4th June, 2007

TONY TOWNSEND

Called by God at the age of just 16 to preach the Gospel of Christ, Charles Spurgeon rose to be recognised as one of the most dynamic and popular preachers of the Victorian era.

Early years
Charles Haddon Spurgeon was born at Kelvedon in Essex, England, in 1834. The son and grandson of independent ministers, Spurgeon grew up against the backdrop of the Nonconformist Tradition. In 1850, Spurgeon stepped into a Methodist church to seek shelter from the cold and a preacher challenged the 15-year-old to read a text from the book of Isaiah. On leaving the church, Spurgeon experienced the reality of God’s grace and subsequently was converted to Christ. On being baptised, he joined the Baptist church and almost a year after his conversion, he first preached the Gospel at Teversham, and regularly preached at a congregation at Waterbeach.

"Such was Spurgeon's popularity that he was even described, rather aptly, as a 'tourist attraction' with people travelling to London just to hear him speak at the Metropolitan Tabernacle."

The ministry years

Not yet aged 20, Spurgeon became pastor of New Park Street Chapel, Southwark in London. With a growing congregation, he was forced to preach at Exeter Hall while renovations to enlarge the church took place. He went on to preach at the hired Surrey Gardens Music Hall to further cater for the large crowds - a move which drew criticism from people who felt the secular activities the building was utilised for was hardly conducive to the conducting of a church service.

Disaster struck at the music hall when the cry of ‘fire’ was yelled by some pranksters, creating a panic among the crowd. Seven died and numerous people were injured. The incident left Spurgeon depressed and he grieved almost to the point of a personal breakdown. But he did recover and returned to preaching.

In 1861, the Metropolitan Tabernacle Hall was built, providing seating for 6,000. Over time Spurgeon’s congregation grew to an estimated 14,000 and every Sunday he would preach to an average of 6,000 people, figures which, not suprisingly, have led some to suggest that his church was the "mega-church" of the nineteenth century. The construction of the hall also gave rise to the establishment of a pastors' training college and a center for the distribution of Christian literature.

A controversial figure
Spurgeon has been described as lacking the flowery style of most preachers of the time. Instead, according to the Christian History Institute, his "simple directness spoke to the hearts of his audience", a group which included many from the lower socio-economic class.

Spurgeon presented in a manner that embraced honesty and compassion and, while he avoided the use of the spiritual overtones, he was a great exponent of the Scriptures and had a passion to see people come into relationship with Christ. He was mindful of the responsibility he carried in presenting his audience with the truth of God’s word, resulting in him avoiding a people-pleasing approach when sharing his message. Yet, such was his popularity that Spurgeon was even described, rather aptly, as a "tourist attraction" with people travelling to London just to hear him speak at the Metropolitan Tabernacle.

Spurgeon’s animated manner has been described as on bordering on irreverence. He did not embrace titles, discarding the use of the word reverend, and he chose not to be ordained. In 1856 Spurgeon married Susannah Thompson and they later had two sons. The couple were married for 36 years.

Spurgeon often found himself at odds with the established church. He described the Church of England’s ritual as meaningless that ultimately left people in a state of spiritual ruin and even left the Baptist Union, accusing them of doctrinal deviation. Poverty abounded in European countries where church ritualism thrived and, for Spurgeon, ritualism had to be coupled with compassion. This compassion led Spurgeon to initiate a number of social ministries including an orphanage for impoverished children.

The final years
Plagued with rheumatism, Spurgeon saw suffering as having a redemptive effect, in keeping one humble and ensuring pride and selfishness were kept in check. He would preach his final sermon in 1891 at the Tabernacle and away in 1892. Once when preaching, Spurgeon remarked that if was he was ever questioned about his creed, he would have simply replied "It is Jesus Christ".

SOURCES:
Christian History Institute. Glimpses #103 The Love of Charles and Susannah Spurgeon
Christian History Institute. Spurgeons Preaching Service at Surrey Gardens.

Christian History Institute. Spurgeon’s last Sermon from the Tabernacle

http://chi.gospelcom.net/index.htm

Bebbington, D. W. (1990) ‘Charles Haddon Spurgeon’ In Dr.Tim Dowley (Ed.)  The History of Christianity: A Lion Handbook. (Lion Publishing, Oxford, England)
pp. 535

Johnson, J. (1996) ‘Spurgeon, Charles Haddon.’ In Walter E. Elwell (Ed.) Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. (Baker Books, Grand Rapids, Michigan) pp.1051

Latourette, Kenneth Scott. (1975) ‘A History of Christianity: Reformation to the Present (Vol. 2) (Harper and Row Publishers, New York). pp.1182.

Heydt, Bruce. (2004) Christian History and Biography. Chris Armstrong (Ed.) (Issue 82. ( Published by CTI, Illinois) pp. 44-45.

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