Tributes continue to be paid to John Stott, one of the world’s most important evangelical leaders, who died on Wednesday at the age of 90.
Writing on a memorial website, the international director of Langham Partnership, Chris Wright, said it was “not possible to write the history of the church in the 20th century without reference to John Stott”.
“For the vast majority of people whose lives he influenced profoundly, however, he was simply ‘Uncle John’ – a much loved friend, correspondent, and brother, to whose prayers we will never know how much we owe,” he said.
“Like Moses, he was one of the greatest leaders God has given to his people, and yet at the same time, one of the humblest men on the face of the earth. He was, for all of us who knew him, a walking embodiment of the simple beauty of Jesus, whom he loved above all else.”
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, paid tribute to Stott as a man of “unsparing service and witness” who “won a unique place in the hearts of all who encountered him”.
“He was a man of rare graciousness and deep personal kindness, a superb communicator and a sensitive and skilled counsellor,” he said.
“Without ever compromising his firm evangelical faith, he showed himself willing to challenge some of the ways in which that faith had become conventional or inward-looking.
“It is not too much to say that he helped to change the face of evangelicalism internationally, arguing for the necessity of ‘holistic’ mission that applied the Gospel of Jesus to every area of life, including social and political questions.
“But he will be remembered most warmly as an expositor of scripture and a teacher of the faith, whose depth and simplicity brought doctrine alive in all sorts of new ways.
“We give thanks to God for his life and for all that was given to us through his ministry.”
