Don't try to repaint him. He was Calvinist through and through and to try and take that away, because you appreciate him, is a disservice to the man. Many nonCalvinists who appreciate him, have tried to do this, even some suggesting that he didn't know what Calvinism was. This isn't true at all and it odd for a no-name to try and assert against Spurgeon's own writings on the matter (not you, there are a lot of webpages dedicated to this by people you and I won't ever know). I think that it is admirable to love him so much, that one desperately doesn't want him to be a Calvinist, as if loving a Calvinist or his sermons would be a bad thing. But I think that Spurgeon loved Arminians, should tell you something about the man. He didn't agree with them, he just didn't get his shorts in a bunch to distance himself from them. Simply enjoy him whether you agree with all of his theology or not. He was thoroughly Calvinist. He didn't 'soften.' He simply understood that God saves to the uttermost, and that Arminians were saved by the Gospel of Grace, whether they knew it or not. That is why he was good friends with Arminians. I am good friends with Arminians. Don't say I'm waffling on my theology though. That is doing both me and Spurgeon and injustice, and even yourself in the long run. Spurgeon never 'softened.'
