Deep Dive into Lectures to My Students by Charles Spurgeon - Open-Air Preaching - Remarks Thereon

The sources strongly assert that no defense is needed for preaching outside of buildings, arguing instead that a defense is required for services held within traditional places of worship. This belief stems from the necessity of fulfilling the gospel command to go into the highways and hedges, and the recognition that the open air serves as the "heavenly Father's vast audience chamber."

Indoor church architecture is heavily criticized for prioritizing aesthetics over functionality and comfort. Architectural faults include the wilful creation of echoes and the installation of high-pitched Gothic roofs where sound is entirely lost, forcing men to shout until they risk bursting bloodvessels. Further apologies are needed for poor air quality, stifling stuffiness, and uncomfortable seating, such as straight-up panelling. Wasteful construction that piles "brick and stone into the skies" and the inclusion of distracting "hobgoblins and monsters" also draw sharp critique.

The great benefit of open-air preaching is its success in reaching specific populations who would otherwise never hear the gospel. These unique audiences include the "No church" party who view services as punishment, individuals lacking fit clothes or acceptable hygiene, and marginalized groups like tramps, lurkers, Infidels, and Romanists.

To effectively engage these audiences, the street preaching style must differ radically from formal sermons. The delivery must be intense, condensed, and concentrated, prioritizing "short sentences of words and short passages of thought." Long arguments are useless; thought must be transformed into "bullets," ensuring each point is complete in itself for the constantly changing crowd. Preachers must maintain courtesy, use "mother-wit," and avoid incessant bawling, favoring a quiet, penetrating, conversational style. Prudence requires using the wind to project the voice and avoiding acoustic hazards like the noisy Normandy poplar.

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