No evangelical—one is tempted to say no Christian—has influenced the theology of the Third World quite so thoroughly as British pastor-theologian John R. W. Stott. In a way that is reminiscent of John R. Mott from an earlier generation, John Stott has crisscrossed continents in both hemispheres in tireless efforts to carry the gospel to every corner of the earth. Students are his special domain. He loves them, and they worship him.
For years he preached six months in his home church, All Souls of London, and for the remainder of the year ministered at countless retreats, seminars, short courses, and missions on every inhabited continent. In recent years, he has travelled constantly, preaching and lecturing to students everywhere. His message is always the same, yet always new and fresh. He simply teaches the Bible! How, you ask, could anyone hold the minds and move the hearts of students from Anchorage to Ouagadougou, and from Belgrade to Boston by simply teaching the Bible? John Stott does it. With his razor-sharp mind, he cuts through muddy thinking, exposes kinks in logic, and encourages students to think straight. His sacrificial love for students is transparent: no hour is too late, no time inconvenient to explore a troublesome problem.
But two quite different things impress me every time I hear him. The first is integrity: he lives what he preaches. He preaches that we are to seek first the kingdom of God, and he forsakes a highly successful pastorate in a world-renowned congregation to travel in the hard places of the earth, keeping long and wearisome hours, sleeping every night in a different bed—all for the sake of the gospel. The second unique thing about John Stott is his God-given mastery of the art of unfolding Holy Scripture. When I hear him expound a text, invariably I exclaim to myself, “That’s exactly what it means! Why didn’t I see it before?” Students love it. And some of us who are a little too old to be called students in the ordinary sense are also grateful.
Readers will regret to learn that John Stott is taking a six-months’ leave from his arduous schedule, including his monthly column in CHRISTIANITY TODAY. He will welcome our prayers. And we will pray for re-creation of his weary body and soul and, God willing, for a speedy return to his regular schedule of writing for this magazine.
