Tethered to the Cross: The life and Preaching of C.H. Spurgeon (Thomas Breimaier) -- A Review
TETHERED TO THE CROSS: The Life and Preaching of C.H. Spurgeon. By Thomas Breimaier. Foreword by Timothy Larsen. Downer’s Grove,
IL: IVP Academic, 2020. Xvi + 271 pages.
In each
generation, there will be preachers who stand out among their peers. While that
is true, determining who warrants being numbered among the best is subjective. Names
like Augustine, John Chrysostom, Martin Luther, George Whitefield, Martin
Luther King, Barbara Brown Taylor might make the all-time preacher's list, but
what makes for greatness? Is it the content of the sermons or the style?
According to reports, George Whitefield made people cry simply by pronouncing
the word Mesopotamia. Among historical figures that many would add to the list
of greats is the Victorian-era Baptist preacher Charles H. Spurgeon. The author
of the foreword to the book, Timothy Larsen, places Spurgeon in the company of
John Chrysostom, Bernard of Clairvaux, Catherine of Sienna, and George
Whitefield. That is heady company. So, who is Charles Spurgeon and what is it
about his preaching that made him one of the greats of the nineteenth century?
Thomas
Breimaier has undertaken the task of answering this question in his book Tethered to the Cross. While it is biographical, it is a scholarly work that focuses
on Spurgeon the preacher, biblical interpreter, and educator. The author of
this work is a lecturer in systematic theology and history at Spurgeon College
in London (this is the college that Spurgeon founded). Despite Spurgeon's fame
as a preacher, according to Breimaier, Spurgeon has received relatively little
scholarly attention. That makes this particular study an especially important
contribution. As noted in the acknowledgments the book began its life as
Breimaier's doctoral dissertation at New College, University of Edinburgh.
As we
learn at the end of the book, Spurgeon died at the age of fifty-seven, making
him still relatively young at the time of his death. Nevertheless, he had
become an important figure in English evangelicalism while still in his early twenties.
Breimaier notes that he was admired by people of every level of society, from
the poor to the powerful. Among his admirers were political leaders such as
William Gladstone and James Garfield. I should note that Garfield was not only
the President of the United States, but he was a preacher of note among
Disciples of Christ churches in the United States. Unsurprisingly, Spurgeon went
on to found the largest church in England—Metropolitan Tabernacle. But, not
only did he draw a large audience to his church, but his fame spread across the
globe in the form of printed copies of his sermons that were sold for a penny
in London and around the world.
So,
what made him special? For one thing, it appears he was a well-regarded orator,
even by his critics. His message was rather simple, with his preaching and
reading of the Bible guided by two themes or lenses: crucicentrism and
conversionism. He preached decidedly evangelistic sermons rooted in the message
of the cross (penal substitution). He was conservative in his thinking but did
not get caught up in the usual religious debates of the age, such as the raging
question of the moment concerning the age of the earth.
While
preaching is the core of Spurgeon's life-calling, the author focuses his
attention not on technique but on Spurgeon’s interpretation of scripture that
stood behind that preaching. Here is where the cross comes in. This is the lens
through which Spurgeon read and interpreted scripture, with the intention of
converting sinners as his goal. This commitment to this lens is seen in his
sermons, his commentaries, his books, articles, and instruction. Breimaier
notes that these two themes—the cross and conversion—form two of the four
pillars that David Bebbington assigns to evangelicalism, with the other two
being activism and biblicism. Briemaier suggests that these other two themes
are present, but they're subsumed under the two primary themes of cross and
conversion.
The
author points out that Spurgeon did not have a formal education, but he was
well-read. Spurgeon’s lack of formal education was due in part to the restrictions
placed on non-conformists by the English universities (Cambridge and Oxford).
Nevertheless, Spurgeon, who didn't seem to believe that formal schooling was all
that valuable read widely, including historical-critical works in translation.
He did so even though he rejected much of the critical biblical scholarship
that was emerging in Great Britain at the time, as it was filtered in from
Germany. Breimaier gives us a detailed introduction to Spurgeon's interaction
with this scholarship. Thus, he might be conservative in his theology, but he
wasn’t ignorant of the options of the day.
As we
learn here, Spurgeon was a child and grandchild of preachers. Nevertheless, he
did not convert under their ministries. It was at a Primitive Methodist church
that he came to faith. As for education, he loved books and was largely
self-taught. He was especially attracted to the Puritan Divines, including
Joseph Alleine and Richard Baxter. His most formalized education can at an
agricultural college. Despite the lack of formal education, he would take up a position
as a tutor at a nonconformist academy in Cambridgeshire. As for ministry
opportunities, these began with his employment teaching Sunday School in an
Independent chapel in Newmarket. This led to preaching opportunities at which
he excelled. By 1851, though not yet twenty, he was called to serve as pastor
of Waterbeach Chapel.
Chapter
two tells the story of Spurgeon's early years of ministry at New Park Street
Chapel, a historic Baptist congregation in London, as well as his decision to
form the Metropolitan Tabernacle. One thing we learn here is that while he was
a Calvinist, he rejected high Calvinism. One reason for this decision was that he
believed hyper Calvinism left little room for a free offer of conversion, which
was the centerpiece of his ministry. We also learn that besides his preaching,
he communicated his message about the Bible in his magazine The Sword and
the Trowel, which he started in 1855. Besides the magazine, he wrote and
published commentaries and devotional books, the latter for home use.
With
these two foundational chapters laid out, Breimaier uses the next two chapters
(3-4) to focus on Spurgeon’s interpretation of Scripture. Chapter 3 focuses on
his reading of the Old Testament through the lens of cross and conversion. Here
we read of Spurgeon's engagement with critical scholarship, which was making
its way from Germany into England at the time. What is important to note,
however, is that in his preaching he believed every sermon should have a direct
reference to the cross and conversion, even readings from the Old Testament. As
he explores Spurgeon’s interpretation of the Old Testament, Breimaier provides
an informative introduction to the way critical scholarship was being received
and interacted with at the time. As for Spurgeon’s theology of the Bible, he
strongly held to a belief in the plenary inspiration of Scripture so that every
word was directly inspired by God, making it the infallible word of God. While
the doctrine of inerrancy was in its infancy, he expresses similar views as the
American inerrantists. That isn’t surprising since Spurgeon was a devotee of
Princeton theologian Charles Hodge.
The
same focus on the cross and conversion guided Spurgeon’s interpretation of the
New Testament (chapter 4). Again, he took a conservative/literalistic
perspective, rejecting critical scholarship, even though he consulted it and
spoke about it (largely dismissing it) in his commentaries. His engagement with
German scholarship came largely through translated books, as well as through the
filtering of that scholarship through the work of British scholars such as
Samuel Taylor Coleridge. While he interacted with this scholarship in written
works, it rarely appeared in his preaching. In all, Breimaier takes us through
Spurgeon's readings of the Gospels, Epistles, and Revelation. Here it's
important to note that Spurgeon steered clear of much of the dispensationalism
that was emerging in evangelicalism. He suggested he had other things to do
than focus on apocalyptic scenarios.
Having outlined
Spurgeon's interpretation of Scripture, Chapter five focuses on the later years
of ministry, from the mid-1870s to his death in 1892. Here the focus is on how
Spurgeon engaged with scripture in his preaching outside Metropolitan
Tabernacle. We also learn about his health issues, which would take his life at
a young age. While he might not be in the pulpit as much, he did continue
writing, including in his magazine The Sword and the Trowel. It is was
in this forum that he often reviewed the latest books of biblical
interpretation and offering his own take on things. We also learn of his
involvement in the Downgrade Controversy in the Baptist Union, a controversy
over biblical interpretation that led to his departure from his denomination after
concluding that it was dominated by liberals.
The
final chapter focuses on his creation of educational institutions that ranged
from evening classes offered to working people, so that they might gain an
education, not only in the Bible but the arts and sciences (much as F.D.
Maurice did with his Working Men's College). He also offered Sunday and midweek
women's classes through the Metropolitan Tabernacle. It should be noted that
this was a period of rising literacy rates in England, and so classes like this
were important to that cause. Finally, there was the Pastor's College, which
became Spurgeon College. Though not having a formal education of his own, he
perceived the need for such education for those hearing the call to ministry.
While the curriculum was focused on the Bible, it also offered classes in
English grammar, math, and classical literature. Interestingly, while the
students he admitted had to be Baptists, he was open to hiring non-Baptists
including Independent (Congregational) ministers like George Rogers.
I
responded to a publisher’s invitation to review the book not because I am of the
same theological persuasion as Spurgeon or the author of this book, but because
Spurgeon is an important figure in the modern history of Christianity. While I
don't find the theology compelling, it's important to understand how a vision
like this becomes dominant. It's also helpful to understand how scripture might
be read with preaching in mind. Perhaps he was successful because of his
singleness of focus, or perhaps it was his gifts. It's not always easy to tell.
In any case, the book is scholarly and not hagiographic. While I expect that
the author shares many of Spurgeon's beliefs about the Bible, I found him to be
fair and willing to take note of areas of concern. Spurgeon was an important
figure in Victorian English religion, who was admired by not only Baptists but
people from across the broad evangelical world. Thus, he is worthy of study. It
is rather surprising that so little scholarly attention has been paid to him.
So Thomas Breimaier's Tethered to the Cross is a welcome contribution to the study of modern evangelicalism and the task of preaching.
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