Oftentimes, Calvinism vs. non-Calvinism can be a non-issue. You can have non-Calvinists who embrace Calvinists as brothers and sisters if the latter shows signs of being biblically born again. Charles H. Spurgeon is a preacher often admired by both Calvinists and non-Calvinists alike. Some non-Calvinists may admit that much of their literature such as various commentaries, hymns, textbooks, and the like are written by Calvinists. The moderate KJV Onlyist may be aware that Calvinist scholars were the ones who translated the KJV. Spurgeon is among the Calvinists who non-Calvinist brothers and sisters admire.
It’s very easy to talk about, “But Spurgeon is a Calvinist.” However, a non-Calvinist, who’s probably read several Calvinist books can easily say, “Did you know Spurgeon smoked too?” A non-Calvinist pastor might quickly say, “I can understand you admire the contributions of John Calvin but I still don’t want to believe in election. Spurgeon did well to reach Britain but I couldn’t accept his Calvinism like his cigar and historicist amillennial view of the Antichrist.”
Spurgeon had his love of fine cigars. The Spurgeon Archive also never bothered to whitewash what I believe was a blot in his life. An introduction to the article also said the following:
Because we get so many requests for information about Mr. Spurgeon’s use of cigars, we provide the following vignettes from some early Spurgeon biographies. It is important to note that Mr. Spurgeon’s love for cigars was not an addiction, and he deliberately kept it from becoming an addiction, as is clearly shown in the anecdotes related by William Williams (below).
Furthermore, we fully agree with Mr. Spurgeon that smoking cigars per se is not a sinful activity. Cigars, unlike cigarettes, are properly smoked without inhaling, minimizing the risk of lung damage. Nor does cigar smoking normally involve the kind of addictive behavior associated with cigarette use. By all accounts, Mr. Spurgeon’s smoking was occasional, and never much more than a cigar a day or so—which, again, suggests that this was no addiction with him.
There are no doubt health risks associated with cigars, but this is also true of cream cheese, or coffee, or almost anything when consumed without moderation. There is no real evidence that cigars in any way hastened Mr. Spurgeon’s death.
Mr. Spurgeon’s smoking was a historical fact, and the cause of truth cannot be served by denying it or inventing myths that suggest he finally “repented” of this activity. The fact is that he did not regard smoking cigars as a sinful activity, and he evidently held that opinion until the end of his life.
From Got Questions, we can also read this about smoking and Spurgeon:
Some argue against this view by pointing to the fact that many people eat unhealthy foods, which can be just as addicting and just as bad for the body. As an example, many people are so helplessly addicted to caffeine that they cannot function without their first cup of coffee in the morning. While this is true, how does that make smoking right? It is our contention that Christians should avoid gluttony and excessively unhealthy eating. Yes, Christians are often hypocritical by condemning one sin and condoning another, but, again, this does not make smoking honoring to God.
Another argument against this view of smoking is that many godly men have been smokers, such as the famous British preacher C.H. Spurgeon, who was known to smoke cigars. Again, we do not believe this argument holds any weight. We believe Spurgeon was wrong for smoking. Was he otherwise a godly man and fantastic teacher of God’s Word? Absolutely! Does that make all of his actions and habits honoring to God? No.
I still believe Spurgeon was wrong for smoking, even when it didn’t become an addiction. I also believe that even an occasional drink of hard liquor is bad for Christians. It seems that Spurgeon smoked because it was a common practice to smoke during cold weather. I think both Calvinists and non-Calvinists can agree that Spurgeon was wrong to smoke. For the non-Calvinist, that extra layer can be rejecting Calvinism in the same way as Spurgeon’s cigar. Spurgeon did drink some alcoholic drinks in moderation when pure drinking water was hard to obtain. It can be a very controversial issue if Christians can drink alcohol in moderate amounts. I believe that Christians can drink alcoholic wine in moderate amounts. However, I believe that heavy liquor must be avoided at all costs because the amount of alcohol is higher than usual.
That’s why I really want to treat Calvinism vs. non-Calvinism as a very minor issue. The big importance is the doctrine of salvation leading to a changed life. I can always admire Spurgeon but I can reject his cigar smoking. True, he wasn’t addicted to them but I still consider cigar smoking to be not good. Spurgeon was no doubt saved but he was far from perfect. That’s why I want to say that focus on what the Bible says.
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