This week in Christian history: Tragedy at Charles Spurgeon event; 'Bishop of bling’ suspended
Crowd stampedes at Charles Spurgeon service, several die – Oct. 19, 1856
This week marks the anniversary of when crowd panic ensued while famed English preacher Charles H. Spurgeon was speaking at an event, resulting in seven deaths and several injuries.
A 22-year-old Spurgeon was preaching before a gathering of about 12,000 at the Royal Surrey Gardens in London, England, when an unknown individual shouted, "Fire! The galleries are giving way! The place is falling!"
The large crowd panicked, causing a balcony to collapse and dozens to be trampled. By the time things calmed down, seven people were dead and another 28 were seriously injured.
According to The Spurgeon Center, the tragedy deeply impacted Spurgeon himself, as he experienced severe depression and nearly quit the ministry.
"I have gone to the very bottoms of the mountains, as some of you know, in a night that never can be erased from my memory," Spurgeon recounted, returning to the pulpit two weeks later. "But, as far as my witness goes, I can say that the Lord is able to save unto the uttermost and in the last extremity, and he has been a good God to me."
