Spurgeon Becomes a Baptist
with Dr. Geoff Chang & Dr. Jeff Medders
How did Charles Spurgeon become a Baptist?
Spurgeon grew up in a Congregationalist family and was sprinkled as an infant. But as a teenager, a Church of England clergyman challenged him to study baptism for himself. When Spurgeon opened the New Testament, he came away convinced that repentance and faith should come before baptism.
So after his conversion, 15-year-old Spurgeon walked several miles to the River Lark and publicly professed his faith through believer’s baptism.
Dr. Jeff Medders and Dr. Geoff Chang tell the story of that day, explain why Spurgeon said his baptism “loosed my tongue,” and explore how his convictions about baptism shaped his theology, church membership, preaching, and later controversy over baptismal regeneration.
They also show one of the stranger artifacts in the Spurgeon Library: a bottle of water supposedly taken from the River Lark.
In partnership with Thomas Nelson Bibles.
