The World

We have a god-given responsibility to infiltrate the world, listening to the world's challenges, but also to bring our own challenge to the world by sharing the good news by word and deed. we look at four aspects of mission: * the uniqueness of jesus, the chief foundation of christian mission * the nature of god himself, and mission coming from his heart * mission in word, but also in works * a clear and fresh vision of christ we look at the model, the costliness, the mandate, the motivation and the urgency of the mission to which we are called. review [re the contemporary christian] vintage stott, with all that that implies. as usual, we find him digesting and deploying a wide range of material with a symmetry matching that of mozart, a didactic force like that of j c ryle, and a down-to-earth common sense that reminds one of g k chesterton. this is really a pastoral essay, a sermon on paper aimed at changing people... an outstandingly good book. ...an expository treat... bible-based and well researched, intimate and magisterial in style. passionately calm and generous to a fault, a beautifully written contribution to what stott calls 'bbc': balanced biblical christianity. -dr j i packer ―the contemporary christian original booktechnology has enabled more voices to clamour for our attention than ever before, while at the same time, people’s ability to listen carefully seems to have deteriorated like never before. john stott’s speaking and writing was renowned for two things in particular. he taught us how to listen attentively to god in order to live faithfully for god, and he to modelled how listen to the world sensitively in order to communicate god’s purposes intelligibly. he taught us to listen. that is why it is such a thrill to see the contemporary christian carefully revived in a new format as this series for a new generation of readers. as we read, may we listen well! -revd mark meynell, director (europe & caribbean) langham preaching, langham partnership and author of cross-examined and when darkness seems my closest friend[re the contemporary christian] i was ten years into my ministry when the contemporary christian was published. i had already heard john stott deliver some of the material in lecture form, but to have it in print was a real asset. it was a masterclass in presenting and applying the balanced biblical christianity for which john stott was renowned. it was extremely perceptive with its call for double-listening, and it was intensely practical, especially in the chapters on preaching and pastors. it was also unusually personal for john stott, with his poignant appeal for 'young timothyswhich was penned as he celebrated his statutory 'three score years and ten', after which, he said, 'every new day is a bonus which i receive gratefully from god's hand.i am so glad that these timeless truths are now available to a new generation of 'timothys'. -david johnston, former senior minister at hamilton rd presbyterian church, bangor, n irelandi am delighted that a new generation will now be able to benefit from this rich teaching, which so helped me when it first appeared. as always with john stott, there is a wonderful blend of faithful exposition of the bible, rigorous engagement with the world and challenging applications for our lives. -vaughan roberts, rector of st ebbe's church, oxford, conference speaker and author of god’s big picture (ivp)imagine being a child overwhelmed by hundreds of jigsaw puzzle pieces you just can't put them together! and then imagine a kindly old uncle comes along and helps you put the whole thing together, piece by piece. that is what it felt like reading john stott's the contemporary christian. for those of us who feel we can't get our heads around our bibles let alone our world, he comes along and, with his staggering gifts of clarity and insight, helps us step by step to work out what it means to understand our wo