For the first half of the twentieth century, C. H. Spurgeon was largely overlooked for academic studies. Most of his earlier biographies were written by admiring associates who lionized their mentor. He was known for his sermons, but little attempt was made to investigate or systematize his theology. Toward the latter half of the century, scholars like Patricia Kruppa, Mark Hopkins, and Peter Morden began to examine Spurgeon's life more critically and to take him seriously as a theologian, paving the way for further academic research. Now, with the establishment of the Spurgeon Center at Midwestern Seminary in 2015, a new phase of Spurgeon scholarship has begun. New scholarly works are being written not only in Kansas City but throughout the English-speaking world, examining different facets of Spurgeon's life and thought. Thomas Breimaier's work is a part of this latest wave of Spurgeon scholarship.

Originally his doctoral thesis at the University Edinburgh, Tethered to the Cross seeks “to identify and analyze C. H. Spurgeon's approach to biblical hermeneutics” and argues “that he viewed the entire Bible through the lens of the cross of Christ, with an aim to bring about the conversion of sinners” (13). To defend this thesis, Breimaier examines a wide range of primary sources, tracing the themes of the crucicentrism and conversionism throughout Spurgeon's life. Chapter 1 draws primarily from his Autobiography and examines his early life, conversion, and Waterbeach pastorate. Chapter 2 deals with the first twenty years of his London ministry, focusing on his monthly magazine and other lectures that he gave outside the pulpit. Chapters 3 and 4 examine Spurgeon's interpretation of Old and New Testament texts, respectively, by analyzing his sermons. Chapter 5 moves toward the latter part of Spurgeon's ministry as he confronted the higher criticism and growing theological liberalism of his day. Finally, chapter 6 examines Spurgeon's biblical engagement in his training of pastors.

This work is to be commended as one of the first of its kind. In identifying the themes of the cross of Christ and conversion, Breimaier has rightly landed at the heart of Spurgeon's understanding of the Bible. For Spurgeon, the whole Bible pointed to the finished work of Christ on the cross and the necessity of faith in him. As other scholars have noted, Spurgeon was remarkably consistent in his theology throughout his life, and this was also true of his biblical interpretation. Future studies on Spurgeon's hermeneutic will have to interact with Breimaier's work. Moreover, Breimaier's biographical presentation also introduces the reader to Spurgeon's life and ministry. To be sure, this work should not be confused with a proper biography. But as a work examining Spurgeon's hermeneutic, the biographical element adds color and context to the research.

However, two critiques should be noted. First, in examining Spurgeon's sermons, Breimaier does not sufficiently differentiate between Spurgeon's homiletics and hermeneutics. Critiquing Spurgeon's preaching of New Testament texts, Breimaier states that Spurgeon “unashamedly and boldly interpreted texts in light of crucicentrism and conversionism, irrespective of their immediate context,” drawing “crucicentric emphases from a diverse range of texts, many of which did not contain overt christological content” (124–125). In evaluating Spurgeon's hermeneutic, it is important to note that his aim would vary depending on the work he was producing, whether a Sunday sermon, a devotional work, or a lecture to pastors. These varied aims shaped his presentation of the Bible. So, when it came to his sermons, Spurgeon always preached with the understanding that there might be non-Christians in his congregation. Therefore, in virtually every sermon, he pointed his hearers to the cross of Christ and called them to conversion. But this was a homiletical decision, not necessarily one of biblical interpretation. Certainly, Spurgeon's understanding of biblical theology and the unity of the Bible provided grounds for him to see Christ in all of scripture. But it would not be accurate always to see his move toward the cross and conversion as owing entirely to his hermeneutic. In other words, for an evaluation of Spurgeon's hermeneutic, more consideration of the work's genre is needed. Spurgeon did produce two commentaries, one on the Psalms (The Treasury of David) and another on Matthew (The Gospel of the Kingdom). Additionally, there are records of his verse-by-verse expositions of scripture, which were a part of his worship liturgy. Unfortunately, Breimaier does not give much attention to these sources, which would likely reveal a more disciplined approach to biblical interpretation.

Second, though Breimaier is right to highlight Spurgeon's crucicentrism and conversionism in his view of the Bible (i.e., his biblicism), this notably leaves out Spurgeon's activism. As David Bebbington has observed, these four “-isms” have long characterized evangelicals, and they are particularly characteristic of Spurgeon. This raises the question: What relationship did Spurgeon's activism have with his hermeneutic? Breimaier's work does not explore this. Spurgeon consistently grounded his call to Christian action (both evangelism and deeds of mercy) in scripture. The theme of activism was fundamental to Spurgeon's preaching against the antinomianism of the High Calvinists of his day. In exploring that conflict, Breimaier connects Spurgeon's call to evangelism with his conversionism. But he does not address the other kinds of imperatives found consistently throughout that preaching. Work remains to be done on the place and influence of activism in Spurgeon's hermeneutic.

To be fair, these critiques are not matters that can be addressed briefly but would require a significant expansion of the existing work. By focusing on crucicentrism and conversionism in Spurgeon's hermeneutic, Breimaier is able to provide a deeper examination of those themes in his sources. As a fellow Spurgeon scholar, I welcome this contribution and gladly recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about Spurgeon's understanding of the Bible.