Between Two Worlds: Remembering A Modern Classic

Posted By Jesse Owens on Oct 2, 2013 | 2 comments

On Monday we were reminded of the need for Christ-centered, expository preaching. Bryan Chapell’s Christ-centered Preaching helped with understanding this crucial task. However, another modern classic helps place this kind of preaching in its historic and cultural context. Though published over 30 years ago, the late John R. W. Stott’s Between Two Worlds (Eerdmans, 1982) is a relevant guide for contemporary evangelical preaching.

John Stott spent the majority of his life ministering at All Souls Church, London, UK. He became rector of this metropolitan congregation at the early age of twenty-nine. Stott had grown up in the busy, diverse, and developing city of London, and he was a member of the church before he ever began ministering there. Stott’s long and faithful preaching ministry at All Souls, as well as his predominately urban upbringing, render him quite suitable to write a book on bridging the gap between the biblical world and modern life.

Summary

In many ways, Stott’s thesis is not entirely dissimilar from the plethora of other books on preaching. Yet the content of Between Two Worlds is drastically different from most other books on this sacred, ordained ministry. To paraphrase Stott’s thesis: “Truly Christian preaching must bridge the chasm between the biblical world and the modern world.” In fact, Stott explains that biblical preaching has always done this. In seeking to prove this thesis, Stott weaves together church history, theology, and practical advice about preaching. Let us briefly examine this progression in the form of a brief summary.

First, Stott puts forth a rich, yet concise, account of the primacy of preaching in Christian history. Stott strikingly begins his work by stating, “Preaching is indispensible to Christianity” (15). Stott systematically works through the various Christian eras from the Apostles to modern Evangelicalism to demonstrate this.

Second, Stott explains that theology should be the foundation of all truly Christian preaching: “A Christian must be at least an amateur theologian before he can aspire to be a preacher” (93). Stott does not hold this view simply because he likes well-educated ministers. Stott believes that preachers must be thoroughly educated in theology and biblical interpretation because “it is through what he spoke that he speaks” (102). In other words, since Christian preaching ought to be firmly rooted in Scripture, the preacher must be at home within the biblical realm.

Third, Stott provides a great deal of practical advice about preaching. Much of Stott’s advice is not concerned with gestures and inflection. Instead, he focuses on the importance of preparation, planning, and personal integrity. Having many years of pastoral experience, this section is loaded with helpful wisdom. One brief example is Stott’s exhortation for preachers to ground their evangelistic invitation in doctrinal preaching. Stott warns against not doing so: “The request for decision without doctrine is an offence to human beings, for it is little less than mindless manipulation” (283).

Critical Analysis

Stott proposes that two worlds exist simultaneously: the biblical world and the modern world. The main responsibility of preaching, according to Stott, is to bridge the gap between these two worlds. Stott calls this “bridge-building” (137). Of bridge-building Stott writes, “It is across this broad and deep divide of two thousand years of changing culture (more still in the case of the Old Testament) that Christian communicators have to throw bridges” (138). If these two worlds truly do exist, we must ask ourselves if it is the preacher’s responsibility to bridge the divide between the two for his hearers. Let us briefly examine some of Stott’s main argumentation in the form of three questions.

(1) Do these two worlds (biblical and modern) exist simultaneously in preaching?

It would be difficult to find many Christian preachers who would deny that these two worlds (the biblical and the modern) exist, particularly in preaching. Stott provides a moving illustration that helps prove this point. His illustration is of two university students, one an atheist and the other an agnostic, with whom he once interacted. He asked these young men what had happened along the way. Neither of these young men rejected Christianity because they necessarily felt it to be untrue. Rather, they saw no connection between the biblical world and the modern one. Stott records their powerful question: “What possible relevance can a primitive Palestinian religion have for us?” This account rather adequately illustrates the existence of two worlds.

(2) Must the biblical and modern worlds be brought together?

Stott argues that these two worlds must be brought together (151). This is the case because “Jesus Christ, we believe, is the fulfillment of every truly human aspiration. To find him is to find ourselves” (151). Stott also provides a synthesis of what occurs when these two worlds collide: “To encounter Christ is to touch reality and experience transcendence” (154). Stott’s philosophical presupposition is that knowing Christ is essential to being truly human. Man has the possibility to know both Christ and himself when the modern and biblical worlds are brought together through preaching (154).

(3) Is it the preacher’s responsibility to unite the biblical and modern worlds?

Stott explains that the preacher has a responsibility to bring these two worlds together, and this does not discount the work of the Holy Spirit. While most Christian preachers would admit that both the biblical and contemporary world exist, and that these two worlds ought to be bridged, many might not think that it is their responsibility to build the bridge. Stott (as he does throughout the book) perceptively anticipates the objection. Stott admits the work of illumination and regeneration are solely the work of the Spirit (329). However, Stott effectively calls preachers to vigorously study (180-210). It is through preparation of both the mind and the heart that the preacher connects the two worlds. Stott claims that the preacher does this by being well informed concerning both Scripture and modern culture. For Stott, the preacher is to cooperate with the Spirit in bridge-building.

Yet there is something that undergirds Stott’s thesis of how Christian preaching brings together the biblical and modern worlds: the sufficiency of Scripture. It is this belief that lends the greatest credibility to his argument. Stott begins his work by stating, “[I]t is God’s speech which makes our speech necessary. We must speak what he has spoken” (15). The only authority or power that the preacher has then is the authority that belongs to God and His Word. We can, and must, speak because God has spoken. Yet Stott pushes this notion a step further when he explains, “So my task…is to try to convince my readers of the indispensable necessity, for the glory of God and the good of the Church, of conscientious biblical preaching” (92-93). Therefore, the preacher’s authority is derived from God’s authoritative word, and he must conscientiously remain faithful to God’s spoken Word. To use Stott’s own words from a later chapter, “Safety and truth are found in the related convictions that God has spoken, that God speaks, and that his two messages are closely connected to one another, because it is through what he spoke that he speaks” (102).

Stott’s argument is even more powerful because he documents the overwhelming historical consensus that preaching is the prime part of Christian worship. By then affirming this consensus, he also affirms that only expositional preaching allows the preacher to connect the biblical world and the modern world. The preacher must be at home in the biblical world, but he must also be at home among his people (191). He must know them and love them. He must care for their souls (273). This is the gripping part of Stott’s work. He exhorts the preacher to rigorous study. He presents his own rigorous scholarship in his writing. But he also exhorts the preacher to sincere love and care for the people he serves. Stott does not encourage some form of stiff knowledge. Instead, he calls preachers to wisdom that results in passionate preaching out of a love for both God and people.

Conclusion

Between Two Worlds is a monumental work and a Christian classic. This is not by either conspiracy or accident. Stott’s thesis is not all that bold, but he delivers far more than his thesis promises. Why is this? There are at least two reasons: His dedication to Christian scholarship and his vast pastoral experience. This is a rare combination today. Every page of this work is littered with references to historic sermons, Christian literature, and the opinions of the broader culture. Stott is almost overflowing with relevant and powerful research. His research has been adequately done. Stott combines a great respect for Christian history and a sensitive interpretation of the modern world. This reveals his seasoned pastoral perspective. He has a vast knowledge of the Christian tradition, but he is evidently concerned with relating it to the modern culture. This does not come across as necessity, but as a pastoral conviction and desire. For these reasons, Between Two Worlds will remain a Christian classic and necessary reading for discerning preachers.

On Friday, we will post a list of helpful preaching books that every minister ought to consider reading.

The best way to stay up-to-date with HSF

SUBSCRIBE!

You have Successfully Subscribed!