Spurgeon: Importance of Seminary Doctrine                                      Vol. VIII #3, March 1995

     Dr. Lewis A. Drummond's book Spurgeon, Prince of Preachers, (Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI, 1992) is an excellent biography of the greatest Baptist pastor of the last half of the nineteenth century. Spurgeon faced many of the very same theologically liberal movements in his denomination, the British Baptist Union, that we have experienced in the Southern Baptist Convention a century later. There has been, however, a dramatic change in outcome. For Spurgeon was voted out of the Baptist Union and lost his spiritual battle to restore inerrancy to Baptist churches in England, whereas God in his mercy has seen fit to grant victory to those in the SBC who have complete faith in the authority of His great Book. Spurgeon founded The Pastors' College to train ministers of the Gospel, and it was in his own words "his first born and best beloved” institution. Regarding its doctrine, he declared:

     "The college started with a definite doctrinal basis. I never affected to leave great questions as moot points to be discussed in the hall, and believed or not believed, as might be the fashion of the hour. The creed of the college is well known, and we invite none to enter who do not accept it. The doctrines of grace, coupled with the firm belief in human responsibility, are held with intense convictions, and those who do not receive them would not find themselves at home within our walls. The Lord as sent us tutors who are lovers of sound doctrine and zealous for the truth. No uncertain sound has been given forth at any time and we would sooner lose the house than have it sold.

     "Heresy in colleges means false doctrine throughout the churches; to defile the fountain is to pollute the streams. Hesitancy which might be tolerated in an ordinary minister would utterly disqualify teacher of teachers. The experiment or Dodderidge ought to satisfy all godly men that colleges without dogmatic evangelical teaching are more likely to be seminaries of Socinianism than schools of the prophets." (p.417)

     Readers are invited to compare Spurgeon's words with those of the preconservative Southeastern Seminary faculty quoted in "Anti-Heritage".