The Rev. John R.W. Stott, whose funeral was held in London last week, had a long connection with Madison-based InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. And although he preached on behalf of InterVarsity many times, he apparently never preached in Madison. In fact it’s not even clear if he ever visited Madison.
Stott, the long-time rector of All Souls Church in London, has sometimes been referred to as the closest thing to a pope in the world of evangelical Christianity. Upon his recent death Stott’s low-key but influential leadership was heralded not only in evangelical publications such as Christianity Today, but also by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof.
Stott was a key drafter of the Lausanne Covenant, which has defined modern-day evangelical Christianity. He founded the Langham Partnership to serve the evangelical church in the Majority World. He’s also played a role in a resurgence of “biblical preaching” in the modern church.
Stott did visit the University of Illinois campus in Urbana-Champaign numerous times. He was the Bible expositor at six of InterVarsity’s triennial Urbana Student Missions Conferences, between 1964 and 1979. He visited the University of Illinois and the University of Michigan during his first U.S. preaching tour in 1956-57. He also spoke at InterVarsity’s Cedar Campus Training Center in Upper Michigan.
InterVarsity moved its national office from Chicago to Madison in 1969. A number of national and international religious figures have come to Madison for meetings with InterVarsity staff over the past 42 years. But I have been able to find no recollection that John Stott ever came to Madison, or preached here.
So the answer to why John Stott never preached in Madison could be that even though it might have seemed likely because of his InterVarsity connection, he was never invited to do so.
Nonetheless, the influence of Stott has been felt in Madison, and to the far reaches of the globe. His books published by InterVarsity Press, in particular the classic Basic Christianity, have sold in the millions. Stott’s clear exposition of Scripture has been a model for preachers everywhere and has helped keep evangelical Christianity anchored in the basic doctrines of the historic faith without wandering off on tangents.
The following quote, attributed to Stott, is classic in its simple wisdom:
“Truth becomes hard if it is not softened by love; love becomes soft if it is not strengthened by truth. The apostle calls us to hold the two together, which should not be difficult for Spirit-filled believers, since the Holy Spirit is himself “the spirit of truth,” and his firstfruit is “love.” There is no other route than this to a fully mature Christian unity.”
UPDATE: John Stott on why he never married, from Christianity Today