John Stott's Preaching

John Stott On the centenary of his birth we remember J. R. W. Stott and celebrate his enduring influence. Abrahamic and Apostolic ChrisWright —3 Method and Message PeterAdam —6 Uncle John RichardTrist —8 Parish Priorities Wei-Han Kuan — 9 5 Books that Blessed 5 Bishops Michael Stead — 12 Australian Impact GlennDavies —15 Controversialist Nichols & Hale — 17 Visionary David Claydon — 19 Friend of women Robyn Claydon — 20 Model Expositor Natalie Rosner — 21 Fellow worker Essentials is the journal ofFellowship the in Evangelical the Anglican Communion.Promoting Christ-centred biblical ministry. Julia Cameron — 22 Autumn/Winter 2021 EFAC AUSTRALIA Autumn/Winteressentials 2021 1 ESSENTIALS editorial John R.W. Stott John Stott was born in London on 27th April 1921. In year holiday in Tasmania. I readI Believe in Preaching honour of the centenary of his birth date we have by Stott and came back fired and up and back on produced this special edition to reflect on the remarkable track. One could go on and on from CMS Summer ministry of the Rev’d Dr John Stott. It is hard to think of Schools to Lausanne Congresses, to papers and any other figure who has had a more profound impact on many books. One way or another John Stott has evangelical Anglicanism as well as global evangelicalism impacted many of us in profound and deeply than John Stott. Indeed as Michael Cromartie quipped, ‘if personal ways. evangelicals could elect a pope, Stott is the person they would likely choose.’ As the founder of EFAC, it is fitting for EFAC Australia to honour him with this special issue of Although many of us never met the man, he still Essentials. I want to acknowledge the help of Peter profoundly impacted us. My first contact was via his Adam and Mark Juers in dreaming up the list of classic little bookYour Confirmation when, at 14, I was articles and to each of the contributors for writing doing confirmation classes. It would be lying to say it had such an inspiring set of articles. a great impact on me at the time! In 1975 I was there when he delivered the Bible Studies on Ephesians at the AFES National Conference in Bathurst. Each session was BISHOP STEPHEN HALE captivating and gave me a whole new perspective on CHAIR, EFAC AUSTRALIA AND EFAC GLOBAL understanding Scripture. I can still visualise the Conference and was thrilled when the print version emerged as God’s New Society. During my time at Moore College, I had a case of second year blues and had a mid- Essentials is published by EFAC Australia. What is EFAC? 6. To promote evangelism through the local www.efac.org.au. EFAC is a group of Anglican clergy and lay church and planting new congregations. ISSN 1328-5858. people who value the evangelical heritage of 7. To coordinate and encourage EFAC the Anglican Church, and who endeavour to branches/ groups in provinces or dioceses of Opinions expressed are not necessarily those make a positive, constructive contribution at the Anglican Church in Australia. of EFAC nor of the editor. local, diocesan and national levels. EFAC Essentials subscriptions and EFAC Material is copyright and may not be Australia is part of the world-wide Evangelical membership reproduced without permission. Fellowship in the Anglican Communion. You can subscribe to Essentials for $25 per Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW The purpose of EFAC is to maintain and annum, which includes the 4 print issues INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® promote a strong biblical witness in and delivered to you. Go to www.efac.org.au and Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by through the Anglican Church so as to click the membership menu tab. Follow the Biblica, Inc.TM Used by permission. All rights advance the cause of the gospel in Australia. link to sign up as a member and click the reserved worldwide. The aims of EFAC are: Essentials only option. 1. To promote the ultimate authority, the Membership of EFAC includes a subscription Editorial Team for this Special Issue: teaching and the use of God’s written word in to Essentials, which may be in pdf form in Stephen Hale, Mark Juers matters of both faith and conduct. some states. EFAC membership is arranged Sub-editing, printing and distribution: 2. To promote this biblical obedience differently in different states, but is available Chris Appleby particularly in the areas of Christian through the membership menu tab at the EFAC website. The rates are: Panel of reference: discipleship, servant leadership, church Graeme Goldsworthy, Robert Forsyth, Peter renewal, and mission in the world. $50 per annum full cost Corney 3. To foster support and collaboration among $25 per annum for students, missionaries or Journal design: Clare Potts evangelical Anglicans throughout Australia. retired persons. Issue layout: Ben Underwood 4. To function as a resource group to develop Subscriptions, memberships and donations and encourage biblically faithful leadership in all at: Editorial correspondence all spheres of life. [email protected] 5. To provide a forum, where appropriate: a) www.efac.org.au for taking counsel together to develop To notify of a change of address, policies and strategies in matters of common contact Rev Chris Appleby concern b) for articulating gospel distinctives 20 Gordon St Fairfield VIC 3078 in the area of faith, order, life and mission by consultations [email protected] and publications. 2 essentials editorial Abrahamic and Apostolic: John Stott in his Centenary Year CHRIS WRIGHT GLOBAL AMBASSADOR & MINISTRY DIRECTOR LANGHAM PARTNERSHIP INTERNATIONAL ‘I am a great believer,’ John Stott would often say, ‘in the importance of BBC. Not the British Broadcasting Company, nor Bethlehem Bible College, nor even Chris Wright Beautiful British Columbia. But Balanced Biblical pictured Christianity.’ In my own assessment of John’s life and ministry I suggest a biblical balance of Old and New Testaments by saying that the scale and scope of John organisations in which he invested many years of Stott’s significance within the global church has been both encouragement, advocacy and practical ministry, such as Abrahamic and apostolic. IFES (the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students), EFAC (the Evangelical Fellowship in the ABRAHAMIC Anglican Communion), the Lausanne Movement, WEA (the World Evangelical Fellowship), Scripture Union, A John Stott was Abrahamic in two ways, of which the first Rocha, Tear Fund, and doubtless many other less well is the most obvious. known national initiatives that were blessed by his support. a) Blessing the nations b)The obedience of faith The gospel, according to Paul (Gal 3:8), was announced in advance to Abraham—namely, the good news of But John was Abrahamic not just in the scope of his God’s promise to bless all the nations on earth through ministry, but also in its substance. ‘By faith Abraham … him. Ultimately, of course, this was fulfilled through Jesus obeyed’ (Heb 11:8). God’s promise came along with a Christ and the spread of the gospel in his name to all demand, that he should walk in the way of the Lord by nations. But the role of God’s people has always been doing righteousness and justice, and teaching his ‘Abrahamic’ in the sense of being instrumental in God household to do the same (Gen 18:19). God’s people fulfilling that promise. And in that sense, John Stott was were to bless the nations by living among them in a way truly Abrahamic. His whole life, from a very early stage that was ethically distinctive at every level—political, of his pastoral ministry, was spent in reaching out to the economic, judicial, familial, sexual, etc. God’s people are nations of the world. to be, as Jesus put it, salt in a corrupt world and light in a dark world. And we can perform that function only by His travels in all continents were not just some kind of being engaged with and in the world in every area of life tourism for Jesus (or sanctified bird-watching), but were over which Jesus is Lord (which means every area of life integrated into a growing passion to gain a truly global on earth, and even the earth itself as God’s creation). understanding of Christian theology and mission, and of what it meant to be the worldwide body of Christ. John Stott was as passionate about the engagement and Wherever he went, he did as his father had told him as a penetration of the gospel into every area of public life as small boy in the countryside—he kept his eyes and ears he was about the truth of the gospel itself. He could not open. He listened respectfully to other cultures, learned separate them. Indeed, he would have argued that the from them, and sought to see the richness of the eternal truth of the gospel has not really been grasped unless and biblical gospel through the eyes, needs and aspirations of until the radical demands of the gospel, as well as the others. It could be said that he was a blessing to so many gracious promises of the gospel, are being presented and people in every part of the world, because he opened lived out in the world by ‘integrated Christians’, that is, himself up to be blessed by them. And the extent to Christians who have rejected the disabling falsehood of which John Stott was Abrahamic in ‘blessing the nations’ the ‘sacred-secular divide’. It was this conviction that led can be seen in the number of international evangelical to the foundation of the London Institute for Autumn/Winter 2021 3 ESSENTIALS Contemporary Christianity, as well as books likeThe Congress on World Evangelisation in 1974, providing in Contemporary Christian and Issues Facing Christians Today.

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