December 25, 2017

It’s true. Charles Spurgeon had a love/hate relationship with Christmas. In seventeenth-century England, Christmas was often associated with moral laxity and splurging. The Puritans resisted the Roman Catholic flavor of the festivities, and so did Spurgeon. Like his predecessors, the preacher often played the Scrooge and humbugged the holiday. “Certainly we do not believe in the …

November 9, 2017

The fact that you are reading this article indicates with a high degree of certainty that you have been depressed. If this is the case, you should be encouraged to know that you are not alone. The one we dub the “Prince of Preachers” was just that because he was also the “Prince of Pain.” …

November 7, 2017

“Don’t forget whose name you have, son,” my mother would say to me when I was a teenager.  She would exhort me to good and warn me from sin by reminding me that my last name belonged also to my father and grandfather. What I did would not only impact me, but would also reflect …

October 31, 2017

On October 21, 1928, the ghost of Charles Spurgeon was raised from the dead. Or so the clairvoyant claimed. In a series of séances supervised by Canadian surgeon and paranormal researcher Thomas Glen Hamilton, the “entity” of the late Victorian evangelist made his presence known several times to a group of hand-clasped gatherers. According to …

October 26, 2017

On the 400th anniversary of Luther’s birth, Charles Spurgeon preached two sermons commemorating the event. In the morning of November 11, 1883, Spurgeon opened his sermon with these remarks: “Yesterday, four hundred years ago, there came into this wicked world the son of a miner, or refiner of metals, who was to do no little towards …

October 24, 2017

Every preacher has been there, probably last Sunday. The music is playing, people are singing, and the preacher, well he’s praying. Because he’s about to stand and preach. The Prince of Preachers, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, surely did the same. He was remembered as having prayed, “I believe in the Holy Ghost” while making his weekly …

October 19, 2017

Charles Spurgeon was a unique combination of personality and prayer. His multifaceted ministry life fell into orbit around his devotional life. But how did Spurgeon remain devoted to God in the midst of all the distractions that constantly pulled at his attention? How did Spurgeon keep his focus on Jesus Christ admist the crashing waves …

October 17, 2017

Charles Spurgeon married Susannah Thompson on January 8th, 1856. She would become his truest partner, deepest confidant, and “the greatest of all earthly blessings.” Susannah described their life together as “two pilgrims treading this highway of life together, hand in hand,--heart linked to heart.” But who was this woman who captivated the heart of the Prince …

September 28, 2017

Charles Spurgeon is known for his preaching, but did you know the "Prince of Preachers" also wrote hymns? Although he didn't use an organ or musical instruments during worship at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Spurgeon had an undeniable love of singing Psalms and Christian hymns. “Heartless hymns are insults to heaven.” - Charles Spurgeon The first time I …

September 26, 2017

Can you ever have too much Charles Spurgeon? As a research assistant at the Spurgeon Library at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, I find myself often having to answer this very question. I've been working with the curator, Dr. Christian George, and my colleagues for over one year now. And yes, it is true: we live …