As a carpenter, I appreciate Stott’s human side whether as seen above in his enjoyment of dogs as he hangs out with Billy Graham or below with his willingness to roll up his sleeves and work hard.
As a theologian, it’s his authenticity, fidelity, and clarity that continue to inspire me. Even though he came from a wealthy home and was somewhat of a celebrity, “Stott chose in retirement, to live in a two-room flat built over the garage of the parsonage where he had been rector. He chose not to buy books, but to use the London libraries, as a matter of thrift. He lived simply and used all the profits from his books to support pastors and theologians in other countries. He chose not to get married, and not accept the call to be a bishop, so he could focus on his writing and speaking ministry.”[1]
Quotes that have impacted me significantly:
Problems or proven errors?: “A number of old problems, which decades ago were confidently pronounced ‘biblical errors,’ have subsequently proved not to have been. They have yielded to patient study and further light. I will give only one example. In Acts 17:6 and 8, Luke calls the city rulers or magistrates in Thessalonica ‘politarchs’, a word which occurs nowhere else in the New Testament and has not been found in any other Greek literature. So earlier critical scholars accused Luke of ignorance or carelessness. But since then a number of inscriptions have been found, dating from the second and third centuries AD, several in Thessalonica itself, which have vindicated Luke’s use of the title. It is now known that the city council in Macedonian towns consisted of a group of politarchs, and that there were five or six of them in Thessalonica. This seems to me to illustrate the wisdom of referring to ‘unresolved problems’ rather than ‘proven errors’.
“The biblical doctrine of ‘total depravity‘ means neither that all humans are equally depraved, nor that nobody is capable of any good, but rather that no part of any human person (mind, emotions, will, etc.) has remained untainted by the fall.”[2]
“Morality and social conscience are not limited to Christian people.”
“Every authentic ministry begins with… the conviction that we have been called to handle God’s Word as it’s guardians and heralds.”[3]
“It is not an exaggeration to say that the low standards of Christian living throughout the world are due more than anything else to the low standards of Christian teaching and preaching.”[4]
“Pharisaism haunts the churches of the West… It ruins true religion, for reality is an indispensable condition of God’s blessing. We must be more honest with God, more open with each other and more real in ourselves if we are to expect God to use us.”
“On the one hand, headship must be compatible with equality. For if ‘the head of the woman is man’ as the ‘head of Christ is God’, then the man and woman must be equal as the Father and Son are equal. On the other hand, headship implies some degree of leadership, which, however, is expressed not in terms of ‘authority’ but ‘responsibility’.”[5]
Regarding the creation accounts in the Bible, Stott chose to “accept the historicity of Adam and Eve, but… remain agnostic about some of the details of the story.”[6]
As one who loves a good pastry or brewery a little too much, this is one I’m focusing on in 2020!: “To have an occasional ‘hunger-lunch’, or miss a meal once or twice a week, and at all times to avoid being overweight by overeating- these are forms of fasting that please God because they express a sense of solidarity for the poor.”[7]
“What God has given us is nature, whereas what we do with it is culture. We are not only to conserve the environment but also to develop its resources for the common good. It is a noble calling to cooperate with God for the fulfillment of his purposes, to transform the created order for the pleasure and profit of all. In this way our work is to be an expression of our worship since our care of the creation will reflect our love for the Creator.”[8]
“Basic to all discipleship is our resolve not only to address Jesus with polite titles but to follow his teaching and obey his commands.”[9]
I find it so cool that this is in the “Farewell” of the last book Stott ever wrote: “So let me urge you to keep reading, and encourage your relatives and friends to do the same. For this is a much neglected means of grace.”[10]
David Wells once described Stott’s ministry in the following way and I conclude this series, adapting his words into a personal prayer:
God, please help me have a balanced ministry, one that is reflected by:
Truth accompanied by love…
Thought by action…
The gospel by social responsibility…
Care for the church by a caring spirit for the world…
Boldness of belief by humility in spirit…
Passion for what is true and right by restraint…
And clarity of thought by sensitivity to others.
If you’ve never read Stott, here are four of my favorites:
- Authentic Christianity (Downers Grove: IVP) 1995- this is a nicely indexed collection of many of his best quotes on a variety of topics.
- Christian Counter-Culture (Downers Grove: IVP, 1978)- commentary on the Sermon on the Mount.
- The Radical Disciple (Downers Grove: IVP, 2010)- his last book and a pocket-sized summary of what it means to follow Christ, even into old age. The chapters on “Christlikeness” and “Dependence” are particularly good.
- Between Two Worlds: The Challenge of Preaching Today (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982).
[1] Scott W. Sunquist, Understanding Christian Mission (Grand Rapids, MI; Baker Academic, 2013), 405-406.
[2] Timothy Dudley-Smith, Authentic Christianity (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 1995), 148.
[3] David Wells, “Guardian of God’s Word,” in Christianity Today. Sept. 16,1996, 54.
[4] Ibid., 32.
[5] John Stott, Authentic Christianity (Downers Grove: IVP) 1995, 371.
[6] John R. W. Stott, Understanding the Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1979), p. 233
[7] John Stott, Christian Counter-Culture (Downers Grove: IVP, 1978), 138.
[8] John Stott, The Radical Disciple (Downers Grove: IVP, 2010), 53.
[9] Ibid., 135.
[10] Ibid., 137.