The death of John Stott will be mourned by countless Christians around the world.
(Archbishop Rowan Williams)
I was young and keen to learn much about the Christian faith in the late 1960s-early 1970s, and high on my reading list were books by F.F. Bruce, C.S. Lewis and John Stott. I appreciated Bruce’s breadth and depth, Lewis is an ocean I’m still swimming about in, and Stott had a mild and gentle approach, as an evangelical, that was quite winsome and winning. Five Evangelical Leaders (1984), by Christopher Catherwood, listed John Stott, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Francis Schaeffer, James Packer and Billy Graham as dominant leaders in the Evangelical ethos. If I had to choose one of the five as my guide, Stott would be my choice.
Time Magazine in 2005 listed Stott as one of the hundred most influential people in the world, and the ripple effect of Stott’s life has gone in many directions. I lived with Francis/Edith Schaeffer and the L’Abri community in Switzerland from 1973-1974, and in 1974 The International Congress on World Evangelization was held in Lausanne, Switzerland. John Stott was a mature Abba for the Evangelical tribe at the large Congress. In fact, there was moderate and discerning wisdom to Stott’s leadership that charted a solid and sane path for the evangelical family. If more had rightly heeded Stott’s gentle insights, the evangelical clan would have more credibility today.
Stott was curate/rector at All Souls Langham Place from 1945-1975, and All Souls became a more sophisticated version of L’Abri. Many flocked to All Souls for credible ideas about the faith that challenged the mind, nourished the heart and pointed compassionate directions to the third world. There was a healthy comprehensiveness to Stott that was most appealing. The Gospel, in short, spoke to all aspects of the human condition.
Stott’s Basic Christianity (1958) lacked the convincing power of Lewis’ Mere Christianity (1952), but there were distinct affinities between the missives. Much was said, in a simple and accessible way, about basics of the faith journey. Both Lewis and Stott walked the extra mile to avoid wrangling over secondary or tertiary (adiaphora) issues. Stott was a prolific and disarming author who was more than a mentor to many. His life embodied what he said, and what he said and wrote had a certain charm and appeal. I was fortunate to correspond with Stott, and the wisdom sent my way will not be forgotten.
There is no doubt a sagacious Abba has been lost to the Evangelical world with the death of John Stott, but the many people that have been shaped and formed by Stott’s middle of the road insights will carry the torch into the future.
Ron Dart
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