Requiescat in pace John R W Stott

Not too long ago I wrote a brief list of pastors whom I admire. I learned today that one of them, John R W Stott, has entered into the church triumphant.

Stott (1921-2011) was an amazing man who was a gift to the universal church. As David Brooks noted, “If evangelicals could elect a pope Stott is the person they would likely choose.” His influence was significant.

Learning of his death was a moving moment for me because there is so much about Stott that I admire and wish to emulate in my own life.

Here’s a brief list:

• He was a gifted writer who made Scripture and theology sing. Two of his books exerted a special influence on my: Christian Counter-Culture (1978) and Between Two Worlds (1982). I also appreciated Basic Christianity as a primer on the Christian faith.
• He was committed to the church in the majority world. Stott was a global Christian who cared deeply that pastors and churches in the majority world were able to flourish.
• He lived simply. I am told that Stott lived simply and never took a second helping at a meal. He was keenly aware of the privileges he enjoyed and remained connected to his sisters and brothers in Christ throughout the world.
• He was irenic. There was a gentleness of spirit that marked him. He had firm convictions but unlike so many he never allowed vitriol to discolor the content of his case.
• He was bookish. He is one of the handful of pastors who I look to as a role model of being a pastor without being a corporate CEO type, or a salesman, or a politician. I work in a study not an office. I aspire to be a working theologian.