If you want to know about Evangelicalism as a movement you have to become familiar with John Stott. I was first introduced to him years ago through his magnificent work, The Cross of Christ. Few books are mind-altering or paradigm-shifting. This one still is. I went on to read many of his other books – Basic Christianity, The Living Church – and his commentaries have helped refine my teaching for years. In short, I owe a great debt to the late John Stott. Despite reading many of his published works I still knew next to nothing about John Stott the man. I was delighted when InterVarsity Press published a biography of Stott by Roger Steer. Steer has written many other books and a few biographies. Previously, I had read his biography of George Mueller. It was excellent. He brings those same qualities into this biography of Stott. Steer has that enviable ability to take the minute details of a person’s life and make them interesting. I have no interest in bird watching. Stott loved it. Steer is able to weave in accounts of Stott’s favorite hobby in a way that makes them interesting. Rather than finding Stott to be some boring figure staring at birds we are presented with the image of a man who possesses a profound love for “the least of these” and astonishing attention to detail. Bird-watching serves to build up the picture of the man rather than merely provide an answer to Evangelical Trivial Pursuit. I had a professor at the Moody Bible Institute who would always remind us that every person is a deep well. We are a complex web of emotions, thoughts, motivations, influences, temperament and environment. A figure even of the stature of Stott is no different. Steer presents him honestly; warts and all. The split between Stott and Lloyd-Jones over Evangelical Anglicans is among the more sad accounts of Stott’s ministry. But it serves to remind us that Stott was still growing in his sanctification like all the rest of us. The author of Hebrews calls us to “remember your leaders…Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith” (13:7). John Stott is one that Evangelicals will be remembering for many years to come. He is an example of leadership and Christian confession that is to be help as an example to follow. Roger Steer has given us a gift in his biography of Stott. No doubt that there will be many to come in the ensuing years. This one is excellent NOTE: In accordance with the regulations of the Federal Trade Commission I would like to state that I received a complementary copy of the aforementioned text for the purposes of review. I was not required to furnish a positive review.

This is a review of ‘Basic Christian: The Inside Story of John Stott’ by Roger Steer which you can find at http://www.amazon.com/Basic-Christian-Inside-Story-Stott/dp/0830838465

Richard Holloway has since ‘lost his faith’. I was interested to read a review (by Alain de Botton on p 14 of The Times Saturday Review for 25 February 2012) of Holloway’s book Leaving Alexandria: A Memoir of Faith and Doubt. I have ordered the book and look forward to reading it. The reviewer, Alain de Botton, who describes himself as a ‘soft atheist’, asserts that not only has Holloway lost his faith but that ‘so has theUnited Kingdom’. Holloway is now ‘sympathetic to many of Christianity’s attitudes and rituals, but free of its more doctrinaire aspects’. Holloway still loves ‘the ritualistic aspect of religion, the way that each day is marked out for a particular purpose, so that we will regularly have appointments with spiritual ideas. He likes the music and rhythm of Latin prayers, he loves ‘the alternation and sorrow, light and shade that mark our days’.

Some readers may be surprised to learn that Holloway ‘likes the doctrine of  Original Sin and the notion that we are all in deep need of confession and forgiveness’.

Sex was one of the issues that ultimately caused Holloway to part with his faith. He thinks that the Church should be telling young people: ‘We know you are going to be enthralled by sexuality, which is hardly surprising since it is the energy of life itself. Never forget the sheer f***ing insanity of it all’.

Although some will be shocked by Holloway’s tone in places, it is a long way from the shrill sound of Richard Dawkins to whom I addressed an open letter (Letter to an Influential Atheist available from Amazon).

It is interesting that Holloway worries what a secular world will be like and invites his readers ‘to stay sympathetic to religion even if we believe none of it’.

I look forward to reading Richard Holloway’s book and will write about it again on this blog when I have done so.

When I wrote my open letter to Richard Dawkins (‘Letter to an Influential Atheist’) which he was kind enough to quote in ‘The God Delusion’ I was at all times very polite to him. Giles Coren is less courteous in today’s London Times. Coren refers to Dawkins as ‘the Nerd King, preening master of self-promotion, slippery old silver fox, “disco-don” of the Dark Side, God-slayer and pompous champion of the Atheist Delusion’ who ‘got all tangled up trying to deliver the subtitle of “The Origin of Species” on the Today programme.’ Coren says that when this happened he was ‘beside himself with glee like almost everyone in Britain apart from Lucifer himself …’ I would never be so rude.

You can read more (and about Darwin’s supposed ‘loss of faith’) in my open letter to Richard Dawkins ‘Letter to an Influential Atheist’ which is available on Amazon.

I agree with William Rees-Mogg who argued in yesterday’s London Times that Darwinism has become a trendy pseudo-religion for people who regard all religions as equally irrational because unscientific. That is not of course to say that the theory of evolution by natural selection is wrong – simply that is not the answer to or explanation of life, the universe and everything. Secularist Darwinians, like Richard Dawkins, seldom have any deep understanding of the main religions as he has demonstrated in some of his uncertain appearances on the media of late.

The aircraft which has been named “Spirit of John Stott” is a Cessna Caravan 208B. This aircraft can be used to transport up to 12 people, or cargo, up to approximately 1000 miles (1600 km) at about 200 miles per hour (320 km/h).

It is able to land on “unimproved” air strips, and thus take people and supplies to places which are otherwise hard to reach, by either road or regular air services.

It is fitting that such an airplane be so named, as John had a heart for the less fortunate, the “majority world”, and an interest in linking evangelism with social action in “balanced Christianity”. This airplane serves those who are less fortunate, in the majority world, and brings relief to those in need.

Currently, the “Spirit of John Stott” is based inEntebbe, Uganda. It is hoped that the naming of this aircraft will be a tribute and witness to a man who pointed people to Christ.

You can read the whole story of John Stott’s life in my book “Inside Story: The Life of John Stott” (in America as “Basic Christian: The Inside Story of John Stott”) which is available from Amazon or “10ofthose”, the publishers IVP, or all good bookshops.

Source: John Stott Memorial Site: http://www.johnstottmemorial.org/events/spirit-of-john-stott-2/

A plan to honour the missionary could mean an unlikely influx of Chinese tourists toBarnsley. James Hudson Taylor played an important role in taking Christianity toChinaand is revered by millions of Christians acrossAsia.

Barnsley’s James Hudson Taylor Group is hoping to set up a trail in the town to recognise his work, and local businessmen believe it could become a place of pilgrimage for thousands of Chinese Christians.

John Foster, who runs a bakery inBarnsley, said it was incredible that Hudson Taylor was such a noted figure in the Asia-Pacific region but virtually unknown in his home town.

“If you go round Barnsleyand ask people about James Hudson Taylor, they’ll know absolutely nothing,” Mr Foster said. “But he’s probablyYorkshire’s biggest export. He took Christianity toChinaand in the Asia-Pacific region there isn’t a Christian who will not have heard of him.

“He’s their founding father, like Wesley is to the Methodists. Yet in his home town, he’s not known.”

Mr Foster said the group wants to put a series of plaques around the town to mark the places where Hudson Taylor was born, lived and preached. And the revamped town museum is set to open later this year with a section on his achievements.

Mr Foster said he is sure Chinese visitors will flock to pay their respects to Hudson Taylor. He said a group of Chinese Christians were seen kissing the ground near the missionary’s birthplace during a visit a few years ago.

Dickie Bird, the internationally known cricket umpire who was born inBarnsleyis a committed Christian and fully supports this new initiative.

Hudson Taylor’s family church building still stands in a quietBarnsleybackstreet.

It is really old, simple and beautiful. It is a legally protected building under English law due to its special historic interest. Christians still worship there – it is a Church. Hudson Taylor’s father was a pharmacist with a shop inBarnsleytown centre. James Hudson Taylor himself was born in the living accommodation of that shop and later he worked there. There is still a pharmacy shop on that location: “Boots the Chemist”, Cheapside Barnsley.

I have written three books about Hudson Taylor including ‘J Hudson Taylor: A Man in Christ’. The lowest priced copies of this book are available at http://www.10ofthose.com/products/11/J-Hudson-Taylor-Man-In-Christ-PB/

I will be telling you more about the Barnsley plans and Hudson Taylor the man on this website over coming weeks.

Redwood observes: “The growing share of the public sector is astonishing. It has been shielded from all overall real cuts so far since the recession hit in 2008. The Treasury figures show that the public sector spent 41% of our total national output in each of the years 2005-6, 2006-7 and 2007-8 before the recession hit. It shot up during the recession and is now running at 47%. Because the public sector so expanded its share of a falling total, the squeeze on the private sector was intensified. The private sector not only had to absorb the hit from recession, taking away revenues from its businesses and employees, but also had to absorb the hit of a large increase in tax revenues to help pay for the expanding public sector. This year taxes will be £46 billion higher than in 2008-9, despite national income being lower than at the pre recession peak.

“Some of this change was of course the so called automatic stabilisers. Public spending does go up in a recession as more people lose their jobs in the private sector and rightly qualify for benefits from the public sector. Some was a planned fiscal or Keynsian boost to demand, which did not succeed in preventing a sharp reduction in private sector demand. It did help intensify the tax squeeze and inflation squeeze on the private sector.

“So let us assume that the high levels of public spending achieved under Mr Blair and Brown before the recession struck are the desirable norm, the levels the UK public wishes to vote for. That means getting UK public spending back to 41% of our national output, from the current 46% planned for this year. In order to do this without making any real cuts to public spending the UK private sector needs to grow more quickly.

“If the UK economy grows at 2.5%, its old pre crisis growth rate, the UK could reach Labour’s preferred level of public spending by 2016-17 by freezing current real levels of public spending and allowing the private sector to grow. If the rate of growth of the UK economy is now around 1%, as some fear, by 2016-17 UK public spending would still be a very high 45% of national output without real cuts.”

Surely all agree we need more growth. John Redwood argues that “the way to achieve it should not be in doubt either. It is back to our old favourites. Cut tax rates on earning and making profits, reward savers better, fix the banks, and get many more of the costly but less desirable regulations out of the way. Public spending has risen, continued to rise under the Coalition, and needs to fall as a proportion of our national income. It is easier to do that if the economy is growing.”

O Holy Child of Bethlehem Descend to us we pray Cast out our sin And enter in Be born in us today
It is my prayer that on this Christmas day we might all find room in our lives for the message of the angels and for the love of God through Christ our Lord.
I wish you all a very happy Christmas.