The Secrets of Spurgeon's Preaching Why would thousands come to hear him speak? LEWIS A. DRUMMOND
rv,;~~~~~~ he noted German
~~~~~~~
pastor and theologian Helmut Thielicke once said, "Sell all [the books] that you have ... and buy
Spurgeon." Today-nearly a century after Spurgeon's death-there is more material in print by Charles Haddon Spurgeon than by any other Christian author, liv-
12
ingor dead. What was it about the Victorian London orator that enabled him to captivate the minds and hearts of multitudes-then and now?
Speaking to the masses Charles Spurgeon came to London as a mere lad, and no preacher received more criticism than the 19-yearold "boy preacher," as he was called. Becoming pastor of the historic New
Park Street Baptist Church, he found the press virtually at war with him. The Ipswich Express said his sermons were "Redolent of bad taste, vulgar, and theatrical. " Spurgeon replied, "I am perhaps vulgar, but it is not intentional, save that I must and will make the people listen. My firm conviction is that we have had quite enough polite preachers, and many require a change. God has owned me among the most deCHRISTIAN HISTORY