Tom Nettles has spent more than 15 years working on this magisterial biography of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the famous 19th century preacher and writer. More than merely a biography it covers his life, ministry and also provides an indepth survey of his theology.
This is certainly deserving of the best book of 2013.
-- Sam Storms (Lead Pastor, Bridgeway Church, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)... takes us into the heart of Charles Spurgeon's conviction and his pastoral theology. This is a book that will encourage, educate, and bless its readers.
... Nettles has given us an immense and monumental portrait of almost every aspect of the life of the prince of preachers,... educational, edifying, and enjoyable to read, this massive work is a masterful contribution to Baptist history and Christian biography.
-- David S. Dockery (President, International Alliance for Christian Education and Distinguished Professor of Theology, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas)Nettles presents the ministerial brilliance of the Prince of Preachers,... readers will be encouraged and edified by this engaging account of Spurgeon's life and ministry.
-- Steven J. Lawson (President, OnePassion Ministries and Professor of Preaching,The Master's Seminary, Sun Valley, California)... an all-round study of Spurgeon that provides us with a fully reliable, substantial examination of an extremely important figure in the life of Victorian Evangelicalism and the world of that era.
-- Michael A. G. Haykin (Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky)What Nettles makes plain is that for Spurgeon, all theology is pastoral theology. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It should be widely distributed by all who love the gospel of God's grace that Spurgeon preached. Every pastor, ministerial student and those who work to train men for the ministry should carefully learn from the life and labors of Charles Haddon Spurgeon as Tom Nettles elucidates them. Nearly everyone who knows of Spurgeon admires him for his great accomplishments. Nettles helps us understand the theological underpinnings of those accomplishments. In doing so, the author, like his subject, has served the church well.
-- Tom AscolAs the title suggests, this massively researched biography of Charles Haddon Spurgeon is more than a biography. It is also an exami nation of how Spurgeon's foundational adherence to the doctrine of the plenary inspiration of the Scriptures, along with the attendant doctrines of inerrancy and sufficiency, guided every aspect of his life and ministry. Spurgeon was born in 1834 and died in 1892. His all-too-brief lifespan is lov ingly chronicled by Nettles.
-- Alan Pontier, New HorizonsIn my opinion, when one combines the scope of this biography with its intention to instruct its readers in a vision of ministry that glorifies God, it will not only break fresh ground on the life of Spurgeon, it will also set a new standard for how to write biographies.
-- Dave Jenkins... a monumental work. It combines the best features of a Christian biography and a pastor's manual in an eminently readable style, with meticulous attention to detail.
-- Peace and Truth Magazine... for those growing to appreciate the man and wanting to get a real handle on him, and who are eager for and able to digest a thorough review of his life, this is the place to go.
-- Evangelical TimesReaders are inspired to holiness of life, faithfulness in Christ's service, and perseverance in godliness by the moving account of this great Victorian evangelist who held and maintained through his preaching and pastoral ministry endeavors the great truths generally known as the doctrines of grace.
Of the making of books about Spurgeon there is obviously no end, but this one enters the list as one of the best. This is a book to read and digest, to meditate and come back to- a monumental and well documented tome on one of the finest preachers.
-- Evangelicals NowWhile numerous biographies of Spurgeon have been published over the decades, Spurgeon's thought normally receives short shrift from his biographers. This is why this new biography is so important. By focusing on Spurgeon's memoirs and published articles, Tom Nettles has filled an important gap in scholarship related to Spurgeon with this exhaustive intellectual biography of the Prince of Preachers. Many pastors and other casual readers will be encouraged by Spurgeon's commitment to a high view of Scripture and historic Baptist orthodoxy from a Reformed perspective. Scholars will be forced to reckon with Spurgeon the theologian as they pursue their own studies of the famed Victorian pastor.
-- Nathan A. FinnNettles gives the reader insights into Spurgeon's views on theology, the ministry, and church life that will pay rich dividends to any who will take the time to read this compelling story. If a minister reads only one biography of the great preacher, let it be this one!
-- Professor of Historical Theology Central Baptist Theological Seminary Plymouth, MNPastors and elders, especially those mentoring young men for gospel ministry, will find Tom Nettles' Living By Revealed Truth to be a treasure of pastoral theology. Written winsomely and comprehensively, the book presents a remarkable picture of how C. H. Spurgeon embraced the whole of pastoral ministry, and how he continues to influence yet another generation of gospel workers through his legacy. Much more than a biography or a pastor's manual, Living By Revealed Truth sets forth the details of a gospel-centered ministry in ways that give contemporary ministers motivation and direction for every stage of pastoral work.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon was the greatest preacher of the nineteenth century in England and probably the whole world. The pungent and passionate sermons of the Baptist pastor brought home the gospel message to the hearts of his numerous hearers and more numerous readers. Tom Nettles has retold Spurgeon's life as a warm admirer, but he is careful to rest his judgements on detailed evidence. In particular The Sword and the Trowel, the magazine Spurgeon edited as pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, is used as a quarry for an abundance of fresh material. Consequently this biography casts new light on Spurgeon's life, ministry and theology.
-- David BebbingtonDespite his ongoing popularity, Charles Spurgeon has only recently begun to attract the serious attention he deserves. Tom Nettles' work now makes a major contribution to this growing appreciation of the man and his ministry. Mining neglected but important sources, he has given sharper definition to our picture of Spurgeon, and produced a highly stimulating and readable account.
-- Michael Reeves... worth its weight in gold. Do read, mark and learn to the profit of your soul and to the praise of the Lord Jesus Christ whom Spurgeon served so well.
-- English ChurchmanFresh and unique, this book will be enjoyable to laymen, profitable to pastors, and indispensable for scholars. Nettles' volume now takes an honored place among the most valuable of all resources pertaining to the Prince of Preachers.
-- Steven J. Lawson... one of those rare gems of Christian biography: it places in your hands the life of a great man, written by an outstanding historical theologian. The combination brings Charles Spurgeon's life and thought to life. Tom Nettles's portrait of Spurgeon is eminently personal, historically vivid and theologically rich. I recommend it to anyone interested in seeing how theology and ministry, gospel and life, can unite in a single narrative of a life lived for the glory of God.
-- Robert CaldwellTom Nettles has produced a fine and very valuable study of Spurgeon the pastor and teacher. This is a volume that will be of great interest not only to historians but to pastors and all those concerned for the spread of biblical truth and gospel life.
-- Robert Strivens- Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society