Review - "Spurgeon: A New Biography" by Arnold Dallimore

Spurgeon Review

I just finished reading "Spurgeon: A New Biography" by Arnold Dallimore today and thought I would remember it by blogging a review so I have copy online forever (or as long as Google exists). It's not often that you read about someone with this much influence and the story of Charles Haddon Spurgeon's life left me motivated in my pursuit of Christ.


Some things that I remember:

• Spurgeon always took a bold and loving stance for truth. He was a friendly man that loved the relationships he had in his life, but many times his stances for Christ and biblical doctrine caused his friends to publicly stand against him (there was a movement called New Theology which watered down the authority of Scripture and invaded much of the churches in Europe). He said the pain of it was almost more than he could bear but he would endure 10,000 times the pain again if he had to. It motivated me to consider how fear of man can keep me from living out the Gospel.

• All that he did sprang out of his overwhelming love for Jesus and genuine love and concern for every man and woman. Even with as much intellectual power as he had, the 12,000 volumes in his library, the constant preaching, the constant laboring and writing, it was all submitted to his faith in Christ. Its easy to get caught up in activity and doing churchy stuff, losing sight of the vitality of our faith and the prize we have in Christ. But Spurgeon treasured the gospel and spent his life proclaiming it.

• Zero wasted words. Everything Spurgeon said was a quote, it was almost baffling how good they were. His words had a weightiness and a sincerity to them that resonated with me. I guess there is a reason why he the most published Christian leader of all time.

• Praying without ceasing. So often public prayers seem like recitals, but the records of his prayers are moving. He prayed with total belief in God and complete sincerity for Him to move in the hearts of the people. Prayer can seem mystifying and distant, but its encouraging to read about a man that prayer was so regular and real to.

• Overall, its a story of man that made much of Christ. Spurgeon spent his life pointing people to Jesus. He cared about Christ and loved the people in his life so much, that he made sure to preach, teach, defend and protect the sacredness of the Gospel, pouring out all his effort and strength for the benefit of others, so might see Him for who He really is: Our Savior.
  

Some Memorable Quotes:

"I would rather be descended from one who suffered for the faith than bear the blood of all the emperors in my veins." p. 3

The day before the service, he went to the Palace to weigh up the task he was facing. The building had not been planned with any thought of meetings, and in order to test the acoustics he repeated several times the Scripture, "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world." His words were heard by a man who was working somewhere in the building. That man came to him some days later to say the message of the verse had reached his heart, and he had some to know the Lord Jesus Christ. - p. 94

"Some churches have one crown, some another: our crown, under God, has been this, -the poor have the Gospel preached unto them, souls are saved, and Christ is glorified." p. 167

Spurgeon dealt with some of the grandest and deepest matters known to the human mind--God, man, sin, atonement, judgement, eternity--but in his discourses, he gave those vast truths a simplification that rendered them grippingly understandable to the common man. p. 194

"At the back of the doctrinal falsehood comes a natural decline of spiritual life, evidenced by a taste for questionable amusements, and a weariness of devotional meetings...Are churches in a right condition when they have only one meeting for a prayer in a week, and that a mere skeleton?...When the old faith is gone, and enthusiasm for the gospel is extinct, it is no wonder that people seek something else in the way of delight." p. 206

A story of a conversation between the editor of an agnostic magazine and a modernist minister. The editor told the minister that despite their different vocations they had much in common. "I don't believe the Bible," said the agnostic, "but neither do you. I don't believe the story about creation, but you don't either. I don't believe in the deity of Christ, nor in His resurrection or ascension--I don't believe any of these things, but neither do you. I am as much a Christian as you, and you are as much an infidel as I!" p. 214

During the 1880's a group of American ministers visited England, prompted especially by a desire to hear some of the celebrated preachers of that land.
On a Sunday morning they attended the City Temple where DR. Joseph Parker was the pastor. Some two thousand people filled the building, and Parker's Forceful personality dominated the service. His voice was commanding, his language descriptive, his imagination lively, and his manner animated. The sermon was scriptural, the congregation hung upon his words, and the Americans came away saying, "What a wonderful preacher is Joseph Parker!"
In the evening they went to hear Spurgeon at the Metropolitan Tabernacle. The building was much larger than the City Temple, and the congregation was more than twice the size. Spurgeon's voice was much more expressive and moving and his oratory noticeably superior. But they soon forgot all about the great building, the immense congregation, and the magnificent voice. They even overlooked their intention to compare the various features of the two preachers, and when the service was over they found themselves saying, "What a wonderful Savior is Jesus Christ!" p. 216


If you got this far in the review then you might be interested in understanding more about Spurgeon. Some recommended links and books:

Spurgeon's Online Archive spurgeon.org

"Lectures to My Students" one of his most famous books

"Morning and Evening" a super popular daily devotional

His massive autobiography for those who like to read