Thinking Anglicans

John Stott: some obituaries

Here are some of the notices of his death that have appeared.

Archbishop of Canterbury Archbishop remembers John Stott

Telegraph The Rev John Stott

Guardian The Rev John Stott obituary

Church Times John Stott: ‘gracious and kind’

New York Times Rev. John Stott, Major Evangelical Figure, Dies at 90

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Robert ian Williams
Robert ian Williams
12 years ago

With all these ” infallible” pronouncements by some evangelicals that John Stott has been promoted to the highest degree of Heavenly glory, may I respectfully offer some more balanced comment? Over the years I had a very interesting correspondence with John Stott both as an Anglican and then as a Catholic. He was always kind and gracious, answering all my letters. However do evangelicals realise that his endorsement of ordination for women, as long as they were not in positions of headship, swayed many within the Church of England to accept this development. In fact it was evangelicals who swayed… Read more »

Graham Kings
12 years ago

John R W Stott was more than Anglican but not less. Earthed in his ‘beloved’ Church of England, his influence has percolated throughout the world-wide evangelical movement, through preaching, theological reflection, writing, statesmanship, and personal contact. As well as the two volume biography by Timothy Dudley-Smith, ‘John Stott: the making of a leader’ (IVP, 1999) and ‘John Stott: a global ministry’ (IVP, 2001), it will be worth reading next year Alister Chapman’s profoundly perceptive biography ‘Godly Ambition: John Stott and the Evangelical Movement’ (Oxford University Press, 2012), which combines erudition with concise comment. With full access to John Stott’s private… Read more »

David Shepherd
12 years ago

I truly mourn his departure from this world. ‘Knowing God’ was the one book, apart from the bible, that most influenced my early Christian course.

He was one of the most lucid Christian writers that I have read. It would not be too great an accolade to call him the ‘thinking man’s evangelist’.

The uncharitable words of his critics fade in comparison to the grace that was poured into his life by Christ. People who live in the glass-house of papal infallibility should never throw stones.

AGPH
AGPH
12 years ago

Robert – apologies but I think it is worth noting a number of things from your comment above. Firstly, “these pronouncements” are not written by evangelicals – they are obituaries in the national press-es. Secondly, obituaries, in their very nature, usually speak of people in their best light and we should nothing different in what has been written about John Stott. Thirdly, although I didn’t know him personally, I don’t think he would have agreed with some of the things written about him. Fourthly, you graciously criticise him for his various theological positions, however I would have thought John Stott… Read more »

David Shepherd
12 years ago

A correction. ‘Knowing God’ was by J.I.Packer. The book by Stott was ‘The Cross of Christ’.

JCF
JCF
12 years ago

Oy vey, I feel torn. On the one hand, I read RIW’s “J’acuse!” and thought, geez, “Too Soon” Much?

…and then I read G Kings’ Langham Scholars list: Yikes! He influenced *them*? (the phrase Rogues Gallery comes to mind)

But I will pray for the repose of John Stott’s soul, nevertheless: may he rest in peace, and rise in glory.

Laurence Roberts
Laurence Roberts
12 years ago

dear John Stott an Evangelical hero, loved and treasured well beyond the confines of the Church of England.

Laurence Roberts
Laurence Roberts
12 years ago

New York Times link saying ‘not found’…

ED NOTE: sorry, now fixed.

Laurence Roberts
Laurence Roberts
12 years ago

The obituary in the Telegraph is very touching; as are the 11 following comments.

tmb
tmb
12 years ago

John Stott’s holiness notwithstanding, I am concerned that the books of the Langham Trust distributed by the Langham Partnership around the world, especially to Africa, Asia and the Pacific, are incredibly fundamentalist in their approach to Scripture, and, indeed, their anti-Catholic rhetoric. Global south colleges are so starved for books they take them. But they are not books I would want in my library and they do not promote the Catholic faith.

Tim Chesterton
12 years ago

I had the privilege of getting to know John back in 1990 when he took five days off a bird watching trip to the Canadian Arctic to do a retreat for five isolated pastors, one of whom was me. His biblical expositions were wonderfully nourishing, but his personal presence was humble and self-effacing. He had a true servant’s heart. I thank God for him.

Bill Dilworth
Bill Dilworth
12 years ago

“But I will pray for the repose of John Stott’s soul, nevertheless: may he rest in peace, and rise in glory.”

Yes, pray for repose of his soul…*that’ll* show them Evangelicals!
😉

Robert ian Williams
Robert ian Williams
12 years ago

You’ve got a cheek, Bill as John Stott did not believe in prayer for the dead and wrote against it all his ministry. It had no part of his 1662 Prayer Book faith.

John Stott as a dyed in the wool Protestant, albeit a nuanced one.

Laurence Roberts
Laurence Roberts
12 years ago

oh heavens ! prayer is prayer ! No doubt the Lord can sort them out for himself ! He must have more convoluted twistings of hearts than prayers for a departed evangelical minister. OK so Mr Stott needs them no more himself – God ‘ll cope, or apply them as and where…

‘absent from the body, present with the Lord’

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