http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=14658
John Stott: Prince of the Church Dies
By Dr. David Wells
July 27, 2011
A great man has died. On July 27, 2011, John Stott left this world, aged 90. He passed into the presence of his Lord.
What gain for him. What loss for us.
John was born in London to Sir Arnold and Emily Stott in 1921. After his schooling at two boarding schools, Oakley Hall and Rugby, he went on to Trinity College, Cambridge. After graduating with firsts, he moved down the road to Ridley Hall Theological College for his theological training. He was then ordained in the Church of England, and served as a curate in All Souls church, London, from 1945 to 1950. At the very young age of 29, he then became its rector in 1950. Today, pastorates have become very brief-in some denominations the average is as low as 3 years-but he remained, remarkably, in this church for over 50 years as curate, rector, and then rector emeritus. He retired at the age of 86.
Along the way, he has received many honors including being named one of the Chaplains to the Queen in 1959 and in 2006 he was given a national honor, the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire), by the Queen.
It has been from this platform, All Souls church, that he has exercised one of the most biblically consistent, thoughtful, remarkable, stain-free, God-blessed and far-reaching ministries of our time. David Edwards has spoken of him as being the most influential churchman of our day. This is correct but it is also true that his influence has extended far from Britain and has reached the four corners of the earth. The whole world became his parish.
Stott will be remembered for a long time to come for his roles as writer, speaker, and leader. In these roles he often served different audiences and yet what stands out across a long life is how utterly consistent he was. And that consistency, in public and in private, was rooted in the same, unshakable convictions. At their center, first, was his lifelong commitment to make himself subject to the truth of Scripture. It was because of his own inner commitment at this point that he could preach to others with such insistence and directness. Yet his sermons were not simply words but expositions of divinely given truth. For Scripture is not merely a book but, in and through its teaching, it is the disclosure of God, the unveiling of his character, will, and ways. What this inspired Scripture says, God says. So it was that Stott preached and so it was that he pastored. And the second principle concerned the uniqueness of Christ as God-incarnate and the uniqueness of his substitutionary death on the Cross. Without this work, there is no reconciliation with God, no forgiveness, no justification, and no hope. It is these principles that framed and directed everything he did.
First, then, there was his role as a writer. He wrote or edited almost 60 books. Among them, of course, is his classic, Basic Christianity, which sold more than a million copies and is translated into more than 50 languages. His books fall into two main categories: Those on or about the biblical Word and those in which he sought to engage the world from within the truth of this Word. Included in the former category are his many commentaries as well as studies on biblical themes such as his Baptism and Fullness of the Holy Spirit, his study of the Christian life, The Contemporary Christian, and perhaps most importantly, his Cross of Christ. Included in the latter, are volumes like his seminal study, Christian Mission in the Modern World, and his work on some of our contemporary ethical issues, Involvement.
Second, his role as a speaker. It is hard to remember now that when John began his preaching in All Souls, the expository sermon was almost unknown or, at least, unpracticed in most churches. It is a testament to the greatness of his influence that expository preaching has come back. With his clarity, luminous language, and matchless organization, he showed us how to preach. But the fact is that preaching is not simply technique that can be learned. Without a deeply spiritual person behind the words, they fall to the ground. And that is what he was. His expositions, in part borne also by his commentaries, have been heard around the world.
Third, there was his role as a leader. When John began in All Souls, evangelicals were a small, inconsequential minority in the Church of England as well as elsewhere. Under his leadership they emerged in Anglicanism as a voice with which church leaders, who might not have been otherwise sympathetic, had to reckon. But this was no mere game over power and attention. Stott wanted the church's life to be reformed in light of the teaching of Scripture and the Scripture's central theme, the person and work of Christ. It was this same impulse that he also brought into the wider evangelical movement, most notably at the Lausanne Congress in 1974, the most representative gathering of Christians in history to that time, where he was mainly responsible for the Lausanne Covenant. This is what also explains his worldwide travels. Despite his privileged upbringing, he had a heart for those in the developing world and did more than anyone else to bring theological education to its church leaders, books to its seminaries, and expository preaching into its churches.
A pastor, preacher, teacher, a writer, leader, friend to so many, an exemplar of what Christian faith is about, a model in every way, he will be sorely missed. A prince he was; a prince has now left us to join the heavenly choirs in their worship around the Lamb.
In his final book, The Radical Disciple, he spoke of having become dependent on others as he has needed more and more care which he was receiving in the College of St. Barnabas. I visited him there, in the company of old friends, at the end of last month. His mind was clear but his vitality had all gone. He was bed-ridden, immobile, and his life was seeping away. As we left, we consoled ourselves with the thought that when we next see him, he will be leaping and laughing in a new body.
His old body will now be buried near his beloved retreat in Wales, the Hookses. Before that, though, he will be given a funeral in St. Paul's Cathedral. This is an honor reserved for those of great prominence in the nation. It is good that John will not be there on this occasion. He would be deeply embarrassed by such attention.
Dr. David Wells is, Ph.D. is the Distinguished Senior Research Professor, 1979 Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Dr. Wells taught at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and chaired its division of systematic theology. Since arriving at Gordon-Conwell in 1979, he has served in a variety of positions. He moved to his current position in 2008 after having served as the Andrew Mutch Distinguished Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology since 1991.
*****
JOHN STOTT (1911-2011)
By Ted Schroder
July 27, 2011
I have just received word from England that John Stott died this afternoon. An old friend, George Cassidy, retired bishop of Southwell, emailed that John's secretary, Frances Whithead, his niece, Caroline Stott, his former study assistant, Matthew Smith and Philip Herbert were with him. They read a few Psalms and his breathing became very shallow and he slipped away. George commented: "End of an era; and gratitude to God for his wonderful life."
Antoinette and I were hoping to visit him later this year in his nursing home. He celebrated his 90th birthday in April, and was very frail. He was ready and eager to go on to be with the Lord he so loved and served.
In his commentary on 2 Timothy: Guard the Gospel, John wrote these words on chapter 4, verses 6-8:
"The apostle uses two vivid figures of speech to portray his coming death, one taken from the language of sacrifice and the other (probably) of boats. First, 'I am already on the point of being sacrificed.' Or 'Already my life is being poured out on the altar.' He likens his life to a libation or drink offering. So imminent does he believe his martyrdom to be that he speaks of the sacrifice as having already begun. He goes on: 'the time of my departure has come'. 'Departure' (analysis) seems to have become a regular word for death, but we need not necessarily conclude from this that its metaphorical origin had been entirely forgotten. It means 'loosing' and could be used either of striking a tent or of 'release from shackles', or of untying a boat from its moorings. The last is certainly the most picturesque of the three possibilities. The two images then to some extent correspond for the end of this life (outpoured as a libation) is the beginning of another (putting out to sea). As the anchor is weighed, the ropes are slipped, and the boat is about to set sail for another shore." (p.113)
After further exposition of having fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith, John concludes.
"This then is 'Paul the aged'...His little boat is about to set sail. He is eagerly awaiting his crown....Our God is the God of history....He buries his workmen, but carries on his work. The torch of the gospel is handed down by each generation to the next. As the leaders of the former generation die, it is all the more urgent for those of the next generation to step forward bravely to take their place....We cannot rest forever on the leadership of the preceding generation. The day comes when we must step into their shoes and ourselves take the lead. That day had come for Timothy. It comes to us all in time." (p.116)
I owe more than I can tell to John Stott. He took a callow youth as his assistant and mentored him, then launched me into ministry. Over the years he kept in touch by letters and visits. His books have been a constant inspiration. My testimony can be echoed by hundreds or thousands of others all over the world.
Thank you Lord, for the privilege of knowing him personally and for being recipient of his brotherly affection and fatherly care. May his legacy continue to bear fruit. May his influence grow. May he ever be remembered as the Prince of Preachers of his day, and the friend of believers of all races throughout the world.
"My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power." (1 Cor.2:5)
Ted Schroder
Amelia Island, Florida
John Stott Memorial Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD6JW-RnBQQ
John Stott: Prince of the Church Dies
By Dr. David Wells
July 27, 2011
What gain for him. What loss for us.
John was born in London to Sir Arnold and Emily Stott in 1921. After his schooling at two boarding schools, Oakley Hall and Rugby, he went on to Trinity College, Cambridge. After graduating with firsts, he moved down the road to Ridley Hall Theological College for his theological training. He was then ordained in the Church of England, and served as a curate in All Souls church, London, from 1945 to 1950. At the very young age of 29, he then became its rector in 1950. Today, pastorates have become very brief-in some denominations the average is as low as 3 years-but he remained, remarkably, in this church for over 50 years as curate, rector, and then rector emeritus. He retired at the age of 86.
Along the way, he has received many honors including being named one of the Chaplains to the Queen in 1959 and in 2006 he was given a national honor, the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire), by the Queen.
It has been from this platform, All Souls church, that he has exercised one of the most biblically consistent, thoughtful, remarkable, stain-free, God-blessed and far-reaching ministries of our time. David Edwards has spoken of him as being the most influential churchman of our day. This is correct but it is also true that his influence has extended far from Britain and has reached the four corners of the earth. The whole world became his parish.
Stott will be remembered for a long time to come for his roles as writer, speaker, and leader. In these roles he often served different audiences and yet what stands out across a long life is how utterly consistent he was. And that consistency, in public and in private, was rooted in the same, unshakable convictions. At their center, first, was his lifelong commitment to make himself subject to the truth of Scripture. It was because of his own inner commitment at this point that he could preach to others with such insistence and directness. Yet his sermons were not simply words but expositions of divinely given truth. For Scripture is not merely a book but, in and through its teaching, it is the disclosure of God, the unveiling of his character, will, and ways. What this inspired Scripture says, God says. So it was that Stott preached and so it was that he pastored. And the second principle concerned the uniqueness of Christ as God-incarnate and the uniqueness of his substitutionary death on the Cross. Without this work, there is no reconciliation with God, no forgiveness, no justification, and no hope. It is these principles that framed and directed everything he did.
First, then, there was his role as a writer. He wrote or edited almost 60 books. Among them, of course, is his classic, Basic Christianity, which sold more than a million copies and is translated into more than 50 languages. His books fall into two main categories: Those on or about the biblical Word and those in which he sought to engage the world from within the truth of this Word. Included in the former category are his many commentaries as well as studies on biblical themes such as his Baptism and Fullness of the Holy Spirit, his study of the Christian life, The Contemporary Christian, and perhaps most importantly, his Cross of Christ. Included in the latter, are volumes like his seminal study, Christian Mission in the Modern World, and his work on some of our contemporary ethical issues, Involvement.
Second, his role as a speaker. It is hard to remember now that when John began his preaching in All Souls, the expository sermon was almost unknown or, at least, unpracticed in most churches. It is a testament to the greatness of his influence that expository preaching has come back. With his clarity, luminous language, and matchless organization, he showed us how to preach. But the fact is that preaching is not simply technique that can be learned. Without a deeply spiritual person behind the words, they fall to the ground. And that is what he was. His expositions, in part borne also by his commentaries, have been heard around the world.
Third, there was his role as a leader. When John began in All Souls, evangelicals were a small, inconsequential minority in the Church of England as well as elsewhere. Under his leadership they emerged in Anglicanism as a voice with which church leaders, who might not have been otherwise sympathetic, had to reckon. But this was no mere game over power and attention. Stott wanted the church's life to be reformed in light of the teaching of Scripture and the Scripture's central theme, the person and work of Christ. It was this same impulse that he also brought into the wider evangelical movement, most notably at the Lausanne Congress in 1974, the most representative gathering of Christians in history to that time, where he was mainly responsible for the Lausanne Covenant. This is what also explains his worldwide travels. Despite his privileged upbringing, he had a heart for those in the developing world and did more than anyone else to bring theological education to its church leaders, books to its seminaries, and expository preaching into its churches.
A pastor, preacher, teacher, a writer, leader, friend to so many, an exemplar of what Christian faith is about, a model in every way, he will be sorely missed. A prince he was; a prince has now left us to join the heavenly choirs in their worship around the Lamb.
In his final book, The Radical Disciple, he spoke of having become dependent on others as he has needed more and more care which he was receiving in the College of St. Barnabas. I visited him there, in the company of old friends, at the end of last month. His mind was clear but his vitality had all gone. He was bed-ridden, immobile, and his life was seeping away. As we left, we consoled ourselves with the thought that when we next see him, he will be leaping and laughing in a new body.
His old body will now be buried near his beloved retreat in Wales, the Hookses. Before that, though, he will be given a funeral in St. Paul's Cathedral. This is an honor reserved for those of great prominence in the nation. It is good that John will not be there on this occasion. He would be deeply embarrassed by such attention.
Dr. David Wells is, Ph.D. is the Distinguished Senior Research Professor, 1979 Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Dr. Wells taught at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and chaired its division of systematic theology. Since arriving at Gordon-Conwell in 1979, he has served in a variety of positions. He moved to his current position in 2008 after having served as the Andrew Mutch Distinguished Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology since 1991.
*****
JOHN STOTT (1911-2011)
By Ted Schroder
July 27, 2011
I have just received word from England that John Stott died this afternoon. An old friend, George Cassidy, retired bishop of Southwell, emailed that John's secretary, Frances Whithead, his niece, Caroline Stott, his former study assistant, Matthew Smith and Philip Herbert were with him. They read a few Psalms and his breathing became very shallow and he slipped away. George commented: "End of an era; and gratitude to God for his wonderful life."
Antoinette and I were hoping to visit him later this year in his nursing home. He celebrated his 90th birthday in April, and was very frail. He was ready and eager to go on to be with the Lord he so loved and served.
In his commentary on 2 Timothy: Guard the Gospel, John wrote these words on chapter 4, verses 6-8:
"The apostle uses two vivid figures of speech to portray his coming death, one taken from the language of sacrifice and the other (probably) of boats. First, 'I am already on the point of being sacrificed.' Or 'Already my life is being poured out on the altar.' He likens his life to a libation or drink offering. So imminent does he believe his martyrdom to be that he speaks of the sacrifice as having already begun. He goes on: 'the time of my departure has come'. 'Departure' (analysis) seems to have become a regular word for death, but we need not necessarily conclude from this that its metaphorical origin had been entirely forgotten. It means 'loosing' and could be used either of striking a tent or of 'release from shackles', or of untying a boat from its moorings. The last is certainly the most picturesque of the three possibilities. The two images then to some extent correspond for the end of this life (outpoured as a libation) is the beginning of another (putting out to sea). As the anchor is weighed, the ropes are slipped, and the boat is about to set sail for another shore." (p.113)
After further exposition of having fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith, John concludes.
"This then is 'Paul the aged'...His little boat is about to set sail. He is eagerly awaiting his crown....Our God is the God of history....He buries his workmen, but carries on his work. The torch of the gospel is handed down by each generation to the next. As the leaders of the former generation die, it is all the more urgent for those of the next generation to step forward bravely to take their place....We cannot rest forever on the leadership of the preceding generation. The day comes when we must step into their shoes and ourselves take the lead. That day had come for Timothy. It comes to us all in time." (p.116)
I owe more than I can tell to John Stott. He took a callow youth as his assistant and mentored him, then launched me into ministry. Over the years he kept in touch by letters and visits. His books have been a constant inspiration. My testimony can be echoed by hundreds or thousands of others all over the world.
Thank you Lord, for the privilege of knowing him personally and for being recipient of his brotherly affection and fatherly care. May his legacy continue to bear fruit. May his influence grow. May he ever be remembered as the Prince of Preachers of his day, and the friend of believers of all races throughout the world.
"My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power." (1 Cor.2:5)
Ted Schroder
Amelia Island, Florida
John Stott Memorial Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD6JW-RnBQQ
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