Podcast Summary: "The Holy Place"

Podcast: Renewing Your Mind
Host: Ligonier Ministries, Nathan W. Bingham
Speaker: Dr. R.C. Sproul (archival message)
Date: January 17, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode continues Dr. R.C. Sproul’s classic series, "The Holiness of God," focusing on the profound mystery and awe that accompany true encounters with the holy. Sproul explores how the presence of God elicits both attraction and fear, drawing insights from church history, literature, and theology. The episode centers on understanding human responses to the holy, emphasizing that the holiness of God is not just a theological concept but a reality that evokes deep, often ambivalent emotions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Impact of Encountering the Holy (01:00–03:30)

• Personal Testimony:

  • R.C. Sproul recounts a pivotal college experience involving a lecture on St. Augustine, which opened up "a whole new dimension of the character of God."
  • Augustine's honest wrestling with God’s presence is highlighted as emblematic of the struggle many believers face.

• Quote:

  “What is that which gleams through me and smites my heart without wounding it? I am both a shudder and aglow—a shudder insofar as I am unlike it, aglow insofar as I am like it.” – St. Augustine (02:40)

2. Ambivalence Before the Holy: Attraction and Fear (03:30–06:30)

• Ambivalence Defined:

  • Sproul explores the feeling of being both drawn to and frightened by the holy.
  • He references the spiritual hymn “Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?” and how contemplating Christ’s passion evokes trembling.

• Rudolf Otto & "The Idea of the Holy":

  • Otto’s seminal work is discussed, especially his observation that the sacred attracts and repels.
  • Human response to the holy is rooted in both fascination and terror, not only in Christian settings but across religions and cultures.
  • Otto's term: "Mysterium Tremendum"—the awe-filled (trembling) mystery.

• Quote:

  “The normal human response to the holy is ambivalence: that which is sacred attracts and repels at one and the same time.” – R.C. Sproul (05:10)

3. Cultural Illustrations of Holy Dread (06:30–12:00)

• The Occult & Popular Fascination:

  • Society’s interest in the occult and the supernatural (e.g., movies like "The Exorcist") points to a deep, often hidden, longing for the transcendent—even as it frightens us.

• Personal Anecdotes:

  • Sproul reminisces about childhood radio programs—particularly "Inner Sanctum"—and how the unknown ("the holy") was used to captivate and terrify audiences.
  • Reflection on how the phrase "inner sanctum" literally means "within the holy," indicating the innate fear and fascination with the sacred.

• Quote:

  “When they were looking for something that would hold people spellbound and evoke feelings of terror, they couldn’t think of anything more mysterious, more frightening, than to be close—so close—to be virtually within the holy.” – R.C. Sproul (11:30)

4. The "Plus" of Holiness & The Concept of Alien-ness (12:00–17:00)

• Otto’s “Plus” and "ET":

  • Holiness as a “certain plus”—something beyond normal experience.
  • Parallels drawn between the alien nature of God and popular culture’s fascination with extraterrestrial beings ("ET"), highlighting God's “otherness” as the ultimate “extraterrestrial.”

• Quote:

  “God is the supreme alien, the one who is supremely extra... when [Otto] talks about the holiness of God as communicating a certain plus, he is talking about that sense in which God is above and beyond anything that we experience on earth.” – R.C. Sproul (15:20)

• Augustine’s Restlessness:

  • The innate human longing for God (Augustine: "Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee") is contrasted with our fear when actually nearing Him.

5. Human Experience of Holy Dread (17:00–21:30)

• Reading from Otto:

  • Sproul shares how Otto describes the ebb and flow of the experience of the holy—from tranquil worship to “speechless humility.”
  • The holy provokes everything from ecstasy to horror, from creative inspiration to terror.

• Quote:

  “It may burst in sudden eruption up from the depths of the soul… or lead to the strangest excitements, to intoxicated frenzy, to transport and to ecstasy… It may become the hushed, trembling and speechless humility of the creature in the presence of that which is a mystery, inexpressible and above all creatures.” – Rudolf Otto, read by R.C. Sproul (18:40)

6. Personal Application: Responding to the Presence of God (21:30–23:00)

• Reflective Challenge:

  • Sproul urges listeners to ask themselves: How do you respond when you sense the presence of God? Do you want more, or do you want less?
  • He suggests most believers experience both a glowing desire and trembling retreat.

• Quote:

  “Does the presence of God make you glow or does it make you shudder? Or perhaps, like most of us, it does both.” – R.C. Sproul (22:50)

Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• Augustine’s dual-feeling quote about shuddering and glowing in God’s presence (02:40).
• R.C. Sproul’s reflection on "inner sanctum" and cultural fascination with the terrifying holy (11:30).
• Summary of Otto’s impact on modern theology—the holy as “mysterium tremendum,” stirring both worship and dread (05:10, 18:40).
• Personal application: “Does the presence of God make you glow or does it make you shudder? Or perhaps… both.” (22:50)

Important Timestamps

• 01:00 – Initial meditation on the fear and trembling before God.
• 02:30 – Sproul references Augustine’s experience of God’s presence.
• 05:10 – Discussion of Rudolf Otto’s "Idea of the Holy."
• 11:30 – Reflection on "Inner Sanctum" and culture’s terror at the sacred.
• 15:20 – God as “the supreme alien” and the idea of “plus.”
• 18:40 – Extended reading from Otto on the variety of responses to the holy.
• 22:50 – Sproul’s closing personal challenge about ambivalence before God.

Tone & Language

• Sproul's voice is both scholarly and warmly pastoral, frequently using vivid illustrations and accessible analogies (e.g., pop culture, childhood stories).
• The episode combines intellectual depth (Augustine, Otto) with personal, relatable questions for spiritual self-examination.

Summary

R.C. Sproul’s message, "The Holy Place," invites listeners to consider their own experiences and feelings when confronted by God’s holiness. By weaving together personal experience, theological reflection, and cultural observation, Sproul reveals the profound ambivalence at the heart of encountering the divine: we are at once drawn and afraid, aglow and trembling. The holiness of God is not merely a doctrinal point but a living reality that disrupts, compels, and ultimately transforms. Listeners are left to ponder: When you sense the presence of God, do you move towards Him, or do you shrink back—or, perhaps, both?