The Debt I Owe to John Stott

By Charles Gardner
Special to ASSIST News Service

DONCASTER, UK (ANS) -- News of the death aged 90 of legendary evangelical John R. W. Stott has inspired me to join in tributes to the man through whom I heard the call of God into journalism.

John Stott at Keswick, where he spoke many times at the annual convention there.

A prolific writer himself, John was preaching at All Soul's Church in central London when he challenged members of the congregation to get involved in the world - and he particularly mentioned the need for journalists.

At the time - 1973 - I had been seriously considering the pulpit ministry following a profound conversion the previous year. The discovery of Christ's reality was such that I felt compelled to tell the whole world about it, and naturally thought preaching would be the best means of doing so. I had already been accepted for the Anglican ministry and was searching for the right course and place of study.

Then John made it clear that there were other, sometimes more effective, ways to communicate the gospel - and I never looked back.

I enrolled on a journalism course in Fleet Street and, although I have worked mainly with the secular press in the intervening 38 years, I have had many wonderful opportunities to share the gospel in ways that are meaningful to the man in the street. I have worked for daily and weekly papers, and in the meantime have launched several Christian publications including an evangelistic tabloid called New Life which, after nearly 30 years, is still in circulation around the country conveying the good news in down-to-earth language.

All Soul's Church in Langham Place at the north end of Regent's Street in London's Marylebone was designed by the famous architect John Nash and completed in 1823. This is where John Stott ministered for many years.

I was privileged to have come under John Stott's ministry throughout most of the seventies as a dedicated member of the 1,500-strong All Souls congregation at the time. He wrote many books - some of them best-sellers - which have proved tremendously helpful to millions around the world. But it was his expository preaching that meant most to me. He was a brilliant and anointed communicator who would take Bible passages, verse by verse, and simply thrill your soul as he unearthed gold nuggets from the rich treasure of the scriptures with his amazing insight and vast knowledge.

You always felt you were being fed with immensely satisfying spiritual food, and I never forget how deeply I was stirred when he expounded the truths of the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5.22 - "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Through all the years since I have endeavored, with varying degrees of success, to bear the natural fruit that comes from such supernatural grace.

John also devised a "nursery class" for new Christians or those still seeking for answers - something of a forerunner of the Alpha course - and I was privileged to help lead such classes. It took you through 14 weekly Bible studies on major Christian themes, but I kept going back for more and must have completed the course several times, which is why I became an assistant leader for a while.

John never married, much to the disappointment of some perfectly eligible ladies, as he was convinced he had a calling to be single so he could concentrate on the gospel.

At All Souls we knew we had to share John with Christians around the world as he travelled the globe preaching and, although something of an intellectual with a pastor's heart, he was in my opinion essentially an evangelist. He just loved to introduce people to Jesus!

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Charles Gardner is a 62-year-old journalist working in Yorkshire with a vision to launch a national daily newspaper in Britain bringing worldwide news from a biblical perspective and thus filling the vacuum created by the expected ongoing collapse of the secular media world. He is married to Linda, 54, who takes Christianity into the schools of Doncaster, Yorkshire, UK, through assemblies, RE lessons and other creative means. He can be contacted by e-mail at:chazgardner@btinternet.com