Considering John Stott

I did something I rarely do yesterday.  I checked my Facebook via my semi-smart phone (or is it quasi-smart?).  I was traveling with the family all day and decided to do a status update for some reason.  That’s when I saw that one of my friends mentioned John Stott’s death.  If the death of His saints is precious in His sight, it should also be in ours.

Acts says that David served God’s purposes for his generation.  The same, I think, can be said for John Stott.  Oh, some will lament his views on annihilation (as do I), but overall he was a faithful servant of Christ and was a key figure among British evangelicals, as was J.I. Packer.  His impact was not limited to England.  In the late 90’s I went on 3 mission trips to assist Armonia, a ministry in Mexico City committed to urban transformation.  Saul Cruz had studied under John Stott, and their ministries were linked in some way if I remember correctly on this sleep-deprived day.

I first came across John Stott as a young Christian when I asked my pastor at the time (Mark Norman) questions about the Lord’s Table.  He recommended The Cross of Christ.  Soon I had a number of books, particularly his commentaries on the Scriptures from The Bible Speaks Today series.  I still use that series, and I have found Stott’s commentaries to be most helpful to me.

In seminary I read Between Two Worlds: The Challenge of Preaching Today.  This too was very helpful to me as a pastor in training.  I would give out copies of Basic Christianity.  I still need to finish his Involvement series.

Stott was a defender and advocate of the faith.  He was one of the few evangelicals at the time who saw our calling to social justice as well.  The evangelical, and Reformed, community should be thankful for the life and ministry of John Stott.  I am.