have anything to do with this? This statement reflects an oft-expressed view—that technological revolutions somehow fundamentally change who we are as persons or excuse formerly unacceptable behaviors. Surely it influences us, but it was not Facebook, but free moral agents that decided not to honor the request for confidentiality from fellow Christians. The technology simply made it easier and faster to spread the "news." I myself was all ready hysterically to e-mail someone I know at 10th, "Did you hear?! Ryken is going to Wheaton!" but realized that that would just made me a gossip.

The college sent out e-mails to alumni today (mine states it was sent at 4:02 pm Pacific Time) announcing this decision. I think Ryken, being a good Calvinist, isn't surprised that even Christians are "totally depraved" and can't expect that hundreds of them would keep a secret for another day. The college either should have waited until Monday to announce it to members of its own community - or sent the news out via e-mail etc at the same time as it held its meeting earlier in the morning. FWIW

I am a member of Tenth Presbyterian Church and am saddened to hear the news that Phil is leaving but not totally surprised.
Several years ago he announced he had turned down the opportunity to become Senior pastor of Wheaton College church to stay the course at Tenth during a transitional time at the beginning of a significant capital campaign.That was the right choice at that time and a wise career decision as well and, so is this!
Phil is an excellent bible scholar and expository preacher and I will greatly miss the privelege of sitting under his teaching at Tenth. I have no doubt he will serve the acedemic community at Wheaton College with the same excellence and committment he has demonstrated at Tenth for 15 years.
Wheaton College, your gain is our loss! GOD has abundantly blessed you with Phils return to his alma mater.
Please pray for the next man that GOD will raise up to take Phils place and for the body of Christ at Tenth to "press on".

Sarah, you are an excellent reporter. There is absolutely nothing for which to shame you or CT. It is, after all the chief aim of journalism: to report news as. it. happens. You have succeeded in your goal and I commend you for your professionalism.

I'd hoped that a more moderate selection would steer Wheaton into a more fruitful discussion of all the issues to which the College is currently attuned. I fear Dr. Ryken will ensure that the next generation of Wheaties will be stuck asking the same critical questions and receiving the same unsatisfying answers as we did during the current presidency. I fear this to be the case, and genuinely hope I'm mistaken. I pray I am wrong.

Everyone who is wagging fingers at CT doesn't understand that this publication is under no obligation to honor an embargo that was asked of College employees only. As a working media professional, I often encounter institutions -- both public and private -- who release news directly to the news media and embargo that information for a period of time for good reasons. As far as I know, CT was never given the news directly from the College with an embargo. Therefore, the only group who could be held to that embargo would have been College employees, which leads to the next point.

Why make the announcement to College employees first and then expect them to sit on that information for 24 hours? That's just not realistic, especially if you the intent is to give the 10th Pres congregants a chance to hear the news from Ryken himself. Why not let Ryken break the news on Sunday first and then announce to Wheaton community on Monday?

Again, this is about poor message management more than anything else.

FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE, is Ryken or Christ the real head of Tenth Pres? Pastors move from time to time. Either get over it like grownups, or keep him (I would prefer the latter). All this fighting is over something so insignificant!

Compared to the real tragedy, which is why Wheaton lazily chose a safe, easy, extremely conservative, white, male candidate AGAIN, after having been pleaded with by so many students, alumni and faculty to seriously consider a minority/woman/progressive choice.

This feels like a slap in the face and a few steps backward, especially to those who wish to see women in ministry and other leadership.

If there's fault, it's that Wheaton totally bungled this announcement. With an announcement this large, from a communications perspective, you simply don't bring a huge group over the wall before everyone who HAS to know in advance of the announcement is the loop. It's true that Phil should have had a chance to tell the congregation today (or even last Sunday), and then Wheaton should have had a meeting first thing Monday morning, or made some other internal announcement, and made the public announcement simultaneously. That would have provided an orderly process for this announcement. To expect any reporter to withhold a story while buzz is creeping all over the Internet is naive. A journalists' Biblical calling is to be dedicated first and foremost to the truth. By posting this story, based a legitimate source information, I'd argue that CT had a Biblical responsibility to quell rumors and bring the truth to light. So for happy dude, this current PR exec and former longtime Christian journalist is happy that Sarah did her job.

And for Tenth Pres folks....I get the sadness at seeing someone so valuable leave, but if God is sovereign (and He is), doesn't He have ultimate control over how the message is issued? And Phil Ryken is so much more than pastor of !0th...a speaker, an author, a celebrity status pastor. Considering Biblical models for how God calls folks-and how they leave us (Abraham, Paul, Moses, Enoch), it's usually a pretty sudden, shocking experience. The Lord did not send a memo to all of Enoch's folks...he simply took him and Enoch was no more. I think it's sad that the first reaction is grief and anger that no one told 10th first, instead of joy at the news--no matter where it comes from--that the Lord has called Phil Ryken to new and wonderful things.

Welcome to the cyberage folks. In this new world news travels fast, very fast. If you can t keep up then go back to your 33s and 8 track tapes. I am sure that Sarah got permission before reporting this. But of the 10,000 unspoken rules that Evangelicals have which one did she violate? This is one of the reasons that I left the movement.

All those so upset about CT's perfectly acceptable decision to break this news, check out these two blogs...

http://www.reformation21.org/blog/2010/02/phil-ryken-is-guilty.php

and

http://www.reformation21.org/blog/2010/02/a-taxi-driver-speaks.php

I must admit that I am amazed at some of these comments that seem to treat a "professional obligation" to report the news as somehow above Christian integrity/character. Truth is always balanced with love and grace, and that does not appear to have been the case here. As a former Wheatie, I am reminded of the school's motto- "For Christ and His Kingdom." That says it all. For His glory, not our own.

This is such a sad, sad day for Wheaton. ANOTHER extremely conservative, white, anti-Catholic, anti-charismatic, anti-women's ordination president. Some things just don't change. Probably he'll keep Stanton Jones on as Provost, too. Sigh. Another seventeen years in the wilderness, I guess. God help us all, and Wheaton especially.

Imagine the reverse: Wheaton faculty learn of the appointment from 10th Pres. parishoners posting.

Getting faculty together to corporately "endorse" the selection in a group setting before it was announced was an important step in ensuring Dr. Ryken gets traction. And Wheaton woouldn't do that on a Sun.

Should CT have posted? Well, it was bad form and not quite cricket was it.

Ryken is a terrific choice--if he is a fund raiser. Colleges can't survive if the prez can't do the big ask. As a Wheatie and a board member of two established academic institutions he knows what he is getting into.

"...I am a bit...immoral and should be judged...(...I...deserve it)..."

Is this Biblical?

"Amanda, kindly cease...."

Is this Biblical?

I'm calling Wheaton tomorrow to cancel my monthly donation. Choosing Ryken is too far in a direction that I cannot support.

It's not that there's anything wrong with white men, it's just sad that the board has never seen fit to make the forward-thinking gesture of appointing a woman or person of color to be president.

Wheaton has long had a shocking lack of diversity in it's faculty, administration, and student body. Students at Wheaton are exposed to a very limited range of perspectives. It's one of the school's great enduring failures. Though I'm fully aware that for many Wheaties, none of this bothers them in the slightest.

To "sad wheatie" - why is it considered "forward thinking" to appoint a woman or minority? Should Grambling University thus be more "forward thinking" and hire a white person? No. As to a somewhat limited range of perspectives at Wheaton, by it's definition of being a Christian college, you will get that to a degree. By and large, you will not draw the unsaved as students (although some do make it in). Just because one isn't exposed to or doesn't study a wide range of perspectives, it doesn't mean one's education is lacking or skewed. There is certainly enough discussion and variance of thought amongst Wheatons faculty and student body to cover many of the issues of the day and range of beliefs (just look at this very small sample size here to see a very broad range). Diversity, as defined by much of today's secular media and educational establishment, sadly means giving a voice to the radical fringe whose viewpoints - from a Christian's perspective - are not worth discussing.

a look on the inside.....

http://www.tenth.org/index.php?id=730

Another Tenth member here, blessed to have had Dr. Ryken as my senior pastor through the past decade.
For those making the point that there are three services so most people would have found out second hand anyway, this is simply not true. A meeting was held following the 11:00 service, and people at the 9:00 service were asked to return or tune in via the live webcast to hear directly from Dr. Ryken and our Clerk of Session. Similar matters at Tenth have been graciously handled this way in the past, as they were again yesterday.

As someone who did not support the Open Letter to the Presidential Selection Committee asking them to actively seek out a non-white or female president, sad Wheatie, I heartily agree with those who commented that Wheaton's top priority should be seeking out a God-honoring candidate for president more than anything else. I believe they did. Those who are appalled that the candidate ended up being both white and male might be interested in this quote from an e-mail from Dr. Amy Black, a member of the Wheaton faculty, to those who did support the Open Letter:

Emily Louise (and friends)

"The presidential search committee is nearing the completion of their
work. From the reports from our faculty representative who has been
as transparent as she can be about the process, the search committee
(and a national executive search firm) did indeed what this letter
suggests -- they actively sought, developed, and conducted first
rounds of the interviewing process with a diverse pool of candidates.
We have been told that at this point the short list of finalists are
all white and male. I was hoping that would not be the case, but I am
very pleased that the committee had a commitment to diversity and I
applaud the work that they have done so far.

I appreciate the intention behind this open letter and strongly
support the spirit behind it, but from my understanding the search
committee has already accomplished the goals outlined in the letter.
Unfortunately, this work did not lead to a woman or person of color
among the short list, but it was not for lack of proactive effort on
the part of the committee or the search firm that assisted in the
efforts.

AEB"

Please, research before you judge.

The previously linked video clearly shows why the release of the information should have been handled better by several parties. It clearly shows the weightiness of the impact upon Tenth Presbyterian. It also shows the desire of Tenth to serve Christ and submit to his will, despite the sacrifice.

Thank you, sisters and brothers of Tenth Presbyterian, for your sacrifice and your desire to honor Christ.

Reposting some astute comments from Justin Taylor:

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2010/02/20/philip-ryken-new-president-of-wheaton-college/ (down in the comments):

Here’s my provisional take on the journalistic/PR question of the early leak. I say provisional because one key lesson of leadership is that the people in the bleachers don’t always know the backstory or complexity behind the scenes. But for what it’s worth, here’s my take:

1. An institution should have been able to trust their faculty and parents not to leak this information, especially when they make it explicit that the announcement is confidential.

2. An institution in this day and age—even a Christian one—simply cannot pre-announce confidential information to a large number of people and be surprised if it’s leaked. Christians should be able to do this, but they simply can’t.

3. Three sources relayed this information to CT, but did not relay the information that this was confidential. So the sources simultaneously burned both their institution and CT, making both look bad. Prudence may have suggested that CT wait for something official, but I shouldn’t have jumped to the conclusion that CT intentionally broke confidences.

In all of this, let’s not forget to pray for the congregation of Tenth (this sort of news is always hard to receive), and let us pray for Dr. Ryken and Wheaton. The challenges ahead are significant.

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Comments on this article have degenerated from logical personal opinion regarding the article content and its release to a feeding frenzy full of inside jokes and rabbit trails. There is no need for any of you to post multiple comments regarding your opinion. This area is provided for you to give comment on the article and its content. It is not a "Forum Wall" or an old fashioned message board. It is not a place to hang out and make sure that your opinion is stated over and over in endless cutesy or disrespectful banter. State your opinion once for the record and be done with it.

Having said all you can possibly say about the release and timing of this article, how about a few carefully worded comments regarding Wheaton's choice for President. What do you think about it? Are you pleased with the choice? Why or why not?

Wearily,


BJ


Community Manager, Christianitytoday.com

Dear CT your comments by BJ were sorely needed. My suggestion is to change the format of how you accept 'posts' to each of the stories on your site. I realize that this takes more work so mere it goes. In order to post comments one must sign up by supplying a permanent username. This would require people to log in before posting a comment. This would also prevent others from changing their username repeatedly in order to deceive others. Only one account would be accepted (based on the IP address as a source)Perhaps only a maximum number of posts could be made per day or per article. This was all to obvious a few months ago when a certain poster found it necessary to comment as many as 25 times or more in a day. This would also give you the chance to easily block an account if numerous warnings were not heeded. A guidelines page would also be provided before the individual would officially sign up. Please consider...

Basil-

Thanks for your suggestions. CT is already working on many of your ideas. We hope to see them in the not too distant future.

BJ

I am a white male Wheaton alumnus of the Reformed persuasion but I do have a concern about Dr. Ryken as I raised above but have not heard any response to - and that is about whether anyone has any insight into his involvement as a member of the Board of Trustees at Westminster Seminary in the eventual departure of Dr. Peter Enns as an OT professor there. It was a big controversy at WTS and almost every member of the BOT who supported Pete resigned afterwards. To me, this didn't speak well at the relations within the WTS BOT when the minority felt it was no longer worth it to continue on in the post-Enns context.

My gracious!! I did not know CT online was read by so many folks!! What a stir this announcement has made!! Wonder if you all care as much about feeding the hungry and caring for the widows and orphans! Just a thought.
May Wheaton and all of her studednts and alums and constituents be blessed by this new appointment. Being the president of a Christian college or university is certainly not an envious position of leadership in this day and age. Pray for him, won't you?

They should have asked Francis Beckwith to be the new president, no?

A pastor's sacred obligation is to his congregation. Like the Good Shepherd, he is meant to die for them. Philip Ryken embodies that principle like few others. Couldn't Sarah Pulliam have had the decency to let him tell his own church first? If Christianity Today and its self-justifying staff don't understand the need to do that, they have no business telling the rest of the world how Christian leaders should behave. I am sure Carl Henry wept from above over this disclosure.

BJ - sounds like it's been a rough weekend for you and the online staff. I don't think it was anyone's intent to get personal, seem bitter, etc. When you have an open forum and erroneous statements are made about a specific individual, I believe it is proper to accurately and carefully defend the individual against such slander. Those of us who know Phil personally feel it necessary to address the many false claims and accusations against him, hence the multiple postings by quite a few of us.

My question to you, BJ, is this: Are you willing to address my specific contention that the posting by Sarah, made at 9:06 am, a full 30+ minutes prior to the College officials announcing the decision that College officials had "announced" (past tense) was not fully truthful? If I am wrong, I will fully admit it and will humbly stand corrected. Had you released this at 10:06 am, so be it. I would still feel it was not appropriate, but I would not consider it at all untruthful. Maybe it would have been better to start the posting as "It has been learned that Wheaton College officials will announce this morning that Phil Ryken....". Do you agree?

I would appreciate a response, as you were quick to respond to Basil.

Thank you in advance.

happy dude

Happy Dude,

It is not my place to address your contention. I am just the moderator. I would personally defend Sarah to the death against any slander or erroneous statements about her character though =] so, let's move on to whether or not we are happy with Phil Ryken as the new president of Wheaton.

BJ

Thanks very much BJ for your response.

In light of your request, I think we can learn a lot about Phil by watching the video posted earlier (thanks to "d" who posted the link) of his announcement to his home church following the 3rd service. You see his honesty, genuine care for others, his tender heart, his love for the Lord, and his desire to do what God wills, not what Phil might want. This is a godly man, learned yet humble, talented yet willing to learn, strong in his belief that Scripture is inerrant, and gracious to all. Wheaton's decision was bathed in prayer by literally thousands of people, and Phil was selected over some highly qualified people. Let us all pray for God's grace and wisdom for Phil, for the faculty and staff at Wheaton, and for the students, who will hear from Phil this week in Chapel. And let us not forget the church he pastors, Tenth Presbyterian, as they adjust to the idea of life after Pastor Phil.

happy dude :)

I can't fine a single person who knows Dr. Ryken personally (and I've talked to many of them, including those who find him too conservative), who doesn't love the guy. Any man who can so passionately defend the truth as he understands it and yet not make enemies along the way deserves the benefit of the doubt as he begins this journey.

This hire signals that the Wheaton board thinks Wheaton's academic bona fides are secure while its conservative theological credibility needs bolstering. The board is dead wrong about this. No one questions Wheaton's theological firmness (one could easily say, its rigidity). The college's academic credibility, on the other hand, could be in danger.

happy dude, this is Sarah, the author of this post. CT's blog is consistent with many blogs across the Internet - the time of the post reflects when I started the post, not when it was published. I published it at around 10:15 a.m. If you check with anyone who uses a blog reader, they probably can verify that. I stand by my original post.

Thank you so much Sarah for clarifying this - I think this will help resolve many people's frustrations. I only wish this information had been put forth on Saturday when some of the initial posters began airing this concern.

My apologies to you specifically for my inaccurate description. Not being "net" or blog savvy, I will take you at your word as to the actual time of the posting. I was wrong.

happy dude, I'm not sure why commenters were so intent in suggesting CT was reporting false information as it is a common trait among blogs. We also posted to our Twitter page at 10:21, right after the blog was published.

http://twitter.com/CTmagazine/status/9388964064

These comments are a perfectly good example why I can't stand hanging around people who claim Christianity. There was little discussion about the change at Wheaton and how this will affect the students there. It is a lot to do about nothing. So what if the announcement hit CT first? Who cares? The journalist here did nothing different than any other journalist in the country. People shouldn't need therapy because of it. Get over it and move on.

Personally I think this decision was very bad for Wheaton. They have a long history of hyper-conservative posturing and you would hope that would change. It looks like things will stay exactly teh same as they have always been, which means further distance from the progressing world. We'll see where this goes.

Wheaton first, Cedarville University next:

http://www.cedarvilleproblems.com

The issue at Cedarville is whether or not the college is moving away from it's conservative heritage, and the connection to the hiring of Dr. Ryken at Wheaton is??? Is he going to move us to a more liberal stance?

John says They have a long history of hyper-conservative posturing and you would hope that would change.

John, if you think Wheaton is "hyper-conservative" you need to get out more. Wheaton is not even solidly conservative. They are middle-of-the-road.

I am amazed at how many self-proclaimed "progressives" don't seem to realize how big the world is out there. Such a level of misinformation is inconsistent with graduation from an institution of higher learning. You should know more than that.

When the world is "progressing" in a bad way, distance is a good thing. After all, why try to get close to a disaster.

I think this is a good move for Wheaton, and perhaps a stronger move towards the historic values of the Bible and Christianity as practiced for two thousand years. Ryken is a solid man, a good pastor, an academic, it seems. He is not a fundamentalist as some have accused him of being, but it is a good step for Wheaton. Perhaps the greatest evidence of that is by looking at the issues brought up by those who disagree with the choice. Remember, a man is known by his enemies as much as by his friends.

It's really not about us,(Wheaton, CT Tenth Pres Church etc...) It all about God!!
Stop complaining I've never read so many negative comments.
God is at work. Sit back and watch
Be still and know that I am God Psalm 46:10

"Phil Ryken, eh? I surprised that Wheaton would go that far Reformed."

Same here.

Pastor Ryken was great gift to Philadelphia residents and the 10th Press. He helped us all during the lose of a great minister, a light that shinned in the darkness of inner city, the beloved late Pastor Boice.

If your background is Presbyterian like me, and disgusted with what has become of the Presbyterian Church , you would appreciate the ministry at 10th and the contribution of these great men of God for carrying on the Apostles tradition. I never met Boise, but heard him on a radio. It was his passing that made me come to 10th and I was not disappointed by what I saw and heard there.

In short, Wheaton is richer at the expense of 10th and Philadelphia. The city of brotherly love will continue in love of God ,grow in the Grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ and in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. I pray that Ryken will work to the end of challenging the young people at Wheaton to follow him, as he follows Christ. Remember we breed after our own kind, hence if we are Christ like we breed His kinds. Let Him have the preeminence in all things. Amen.

PS: For those pissed off at CT, remember they have to follow Journalism ethics of reporting things as they happened , news and not history. The elites who feel someone else heard before the inner circle heard, need to simply just grow up. They would probably accuse Christ for revealing himself first to Mary Magdalene and not Peter and John, after He rose,right?. There goes your man made protocol.

Remember we breed after our own kind, hence if we are Christ like we breed His kinds. Let Him have the preeminence in all things. Amen.

Amen.