CHRIST THE CORNERSTONE:
Collected Essays of John Stott
By John Stott
Lexham Press. 365 pages. £15.00
ISBN 978 1 683 593 409
Here are 50 short ‘classic’ John Stott contributions to Christianity Today, mainly from 1977-81.
Mark Labberton’s introduction states that: ‘Stott writes for the honour and glory of Jesus Christ … with fairness and clarity … (he) grounds his writing in a humble and confident reliance on the Bible… (and) writes about the world with neighbour-love’. He certainly does!
The essays cover Scripture and Theology, Discipleship, Mission, the Global Church, Challenges to the Church, and Social Concerns. Some feel dated, for after all they were addressing presenting issues of the day, or reporting on Stott’s observations from his extensive travels in ‘the majority world’. Yet for all that, they are wonderful examples of his gift for conciseness, clarity, and wisdom. Above all they demonstrate his commitment to Christ the Lord, who reigns over all things.
This breadth of vision, and Stott’s attempts to think this through and helpfully apply to such a diverse range of matters, is a challenge to all Christian preachers and leaders. So often we become reductionist in our application of Scripture to the people of God. Here there is no ‘shrivelling’ of vision to either a pietistic devotionalism (though Stott always writes reverently), or a preoccupation with the institutional church and concerns about ecclesiastical politics or growth/decline metrics. Essays on industrial relations, vivisection and abortion sit alongside reflections on theological seminaries, the word/deed tension in mission, the confusion over self-love, and a brilliant essay on ‘What makes Leadership Christian?’
What helped him, and could help us, was the seriousness with which he took ‘double listening’ – a total faithfulness to the unchanging word of his Saviour and Lord, and a sensitive engagement with the ever-changing world which needs the Christian good news.
Warmly commended for all, and especially to any who seek to ‘correctly handle the word of truth’ (2 Tim. 2:15) in a desperately needy world.
