Defining an "eccentric" as one who "does not tread the regular ring, but deviates more or less as he sees fit," C. H. Spurgeon writes of some of the greatest "eccentric" preachers in Christian history. Though they may have been called "eccentric" by the world, they were following a spiritual orbit in their work for the Lord. This work was originally a lecture and widely reported in the British and American newspapers of the time — but the text appearing there was badly altered. See what Spurgeon himself really said when delivering the lecture, which he expanded in the book. Its aim was to save pastors from criticism and fault-finding by others.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) converted to Christianity at the age of fifteen. By the age of twenty-two, he was the most popular preacher in England, and remained so for the latter half of the 1800s. He frequently spoke to crowds over 10,000 in the days before electronic amplification. Known as the "Prince of Preachers," he delivered nearly thirty-six hundred sermons throughout his life. A prolific writer as well, many of Spurgeon's works remain in print to this day.