John Stott Biography
The Reverend Doctor John Robert Walmsley Stott was born on April 27, 1921 in London to a well-to-do agnostic physician and a devout Lutheran mother. At an early age, he went to boarding school, after which he went to Rugby School. It was here, at the age of 17, when Stott was converted to Christianity after hearing a sermon on Revelation 3:20. After this, he went to Cambridge, and then on to Cambridge’s Ridley Hall Theological College.
Soon after, he became rector of the Anglican church that his mother had attended when he was a child. During the mid 1960s, Stott was the chair of the UK’s National Assembly of Evangelicals, where he and evangelical giant D. Maryn Lloyd-Jones clashed over the role of denominations in evangelical unity. It was a clash of the titans, and Stott masterfully won that battle.
Afterwards, Stott went on to become Rector Emeritus of All Souls Church, became Elizabeth II’s chaplain, and wrote around 50 books, including the masterful treatment of the atonement and substitution of Christ, The Cross of Christ. One of the most interesting aspects of Stott’s ministry is his call to celibacy, leaning legitimacy to the idea that God does call and empower some to live a life of singleness.
Today, Stott has retired from formal ministry, but runs John Stott Ministries. His life and ministry was and still are essential in determining evangelical identity and orthodoxy.
So there: now I have made you aware of a great single person who you should remember. I highly recommend his masterpiece The Cross of Christ. Not only is it a great theological defense of orthodoxy, but it also embodies the whole idea of making theology into worship. The best theological books incline you to worship Him more.
Jokes about singles aside, my main goal is to make you aware of God’s call to singleness. John Stott was called to a life of celibacy, plain and simple. Has it ever occurred to you that it is God’s plan for you to not get married? In evangelical America today, we usually just assume that everyone has some special someone out there for them, predestined by God. But how does that notion match up to 1 Corinthians 7?
6 Now as a concession, not a command, I say this. I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another. 8 To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single as I am. 9 But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
Obviously, for some, it is better to not get married. You might say to yourself “How horrible! Right now I am single, and there is no hope on the horizon to find a mate! Is God calling me to celibacy??!!” Don’t assume because of your current circumstances that God is calling you to celibacy for life. Indeed, he calls all to adhere from sexual relations before marriage, and for some, celibacy is just for a short while. Here’s the kicker: those whom He calls to lifelong celibacy, like John Stott, are empowered to that kind for ministry. We call it the ‘gift’ of singleness. Paul says that each has his own gift, meaning that you have to have some special gift from God to allow you not to “burn with passion.” If God has not allowed you special means of self control, then get married, and certainly marry a believer! For those of you who have more self-control than others, just the presence of self-control does not mean that you have the gift of singleness. Through prayer and scripture, it will be made evident to you whether or not you have this capability, just as in any other calling God gives to us. We would do well to remember that.
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