While many might think that assessment would be applied to Graham himself, the American evangelist was speaking of John Stott, who died this afternoon at the age of 90.
Stott, most recently Rector Emeritus of All Souls Church in England and the founder of Langham Partnership International, was a prolific Christian author, a widely recognized leader of the evangelical branch of Christianity, and affectionately known by many around the world as, Uncle John.
As would be expected, there will be a multitude stories appearing in the media this week, but in the hours shortly after his death I wanted to provide a few links that highlight the importance of Stott's ministry and also give a quick summary of it.
First, there is a four-minute video that was posted this afternoon by Langham Partnership. The short TIME magazine article that presented Stott as one the 100 most influential people in the world can be linked to here (Billy Graham wrote the piece. The opening quote of this post comes from that article). New York Times political writer David Brooks wrote a column in November 2004 that presented Stott as a model for evangelical leadership (Brooks quotes Michael Cromartie as saying, "if evangelicals could elect a pope, Stott is the person they would likely choose.") Christianity Today posted a eulogic piece this afternoon. (And while I am not always eager to link to Wikipedia articles, the one on Stott is accurate and does a good job of summarizing his life and influence.)
My personal favorite item about Stott is this Christianity Today piece by John W. Yates III. Yates, a former assistant to Stott, gave us an insider's look at the Anglican minister's life and routines.
Two of Stott's most famous books, Basic Christianity and The Cross of Christ, can be sampled online.
John Stott lived a remarkable life and has left a great legacy. Church historian Mark Noll once summed it up this way, "I consider John Stott the sanest, clearest and most solidly biblical living writer on theological topics in the English language."
