I have been reading through Surgeon: A New Biography by Arnold Dallimore with the gang over at challies.com.  (And as last time, I have fallen behind!) I have heard many great things said about the man, but have read relatively little apart from a quote here or there (or Pyromaniacs’ weekly dose of Spurgeon.)  So to sit and read what makes him the “Prince of Preachers” is helpful and inspiring.

Spurgeon came from a line of Pastors, and so learned mightily from just having been around when people would ask his father or grandfather (whom he lived with for some time) theological questions or debate them on different areas of theology. I think there is a lesson for me to learn in this, as I raise my children.  I need to include them.  We have lost so much when it comes to raising our children. We look to others far too often to do things for us.  We just assume that if we send them in the direction of a Sunday school class and a nice public education and college that they will be perfectly all right.  But that isn’t the way God describes how it should be done.  Fathers are responsible for the raising of their children. Because let’s face it, if we send our kids off to school and Sunday School and Vacation Bible School and Youth group they will learn. But learn what? If we don’t deliberately teach them to be responsible then we will create (have created, actually) a wonderful society of adults who don’t know how to do anything but play.

But back to Spurgeon.

I may be the only Baptist who had never actually heard the story of his conversion.  I’d heard many references to it, and knew some vague references (many which were wrong), so to read it was really a blessing. Hearing anyone’s testimony of how they became saved is a worthy way of passing time.  A couple of things struck me about his story. Firstly, it was his spiritual condition leading up to it.  We so often do not see struggle and agony over sin.  By all outward appearances we would, by the standards of most modern American churches, he looked saved. We would have chalked him up as being a believer and moved on with our lives.  But he wasn’t saved yet.

The second thing that amazes me is that once this happened just how young he was.  He had grown up learning of theology, of the things of God. He learned to read by reading through likes John Bunyan and John Owens. When he was three he would look through the pages of Pilgrim’s Progress examine the illustrations in the same way I may have looked through my Casper comics or my own child would have watched Dora the Explorer. (So we can teach them to yell random things in Spanish!) Once he was saved, his theology was sound and in place. There was no groping in the dark as I did for a decade before coming to saving belief. Not only that, he had a gift for speaking that was far beyond expectation.

So far I’ve made it through chapter 8- his childhood and early career, from being the “boy preacher” to being the forefront figure in a great revival in London.  I’m looking forward to seeing how he continued to affect the lives of those around him.