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I've seen this article passed around a lot over the last day or so. Though the author is basically correct in his assessment of Spurgeon's views, I find the article problematic for two main reasons: (1/7) https://larryalextaunton.com/2020/07/karl-marx-vs-charles-spurgeon-an-epic-struggle-for-the-souls-of-men-in-19th-century-london/
First, the article seems to position Spurgeon as a thoughtful critic of Karl Marx. I’m afraid this is an overstatement and gives Spurgeon far too much credit. Spurgeon was not well studied in Marxist thought. (2/7)
As far as we can tell, Spurgeon never met Marx, never once referenced Marx in all of his writings, nor does it seem he was even aware of Marx’s work. (3/7)
Second, saying that Spurgeon “combated Marx and his ideas” as the Apostle John opposed Cerinthus or Augustine combated Pelagius (see linked article above) is terribly misleading. (4/7)
Just because one public figure holds views that upon analysis are found to be in disagreement with another public figure doesn’t mean they should be considered primary combatants against one another. (5/7)
One might as well say Spurgeon combatted Darwin or Dickens or Disraeli – by the way all of whom we know Spurgeon at least was aware of and interacted with a bit in his writings. (6/7)
There’s no ? Spurgeon opposed socialism. I’ve written about that in 1 or 2 articles & in my dissertation. But Spurgeon should not be positioned as a primary sparring partner with Marx. That suggestion is ahistorical and can potentially confuse our understanding of both men. (7/7)
