John Robert Walmsley Stott CBE  was an English Christian leader and Anglican cleric who was noted as a leader of the worldwide Evangelical movement died he was  90.. He was one of the principal authors of the Lausanne Covenant in 1974. In 2005, Time magazine ranked Stott among the 100 most influential people in the world.

(27 April 1921 – 27 July 2011)

Life

Childhood and family

Stott was born in London to Sir Arnold and Emily Stott. Sir Arnold Stott was a leading physician at Harley Street and an agnostic, while his wife was a Lutheran churchgoer who attended the nearby Church of England church, All Souls, Langham Place. Stott was sent to boarding school at eight years old—initially prep school at Oakley Hall.^[2] In 1935, he went on to Rugby School.^[3]
While at Rugby School in 1938, Stott heard the Reverend Eric Nash (nicknamed “Bash”) deliver a sermon entitled “What Then Shall I Do with Jesus, Who Is Called the Christ?”^[4] After this talk, Nash pointed Stott to Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” Stott later described the impact this verse had upon him as follows:

Stott was mentored by Bash, who wrote a weekly letter to him, advising him on how to develop and grow in his Christian life, as well as practicalities such as leading the Christian Union at his school.

University and theological college

Stott studied modern languages at Trinity College, Cambridge where he graduated with a double first in French and theology. At university, he was active in the Cambridge Inter-Collegiate Christian Union (CICCU), where the executive committee considered him too invaluable a person to be asked to commit his time by joining the committee.
He registered as a conscientious objector.
After Trinity he transferred to Ridley Hall Theological College, Cambridge, to train for ordination as an Anglican cleric.

Ministry

Stott was ordained in 1945 and went on to become a curate at All Souls Church, Langham Place (1945–1950) then rector (1950–75).^[6] This was the church in which he had grown up, and in which he spent almost his whole life, apart from a few years spent in Cambridge.
While in this position he became increasingly influential on a national and international basis, most notably being a key player in the 1966-67 dispute about the appropriateness of evangelicals remaining in the Church of England. In 1970, in response to increasing demands on his time from outside the All Souls congregation, he appointed a vicar of All Souls, to enable himself to work on other projects. In 1975 he resigned as Rector, and the then vicar was appointed in his place; he remained at the church, and was appointed “Rector Emeritus”.
In 1974 he founded the Langham Partnership International (known as John Stott Ministries in the US), and in 1982 the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, of which he remained honorary president until his death.

Retirement

Stott announced his retirement from public ministry in April 2007 at the age of 86. He took up residence in The College of St Barnabas, Lingfield, Surrey, a retirement community for Anglican clergy but remained as Rector Emeritus of All Souls Church.
Stott died on 27 July 2011 at the College of St Barnabas in Lingfield at 3:15pm local time. He was surrounded by family and close friends and they were reading the Bible and listening to Handel’s Messiah when he peacefully died.^[7][8] An obituary in Christianity Today, reporting that his death was due to age-related complications and that he had been in discomfort for several weeks, described him as “An architect of 20th-century evangelicalism [who] shaped the faith of a generation.”^[8] His status was such that his death was reported in the secular media. The BBC referred to him as someone who could “explain complex theology in a way lay people could easily understand”.^[9] Obituaries were published in the Daily Telegraph and the New York Times.^[10][11]
Tributes were immediately paid to Stott by a number of leaders and other figures within the Christian community:

His leadership of the evangelical movement, both in the Anglican Communion and in wider inter-denominational settings, was a major factor in moving it from rather narrow-minded fundamentalism after the Second World War, to the fastest growing part of world Christianity that it is today. The list of movements and institutions he founded, fostered and strengthened can be read in the biographical pages of this website. His books have challenged and nourished millions of Christians into a balanced and thinking biblical faith. His legacy through the global impact of the Langham Partnership International and the London Institute of Contemporary Christianity is incalculable.

Further tributes from current and former clergy at All Souls’ Church were also published.^[7]
Stott’s funeral was on 8 August 2011 at All Souls’ Church.^[16] It was reported that the church was full with people queuing for a considerable time before the service started.^[17]
A memorial website was also unveiled, which indicated that memorial services for Stott would be held at St Paul’s Cathedral, London, Holy Trinity Cathedral, Auckland, New Zealand, and College Church, Wheaton, Illinois, United States.^[18]

[edit] Influence

Stott has had considerable influence in evangelicalism. In a November 2004 editorial on Stott, New York Times columnist David Brooks cited Michael Cromartie of the Ethics and Public Policy Center as saying that “if evangelicals could elect a pope, Stott is the person they would likely choose.”^[19]

[edit] Writing

He wrote over 50 books, some of which appear only in Chinese, Korean or Spanish, as well as many articles and papers.
One of these is Basic Christianity (ISBN 0-87784-690-1), a book which seeks to explain the message of Christianity, and convince its readers of its truth and importance.
He was also the author of The Cross of Christ (ISBN 0-87784-998-6), of which J. I. Packer stated, “No other treatment of this supreme subject says so much so truly and so well.”^{[citation needed]}
Other books he wrote include Essentials, a dialogue with the liberal cleric and theologian David L. Edwards, over whether what Evangelicals hold as essential should be seen as such. In 2005, he produced Evangelical Truth, which summarises what he perceives as being the central claims of Christianity, essential for evangelicalism.
Upon his formal retirement from public engagements, he continued to engage in regular writing until his death:

• In 2008, he produced The Anglican Evangelical Doctrine of Infant Baptism with J. Alec Motyer.^[20]

An introduction to his thought can be found in his two final substantial publications, which act as a summation of his thinking. Both were published by the publishing house with which he had a lifelong association, IVP.

• In 2007, his reflections on the life of the church: The Living Church: Convictions of a Lifelong Pastor.
• In January 2010, at the age of 88, he saw the launch of what would explicitly be his final book: The Radical Disciple. It concludes with a poignant farewell and appeal for his legacy to be continued through the work of the Langham Partnership International.

[edit] Anglican evangelicalism

Stott played a key role as a leader of evangelicalism within the Church of England, and was regarded as instrumental in persuading evangelicals to play an active role in the Church of England rather than leaving for exclusively evangelical denominations. There were two major events where he played a key role in this regard.
He was chairing the National Assembly of Evangelicals in 1966, a convention organised by the Evangelical Alliance, when Martyn Lloyd-Jones made an unexpected call for evangelicals to unite together as evangelicals and no longer within their ‘mixed’ denominations. This view was motivated by a belief that true Christian fellowship requires evangelical views on central topics such as the atonement and the inspiration of Scripture. Lloyd-Jones was a key figure to many in the Free Churches, and evangelical Anglicans regarded Stott similarly. The two leaders publicly disagreed, as Stott, though not scheduled as a speaker that evening, used his role as chairman to refute Lloyd-Jones, saying that his opinion went against history and the Bible. The following year saw the first National Evangelical Anglican Congress, which was held at Keele University. At this conference, largely due to Stott’s influence, evangelical Anglicans committed themselves to full participation in the Church of England, rejecting the separationist approach proposed by Lloyd-Jones.^[21]
These two conferences effectively fixed the direction of a large part of the British evangelical community. Although there is an ongoing debate as to the exact nature of Lloyd-Jones’s views, they undoubtedly caused the two groupings to adopt diametrically opposed positions. These positions, and the resulting split, continue largely unchanged to this day.^[22]

[edit] Honours

Stott was appointed a Chaplain to Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in 1959^[23] and, on his retirement in 1991, an Extra Chaplain.^[24] He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the New Year Honours 2006.^[25] He received a number of honorary doctorates, as well as a Lambeth Doctorate of Divinity.

[edit] Controversy

Stott publicly espoused the idea of annihilationism, which is the belief that hell is incineration into non-existence,^[26] rather than everlasting conscious torment (the traditional Evangelical approach). He was not dogmatic about this position, but held to it somewhat tentatively, insisting only that it be accepted as a legitimate evangelical option: “the ultimate annihilation of the wicked should at least be accepted as a legitimate, biblically founded alternative to their eternal conscious torment.”^[27] This led to a heated debate within mainstream evangelical Christianity: some writers criticised Stott in very strong terms while others supported his views.^[28] Stott also supported the ordination of women deacons and presbyters, although he did not believe they should be in positions of headship.

[edit] Personal life

Stott remained celibate his entire life. He said, “The gift of singleness is more a vocation than an empowerment, although to be sure God is faithful in supporting those He calls.”^[29]
Stott’s favourite relaxation was birdwatching; his book The Birds Our Teachers draws on this interest.^[30]

[edit] Bibliography

• The Message of Romans: God’s Good News for the World (The Bible Speaks Today). ISBN 978-08380812462.
• Chris Wright, editor, John Stott: A portrait by his friends (Leicester, Nottingham, Inter-Varsity Press, 2011).
• Chris Wright, editor, Portraits of a Radical Disciple: Recollections of John Stott’s Life and Ministry (Leicester, Inter-Varsity Press, 2011). ISBN 0830838104, 9780830838103
• Roger Steer, “Basic Christian: The Inside Story of John Stott” (Leicester, Inter-Varsity Press, 2010). ISBN 0830838465, 9780830838462
• Timothy Dudley-Smith, John Stott: The Making of a Leader (Leicester, Inter-Varsity Press, 1999). The authorised biography of the first forty years of the life of John Stott. ISBN 978-0851117577.
• Timothy Dudley-Smith, John Stott: A Global Ministry (Leicester, Inter-Varsity Press, 2001). The second volume of the authorised biography of John Stott, covering 1960 onwards. ISBN 978-0851119830.
• Books by John Stott

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