One of the most significant Christian leaders of the 20th century, John Stott, passed away on Wednesday afternoon, at the age of 90.
Stott was renowned as an Anglican theologian of the highest order, and also a passionate voice for evangelical Christianity in particular.
Stott was the former Rector of the renowned All Souls Church in Langham Place, London and was perhaps most famous for being one of the founders of the Lausanne Movement, a worldwide movement of evangelicals.
He was the chief architect of two of the Movement’s major documents, the Lausanne Covenant in 1974 and the Manila Manifesto in 1989.
Stott was firm in his emphasis on the basics of classical evangelicalism, including the need for personal conversion, the authority of Scripture and the centrality of Jesus’ death for sinners. Yet, he was equally passionate about the moral and social dimensions of the gospel, including justice for the poor and care for creation.
In 2005, Stott was featured in TIME magazine as one of the world's "100 Most Influential People." He was the author of about 50 books published in 65 languages. Among his best known are “Basic Christianity” (1958), “Christ the Controversialist” (1970) and “The Cross of Christ” (1986).
“Basic Christianity” alone has been translated into more than 60 languages and has sold more than 2.5 million copies.
Despite the success of his work, Stott was known by many as 'Uncle John,' and was well regarded for his humility.
“Pride is without doubt the greatest temptation of Christian leaders,” he once said. “And I’m very well aware of the dangers of being feted and don’t enjoy it and don’t think one should enjoy it.”
Upon hearing of his death, tributes from other leaders from around the world immediately began pouring in, including one from another renowned evangelical leader of his generation - Billy Graham.
"The evangelical world has lost one of its greatest spokesmen," said Graham in a statement.
"I have lost one of my close personal friends and advisors. I look forward to seeing him again when I go to Heaven."