Roger Steer

Inside Story: ´best biography he has read´

In ´Evangelicals Now´ for February 2010, Baptist Minister Rick Battenfield wrote this of Roger´s ´Inside Story´: In reading this biography of John Stott the reader will find that the title of the book is eminently appropriate. One does feel like an insider who has been given access to the secrets of an amazing life. Summing up the life of John Stott is a formidable task, but one that Roger Steer has accomplished with both insight and clarity.

The book is a real treat for those that may be put off by more lengthy biographies. Like many others, I had been aware of John Stott and his ministry for many years, mostly through his books and the commentary series he has edited. But in this literary tardis of a book — relatively slender on the outside, but filled with so much useful information and insights — one feels almost as if one has met John Stott in person. Such is the vividness of the writing. The chapters are short enough to avoid getting bogged down and the timeline at the beginning of the book makes a very useful overview. Plenty to inspire For those looking to be inspired, there is plenty here to inspire.

There are answers to many of the kinds of questions that people would like to ask, such as, ‘What makes John Stott special?’ and ‘Why has he been so exceptionally used by God in so many places around the world?’ Here we are presented with a man who was chaplain to the Queen, a close friend of Billy Graham and Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones, a favourite speaker at universities and conventions and one of the most widely known Anglican preachers of his day. And yet, with all of this notoriety, Dr. Stott has remained a humble man whose concern for the poor and disadvantaged across the world has never been in doubt.

The book is probably best read initially over a long weekend, when the reader has an extended opportunity to be immersed in the life of this extraordinary man of God. This reviewer found it to be one of the best biographies he has read in a number of years. It’s a must read for 2010 and beyond.

You can get your copy by following the link to Amazon.