More than a Social Gospel
Understanding the proper relationship between gospel proclamation and social ministry is a matter that has been notoriously fraught for many Christians throughout church history. This is especially the case among evangelicals in the past one hundred years or so. From its beginnings in the early eighteenth century, the evangelical movement has had a strong activist impulse and a high regard for social ministry. However, evangelicals have not always agreed on how good works and social concern fit within the mission and ministry of the local church. It is an issue frequently debated and has been understood in a myriad of ways in various contexts among evangelicals.
On this complex issue, Spurgeon provides pastors and churches with a faithful model to follow. One biographer writes, “Almost unparalleled in church history, the ministry of Charles Haddon Spurgeon epitomized the perfect blending of evangelistic fervency and deep social concern.” Spurgeon believed that the mission of the church is primarily bound up in evangelism and disciple-making. He was suspicious of missional drift and did not believe the church should ever become primarily consumed with social activism. However, Spurgeon did believe social concern occupies an important place in the ministry of the church, but it is always subordinate to and, indeed, flows out of gospel proclamation and the ministry of the Word. In this way, Spurgeon promoted social ministry as a necessary fruit of true gospel ministry. Care for the poor and needy is not an optional add-on but an indispensable part of the individual Christian’s witness and of the church’s ministry.
The essence of Spurgeon’s view of the mission of the church is helpfully summarized by Spurgeon scholar Geoff Chang, who writes, “The church’s mission was to bear witness to Christ and to advance the truth of the gospel for the salvation of the world.” Chang is undoubtedly correct that Spurgeon held gospel proclamation to be at the heart of the church’s mission.
As prominent as gospel proclamation and Word ministry were in Spurgeon’s understanding of the church’s mission, he did not believe the church is only to be concerned with the spiritual needs of the world. He believed the church ought to address temporal suffering and material needs as well and plainly understood ministry to the poor and needy to form a vital part of the church’s work. However, it must be emphasized that he did not believe the church was called to embrace what the next generation would commonly refer to as the social gospel.
The phrase social gospel is hard to define. At its heart, however, it is usually an understanding of the gospel that views social reform as central to the church’s work. Thus, the goal of the church’s ministry is social activism leading to widespread social renewal. The church’s primary aim is to improve society as a whole, especially the material conditions of the poor, rather than saving souls.
Spurgeon never preached anything approximating a social gospel. Social renewal and economic betterment were not at the heart of the gospel for Spurgeon. Rather, the gospel Spurgeon preached was one of personal salvation and spiritual renewal, leading to a transformed life that expresses itself in good works of benevolence. Christian social concern comes into play as a demonstration of the Christian’s renewed nature, a manifestation of the character and love of Christ, and a vindication of the gospel message. In the August 1883 Sword and the Trowel he writes, “It seems to us that our Lord gave more prominence to cups of cold water, and garments made for the poor, and caring for little ones, than most people do nowadays. We would encourage our friends to attend to those humble unobtrusive ministries which are seldom chronicled, and yet are essential to the success of the more manifest moral and spiritual work.”
For those who embrace the social gospel, social ministry is at the heart of the gospel. For Spurgeon, social ministry flows out of the gospel. Spurgeon believed ministry to the poor, though not the gospel itself, nonetheless enhances the witness of the gospel. In this sense, social concern serves gospel ministry. It serves the preaching of the gospel by validating the message and providing a tangible expression of Christ’s love toward those in need. In this way, the two are inextricably linked together.
This article is adapted from Alex DiPrima’s book, “Spurgeon and the Poor.”
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