John Stott, England, Anglican Priest
September 26. John Stott. Stott was an Anglican priest and theologian. On this day in 1950, he was inducted as rector of All Souls Church.
But he lived in a two-room flat above the garage behind the rectory. He had a bedroom, but it also served as a hallway and a study for his research assistant.
And Stott needed a research assistant; he wrote fifty books, which were translated into sixty-five languages. He also worked with evangelist Billy Graham to shape the 1974 International Congress on World Evangelization in Lausanne, Switzerland, and served as its principal writer.
In 2005, TIME Magazine named him among the 100 most influential people in the world. On the twenty-fifth anniversary of the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, which he founded, Stott said he felt most alive “in worship, where praises reach to the heavens; in enjoying the gift of friends; and in the natural world, early in the morning, where the sights, sounds, and smells are all clear and fresh.”
An interviewer asked Stott how he wanted to be remembered, and he answered, “As an ordinary Christian who has struggled to understand, expound, relate, and apply the Word of God.”
What if you were suddenly jobless, homeless, and sick? How would you want to be treated?
In the late 1940s, London was rebuilding itself after World War II and the effects of the German bombs. Blown-out buildings and debris lay throughout the old city. Amid the reconstruction, a young priest sought to build a bridge between the Anglican Church and the poor.
In general, the church ignored people living on the street and made a priority of attending to the needs of their parishioners. But many churchgoers felt sympathy for the homeless. They felt sorry for their problems.
Stott sought to spread empathy, not sympathy, for the homeless. He wanted the church members to imagine themselves as homeless.
Stott said, “We must allow the Word of God to confront, to disturb our security, to undermine our complacency, and to overthrow our patterns of thought.” To discover their needs, Father Stott disguised himself as a homeless man and lived on the street. Near the Charing Cross Bridge in London, the night was biting cold. Stott was surrounded by trembling tramps with only flimsy newspapers for blankets. A chill grabbed Stott’s feet, and he looked down at his shoes. Each had a hole, a perfect opening for the wind. He had chosen these shoes, as well as his clothes, so he could fit in with the homeless people. By understanding their pain and challenges, he could learn to better serve the poor, not just write sermons.
The next morning when he woke on that cold pavement, he was thirsty and hungry, so he walked to several tea shops close by—one after another. Although Stott had grown up privileged and spoke the Queen’s English quite well, he created a Cockney accent to ask the tea shop workers, “Can you gimme a job for a cuppa tea? Or even spare a breakfast?” After being ignored and rejected several times, Stott moved on to another part of London and took a nap in some soft grass.
Toward evening and still hungry, he went to the Whitechapel Salvation Army hostel for the homeless to ask for a bed. The officers in charge spoke to each homeless man who came in. The officers were disrespectful, grouchy, and brusque. Stott was allocated a bed in a dormitory with no privacy, and he slept little. He listened as men, some drunk, some mentally ill, came in and out of the hostel.
The experience of living among the vagrants made a profound effect in Stott’s heart. After this time with the homeless, he taught his congregation ways they might meet the needs of the poor.
First, Stott established the All Souls Clubhouse, to serve as a place for clubs or groups to meet. He emphasized to everyone that it was meant for not only the congregants, but also the non- church members, the homeless, and the poor. He led a midweek service-and-meal geared toward the poor. He ministered to young homeless men and women.
In his lifetime, he wrote more than 50 books and led many conferences, encouraging all Anglicans to minister to the poor. Stott understood that ministering to the poor meant ministering to Jesus.
In Basic Christianity, Stott wrote: “It is never enough to have pity on the victims of injustice if we do nothing to change the unjust situation itself.” “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’” (Matthew 25:34–40 NIV).
How can you empathize with someone less fortunate and then help them, and not just sympathize and do nothing for them? What if you were suddenly jobless, homeless, and sick? How would you want to be treated?
Costanzo, Eric. “John Stott (1921–2011) Lives As A Homeless Man—A Story In Memory Of His Death Today.” Posted on July 27, 2011. https://ericcostanzo.me/?s=John+Stott. Stott, John. Basic Christianity. Downers Grove IL: InterVarsity Press, 1958.
Story read by: Blake Mattocks Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter Audio production: Joel Carpenter Editor: Teresa Crumpton, https://authorspark.org/ Project manager: Blake Mattocks © 2020, 365 Christian Men, LLC. All rights reserved.