FIRST READ:
I find myself hoping and praying that evangelicals worldwide will take more initiatives to develop friendly conversations with Roman Catholics based on common Bible study. It would be tragic indeed if God’s purpose of reformation were frustrated by our evangelical stand-offishness.’ ~ John Stott (https://curiouspresbyterian.wordpress.com/2008/05/29/john-stott-on-ecumenism/)
‘The [hell] fire itself is termed “eternal” and “unquenchable,” but it would be very odd if what is thrown into it proves indestructible. Our expectation would be the opposite: it would be consumed for ever, not tormented for ever. Hence it is the smoke (evidence that the fire has done its work) which “rises for ever and ever.”’ ~ John Stott (http://curiouspresbyterian.wordpress.com/2011/03/16/the-rob-bell-debate-john-stott-on-hell-and-christian-annihilationism/)
John Stott caused quite a stir among evangelicals in 1988 with his tentative support of Annihilationism. Surprisingly, Stott has not subsequently addressed his support of this issue in writing. The quote that caused the stir is given below:
"I find the concept [of eternal conscious punishment in hell] intolerable and do not understand how people can live with it without either cauterising their feelings or cracking under the strain. But our emotions are a fluctuating, unreliable guide to truth and must not be exalted to the place of supreme authority in determining it. As a committed Evangelical, my question must be -- and is -- not what does my heart tell me, but what does God's word say?"( http://www.theopedia.com/John_Stott)
Annihilationism is the belief that the final fate of those who are not saved is literal and final death and destruction. It runs counter to the mainstream traditional Christian understanding of hell as eternal suffering and separation from God. In contrast to the more traditional view, which holds that the wicked will remain conscious in hell forever, annhilationism teaches that, whether or not God may use hell to exact some conscious punishment for sins, he will eventually destroy or annihilate the wicked completely, leaving only the righteous to live on in immortality. This is essentially a moot point for Universalists since in their view all will be saved and hell will one day be empty. Each of the three views, Annihilationism, Eternal Torment and Universalism, has at least one major feature in common with the alternatives. Universalism and Eternal Torment both affirm that everyone will have immortality. Universalism and Annihilationism affirm that evil will one day no longer exist, and Annihilationism and Eternal Torment both affirm that some will be punished eternally, without remedy. For the annihilationist, however, eternal punishment is seen as "permanent elimination." (http://www.theopedia.com/Annihilationism)
Influential Pastor and Theologian, Rev. John Stott, Passes Away at 90
http://www.urbanchristiannews.com/ucn/2011/07/influential-pastor-and-theologian-rev-john-stott-passes-away-at-90.html
July 27, 2011 3:34 PM
The Rev. John Stott, who led a resurgence of evangelicalism in Britain and went on to become one of the most influential evangelical thinkers of the 20th Century, died Wednesday. He was 90.
Benjamin Homan, president of John Stott Ministries, told The Associated Press in a phone interview that Stott died surrounded by friends on Wednesday afternoon.
He did not give a precise cause of death but said Stott's health had deteriorated sharply in recent weeks and that he had been in severe pain near the end of his life.
"His body was just wearing out," Homan said.
Stott died at the College of St. Barnabas, a residential community for retired Anglican clergy in Lingfield, Surrey, 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of London, according to information posted on the All Souls Langham Place website Wednesday night.
He was an intellectual pioneer who in the years following World War II spearheaded an evangelical revival in England at a time when evangelical Christians had almost no influence and were often derided as uneducated.
Stott, who studied at Trinity College at the University of Cambridge, took a rigorous approach to Scripture that moved beyond the largely emotional appeals commonly used by preachers of his era.
In more than 50 books, he explained complex theology in a way that lay people could easily understand. Among his most popular books was "Basic Christianity," a primer on the faith which has been translated into more than 60 languages, according to his U.S. publisher, InterVarsity Press.
"The evangelical world has lost one of its greatest spokesmen," evangelist Billy Graham, 94, said in a statement. He called Stott "a friend and adviser." The two men had worked together since the 1950s.
Stott was one of the earliest Western evangelical leaders to recognize the importance of Christian churches in developing countries. He was a primary framer of the 1974 Lausanne Covenant, a declaration of beliefs that was used to build evangelicalism into a global movement.
The document was written at an international meeting that Graham organized at the height of his career and is considered a milestone in the rise of evangelical Christianity worldwide.
"While he was not as well-known as say somebody like Rick Warren or Billy Graham, they all knew him as sort of their mentor," said Michael Cromartie of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington.
Stott is credited with renewing an evangelical emphasis on social responsibility, along with spreading the Gospel.
He was born in London to an agnostic father who was a physician and a mother who was Lutheran but attended the Anglican church that her son would eventually lead, All Souls Langham Place. He embraced Christianity in 1938, according to InterVarsity.
He was ordained by the Church of England in 1945, going on to serve as All Souls' curate and rector until 1975.
Known as "Uncle John" to the many people he worked with, Stott was a lifelong bachelor who traveled the world for his teaching and funneled his book royalties into scholarships, especially for students from developing countries who went on to lead evangelical movements where they lived.
The church website said that Stott's close friends and associates were at his bedside reading Scriptures and listening to Handel's "Messiah" when he died.
"His preaching drew many to Christ and kept many on track in their Christian thinking and living," said Hugh Palmer, rector of All Souls Langham Place. "His books did the same for millions more and equipped pastors and lay people to become bible teachers themselves on every continent."
Christian Leaders Respond to Death of John Stott on Twitter:
@RickWarren
John Stott,one of my closest mentors,just died.I flew to the UK recently just to pray for him &sit by his bed.What a giant!
@PastorTullian
My granddad was both tearful and speechless when his assistant came in to tell us that his lifelong friend John Stott had died.
@PastorTullian
Sitting with my granddad and his assistant just came in to tell us that John Stott died. One of the greatest preachers who ever lived.
@albertmohler
You cannot explain English-speaking evangelicalism in the 20th century without crucial reference to the massive influence of John Stott.
@albertmohler
I am thankful for warm memories of conversations with John Stott, a man with a generous heart as well as a keen mind. We will miss him.
SOURCE: The Associated Press
Gregory Katz and Rachel Zoll
