The World According To Carl

One of the blogs I visit regularly, Biblical Christianity, was created and is maintained by Dan Phillips. I enjoy reading his blog posts and have learned quite a bit from them. Dan has graciously allowed me to reproduce one of his recent articles from his blog that made an impression upon me. It concerns noted 19th century preacher Charles H. Spurgeon and how one rather coarse critic perceived him then. For the sake of clarity, I have presented the article as it appears on Dan’s blog but I felt the need to add a few things for the readers’ benefit. Such additions will be within square brackets [] with my initials [TCM]. The additions do not change nor alter the content. I felt the need to add some links within the reproduced article so when Dan refers to someone or something, like the Pyromanics blog (”Pyro“), the read will be able to link to it directly. Also at this time I would like to thank Dan Phillips for granting me permission to post his article in its entirety.

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Criticism Of Pastors In The Light Of Eternityby Dan Phillips

Pathetic title, I know, as it could stand over a hundred totally different essays. But such it is, and here we go:

Listening through Charles H. Spurgeon’s autobiography, I’ve been amazed at the utter, unsparing, out-for-blood, bare-knuckled brutality of the criticism that CHS received, from the very start. Quoting it all would make for a massive post — a series of massive posts — but let’s have a taste of one very early critic.

The critic wrote letters to the editor of a magazine called The Earthen Vessel under the pseudonym “Job,” though he was likely one James Wells.

“Who?” you ask.

“Exactly,” I reply.

Job/Wells writes in a very lofty, condescending, elitist tone. He sniffs that Spurgeon is pedestrian and derivative, damns him by some faint and sneering praise, then says this (emphases added):

And yet further than all this, Mr. Spurgeon was, so says the Vessel, brought to know the Lord when he was only fifteen years old. Heaven grant it may prove to be so, — for the young man’s sake, and for that of others also! But I have — most solemnly have — my doubts as to the Divine reality of his conversion. I do not say — it is not for me to say — that he is not a regenerated man; but this I do know, that there are conversions which are not of God; and whatever convictions a man may have, whatever may be the agonies of his mind as to the possibility of his salvation, whatever terror anyone may experience, and however sincere they may be, and whatever deliverance they may have by dreams or visions, or by natural conscience, or the letter or even apparent power of the Word, yet, if they cannot stand, in their spirit and ministry, the test of the law of truth, and the testimony of God, there is no true light in them; for a person may be intellectually enlightened, he may taste of the Heavenly gift, and be made partaker of the Holy Ghost, professionally, and taste of the good Word of God (Hebrews vi.), and yet not be regenerated, and therefore not beyond the danger of falling away, even from that portion of truth which such do hold (Spurgeon’s Autobiography)

In other words? He doubts Spurgeon was really converted.

But he’s far from done.

…that no man who knows his own heart, who knows what the daily cross means, and who knows the difference between the form and the power, the name and the life itself, the semblance and the substance, the difference between the sounding brass or the tinkling cymbal and the voice of the turtle, pouring the plaintive, but healing notes of Calvary into the solitary and weary soul; — he who walks in this path, could not hear with profit the ministry of Mr. Spurgeon.

…[Following a series of gravely-delivered broadsides] I would make every allowance for his youth; but while I make this allowance, I am, nevertheless, thoroughly disposed to believe that we have a fair sample of what he will be even unto the end [IOW Spurgeon will never amount to much]

Now, this was written at the very start of Spurgeon’s ministry (1855). But crushing, thundering, unsparing, merciless pummellings and vicious attacks attended him all the way. If you ever think anything Phil [Phillip R. Johnson of Pyromaniacs and The Spurgeon Archive - TCM] or Frank [Frank Turk of Pyromaniacs and A Flame Of Fire - TCM] or I have said about anyone is harsh, you’d read these and gasp. I do!

Now, step back. It’s 150 years later, more or less. Spurgeon’s personal ministry on earth is done. But is his ministry done? Hardly. Spurgeon is still read from pole to pole. People find Christ and love Him better for Spurgeon’s sermons. His preaching reproduces itself in countless ministries, spoken and written. Phil quotes him every week at Pyro, and every week he sounds as if he were writing today, with allowances for style.

Did he know he’d have such a lasting impact? No. He couldn’t have.

But what I’m focusing on at the moment is that his critics were absolutely certain they were right. His contemporary critics damned Spurgeon for being — you won’t believe me, but I’m just reporting what I’ve heard and read — shallow, stupid, unreflecting, derivative, ham-fisted, theatrical, corny, egocentric, arrogant, impudent, coarse, and inarticulate.

That’s right. Spurgeon.

And where are most of these critics? Forgotten, and deservedly so.

But this is a common theme in biographies of great men. Their contemporaries largely didn’t think much of them. Many of them died sad, sometimes impoverished, probably seeing themselves as failures. Yet history judges differently.

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Dan’s post got me thinking about several things, not all of which I will go into here. The most obvious was to think about how someone could go about criticizing someone so harshly and so arrogantly like “Job” did to Spurgeon. Charles Spurgeon, for those of you who do not know, was arguably the best known preacher in Great Britain in the 19th century. His sermons and writings are required reading in many seminaries across the globe to this very day. I enjoy reading his sermons from time to time and believe I am blessed with greater enlightenment, encouragement and edification each time.

The reasons why “Job” wrote the stinging critiques is up for debate. It could have been fueled by jealousy, disdain or just plain malice but as time went on, Spurgeon’s writings inspired by Scripture to teach about Jesus Christ, Salvation, and other Biblical topics are still with us and read, as Dan put it, “still read from pole to pole.”

Another thing went through my mind as I read Dan’s post; something he may or may not have intented. I was reminded of an old saying, “don’t let the turkeys get you down.” That’s the G-rated version, but the message remains when someone is unfairly or unjustly attacking you, don’t let it get under your skin to bother you. Nothing you can do or say will stop them from doing so and frankly, there are always going to be those jerks out there just itching to take pot shots at you especially if you hold firm to any viewpoint at all. Doubly so if you hold to your viewpoint with any sort of passion. Don’t let it worry you.

A preacher from the 20th century, the late Ray Stedman, put it this way:

“Someone said, “I am so loaded up with worries that if anything happened to me this week it would be two weeks before I could get around to worrying about it.” Sometimes we make an artificial attempt to cure our worrying by will power. As another has put it,

I’ve joined the new ‘Don’t worry’ Club
And now I hold my breath
I’m so scared I’m going to worry
That I’m worried half to death.

But the admonition is: Worry about nothing, and that is only possible when you have put on the armor of God. Do not try to attempt it on any other basis. Worry comes from fear, and the only thing that ‘will dissolve fear is facts. Therefore, to put on the armor of God is to face the facts just as they are.”

Those are good words of advice and as I believe them to be Biblical they are also words of great wisdom as well. I am no expert on Charles Spurgeon’s sermons, nor am I an expert on Spurgeon himself, but I am pretty sure that he preached on similar topics from time to time encouraging and exhorting his congregations to follow Biblical teachings on not allowing others’ nasty and hurtful words to get under their skin, but if those words did manage to find their marks and were painful to Spurgeon’s listeners (and readers) I am certain he passed along Biblical teachings of healing that soothed those wounds and encouraged them in the process.

I imagine there were many like “Job” in the past who viciously attacked people who are considered important today. And just as very few remember “Job” nor his harsh attacks, just as few remember those as well. Unfortunately there are plenty more today where “Job” came from. It just isn’t worth the effort nor the stress to worry about what those others think about us especially when it is presented in such a vehement manner and with such hubris. Don’t confuse such with honest, sincere criticism given humbly and in a gracious, beneficial manner. I imagine Charles Spurgeon realized this early on.

But I digress…

My blog is just a very obscure little point in the massive blogosphere, but I will never know who reads what I post. Just as Charles Spurgeon didn’t know at the time that his words would have a lasting impact, something I have written might have a lasting impact on someone else. Thinking about that is somewhat humbling. And I guess it all boils down to writing what inspires me at the moment as I have always done, not worry about what others think about it, and hope that it may have a lasting impact on someone, hopefully in a positive way. Charles Spurgeon’s sermons have made a positive impact on my life. Dan Phillips’ article did as well. You just never know where or when it will happen. But it will. And it does.

Trackposted to Nuke’s, Rosemary’s Thoughts, third world county, Political Byline, DragonLady’s World, Rosemary’s News and Ideas, The Pink Flamingo, Leaning Straight Up, and A Newt One/American Truth Warriors. Also, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 9th, 2009 at 2:02 am and is filed under Christianity, LinkFests. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.