Burleson's Latest Burlesque

WADE BURLESON MAKES A LIAR
OUT OF C. H. SPURGEON

Pastor Wade Burleson, Enid, Oklahoma, has published a criticism of C. H. Spurgeon (1834-1892) which in effect alleges that Spurgeon was a liar with regard to The Downgrade Controversy in the latter years of his ministry. You can read the originsl documents related to this controversy at Phil Johnson's website at http://www.spurgeon.org/misc/dwngrd.htm
Spurgeon himself declared on the pages of his magazine, The Sword and the Trowel, that the issue was theological:

"Our warfare is with men who are giving up the atoning sacrifice, denying the inspiration of Holy Scripture, and casting slurs upon justification by faith. The present struggle is not a debate upon the question of Calvinism or Arminianism, but of the truth of God versus the inventions of men. All who believe the gospel should unite against that 'modern thought' which is its deadly enemy." (April, 1887, page 195).

Contrary to the word of Spurgeon, Wade Burleson alleges that The Downgrade Controversy was "not theological in nature." While Burleson claims he is a great admirer of Spurgeon, his recent criticism in effect makes Spurgeon a liar. Not only so, but Burleson goes even further and accuses Spurgeon of "unbiblical treatment" of pastors in the Baptist Union who did not share Spurgeon's concern.

Burleson says, "There is, however, one area in Spurgeon's ministry where I believe he made a grave mistake. . . . In my opinion, the controversy between the Baptist Union and Charles Haddon Spurgon was not theological in nature. The problem arose out of Spurgeon's unbiblical treatment of fellow pastors within the Baptist Union."

Burleson has managed to accomplish "making a name for himself" in recent years, as we have had occasion to mention on both The Calvinist Flyswatter and the Reformed Flyswatter (see Archives). Among other things, he has "played footsies" with several sources to demonstrate and call attention to the broadness of his affection for fellowship with those with whom he may have differences.

This recent fool-hardy criticism of Spurgeon just adds to the list of Burleson's peculiar mental and theological burlesque which he has found reason to frequently demonstrate on rather elaborate public stages.

This latest manifestation of his aberrancy about Spurgeon adds to the list of his other aberrant views, such as:

On Landmarkism

On Hybrid Calvinism

On Campbellism

On Tongues

And this is not to mention how he likes to cavort with the anti-inerrantist crowd and the Jimmy Carter-led movement, his obsession with being anti-Southwestern Baptist Seminary, and his obsession with the FBCJax Watchdog ordeal of a few months ago.