Remembering John Stott

         

From Christianity Today:

From his conversion at Rugby secondary school in 1938 to his death in 2011 at 90 years old, Stott exemplified how extraordinary plain, ordinary Christianity can be....

Until his conversion and subsequent call to Christian ministry, Stott seemed headed for the diplomatic corps. A skilled linguist, he would win a first at Cambridge in French before going on to study theology, in which he also gained a first. (A prestigious "first" is something like "highest honors" for an American graduate.) Nobody doubted that Stott would have made a superb diplomat. In his ministry, he retained the best qualities of that calling, which is to faithfully and skillfully represent someone else.

Fallen asleep in Jesus, he awaits the resurrection.

John Stott, dead at 90.

For an example of the range of his writings, check out Amazon.com.

Related articles

• John Stott Has Died (mollystories.wordpress.com)
• John Stott, Annihilationist (1921-2011) (5ptsalt.com)
• John R. W. Stott (1921-2011) (expositorythoughts.wordpress.com)
• John Stott, rest in peace (1921-2011) (westernthm.wordpress.com)
• The Death of John Stott (apologus.wordpress.com)
• When we see the necessity of the atonement (pjcockrell.wordpress.com)
• More on Stott (godsmustardseed.com)
• The Living Church - John Stott (faithandinches.wordpress.com)

In Defense Of Miracles: A Comprehensive Case for God's Action in History -- A Book Review

In Defense Of Miracles is a skillfully designed and edited book featuring evangelical scholars arguing for the possibility and actuality of miracles. It is like a college course in miracles. Edited by Douglas Geivett and Gary Habermas it is an excellent starting point for research in miracles for the following reasons:

* multiple authors, each with their own POV, writing style, and bibliographic sources

* it addresses the skepticism and hyper-skepticism of the academy

* it is skillfully laid-out

Sometimes multiple-author works are a hodge-podge, eclectic, and uneven. Not this one!

Here's how it is organized:

Part One -- the Case AGAINST Miracles - Hume/Flew

Part Two -- the Possibility of Miracles - defining, modern mind, history and miracles, recognizing a miracle

Part Three -- a Theistic Context for Miracles -- conceptual systems, science, miracles, agency theory, and the "God of the Gaps" ("Our God, who art in the gaps...")

Part Four -- Christian Miracles--Case Studies -- miracles in the world religions, fulfilled prophecy as a miracle, the incarnation, the empty tomb, the resurrection

Conclusion: Has God Acted in History "In our view, the case for miracles is strong and needs to become better known outside the academy...".

To which I might add, and inside the academy!

(One area it does not attempt to cover is miracles throughout the history of the Church, or in the modern day. Dr. Craig Keener has a book coming out in the next 24 months that addresses modern miracle claims.)

For multiple authorship, logical organization, and content, I give this book five stars -- highest commendation.