John Stott’s The Cross of Christ will remain a fixture on anyone’s bookshelf who seeks to delve into the depths of Christology. This book is not one that is read once and consumed in completion but promises to continue to challenge and inform the reader upon multiple encounters. With an urgency to awaken the heart of the believer to the centrality of the Cross, Stott shares his own heart and passion while continuing to be precise, logical, and thorough. Its universal impact on one’s conceptions of one’s faith and the actions that flow from that recognition, make it a great tool for ministers and leaders wishing to disciple younger believers into the profundities it has to offer.
In order to appreciate the wisdom shared by Stott it is helpful to understand his background and circumstances. Born in 1921 in London, Stott grew up believing in Jesus his whole life. Yet he became aware for the need for more and said of his own conversion, “I was holding Christ at arm’s length, and keeping him outside. I knew that to open the door might have momentous consequences. I am profoundly grateful to him for enabling me to open the door. Looking back now more than fifty years, I realize that that simple step has changed the entire direction, course, and quality of my life.” His struggle to leap from a lukewarm faith of comfort to answer the call to suffer as Christ suffered comes across in his earnest desire to plea with the reader to go beyond grasping mentally the truths he shares but also to grasp them within their own soul. His time at Trinity College in Cambridge equipped him with a firm grasp on modern languages. Throughout The Cross of Christ, there are expository descriptions of the Greek words from the New Testament quotes he...
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...se intricacies would be helpful to ensure that they are firm on their perceptions of propitiation versus expiation for example. This book could also serve as a tool for someone who was struggling with a desire to share their faith because not only doesn't equip someone with the knowledge of the cross and what it stands for but the results of submitting to the man who was on it, leading them to the understanding that to love Christ is to love the lost and share the hope of salvation with them.
Bibliography
Archer, Clint. “Cross of Christ by John Stott.” Cafe Seimnoid. March 5, 2014. Accessed March 5, 2014.http://www.clintarcher.com/book-reviews/review-cross-of-christ/.
Dudley-Smith, Timothy. John Stott: The Making of a Leader. Leicester: InterVarsity Press, 1999.
Stott, John R W. The Cross of Christ. 20th anniversary ed. Downers Grove, Ill.: IVP Books, 2006
N.T. Wright: During my first semester at Northwestern College, I was assigned the book, “The Challenge of Jesus” by N.T. Wright for one of my Biblical Studies courses. This book and every other book Tom Wright has written has dramatically impacted my Christian faith. Dr. Wright has not only defended the basic tenants of the Christian faith, but also has shown how an academically-minded pastor ought to love and care for his or her congregants. N.T. Wright was previously the Bishop of Durham and pastored some of the poorest in the United Kingdom. His pastoral ministry has helped shape his understanding of God’s kingdom-vision which he is diagramming within his magnum opus “Christian Origins and the Question of God”. This series has instructed myself and countless other pastors to be for God’s kingdom as we eagerly await Christ’s return. Additionally, I have had the privilege of meeting with N.T. Wright one-on-one on numerous occasions to discuss faith, the Church, and his research. I firmly believe Tom Wright is the greatest New Testament scholar of our generation and he is the primary reason why I feel called into ministry.
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