Charles Spurgeon: Being Unfashionable

My friend Tullian Tchividjian just finished writing his second book entitled Unfashionable. The subtitles sums up the message: "Making a difference in the world by being different." He was thrilled to discover the following quote by Charles Spurgeon from a sermon on Joshua 24:15, delivered on April 18, 1875:

The great guide of the world is fashion and it's god is respectability--two phantoms at which brave men laugh! How many of you look around on society to know what to do? You watch the general current and then float upon it! You study the popular breeze and shift your sails to suit it. True men do not so! You ask, "Is it fashionable? If it is fashionable, it must be done." Fashion is the law of multitudes, but it is nothing more than the common consent of fools.

May God give Christians the courage to be unfashionable for the sake of the gospel.

Comments (8)

And what's more out of style than holiness?

1 Peter 4:3-4

Posted by Matthew Warren | November 25, 2008 4:22 AM

This is a good post. But let us also practice wisdom. In order to reach our generation, we need to immerse ourselves into culture but at the same time not compromising our faith.

We are in the world but not of the world. We need to remember that balance to be culturally relevant and yet holy at the same time.

Posted by Joshua | November 25, 2008 9:20 AM

Josh,

Thank you so much! I added this to my web site...great stuff!

Hope to talk to you soon!

Caleb

Posted by Caleb Gordon | November 26, 2008 10:38 AM

Thank you for sharing this with us! I totally agree with Charles Spurgeon on this case.

I also did copy and pasted this onto my blog to share with others!

Hungry to be more Christ-Like and not the fashion of this world,
'Guerite ~ BoldLion

Posted by 'Guerite ~ BoldLion | November 29, 2008 11:59 AM

Very true. Our pastor preached this morning on the church members' duty to be separate from the world. :)

Posted by Manet | November 30, 2008 5:25 AM

Very true. Our pastor preached this morning on the church members' duty to be separate from the world. :)

Posted by Manet | November 30, 2008 5:26 AM

I'm convicted reading this! Just tonight I thought about inviting someone to church, but passed up the opportunity because I thought I might look uncool. How silly!

Thanks for posting, Josh.

Posted by Kristen | December 13, 2008 9:22 PM

Have you seen the new electronic edition of this from Logos Bible Software?

Charles Spurgeon Collection (78 Vols.)

Posted by Kent | January 27, 2009 4:35 PM

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