John Stott (1921-2011)
John Stott, fellow Anglican like J.C. Ryle, former Rector of All Souls Church, Langham Place, London, and one of the most significant Christian leaders of the 20th century, died on 27th July 2011 aged 90.
Please take a moment to visit Dr. Richard Hanner’s site Antagoniz for a short tribute on John Stott: The Passing of a Giant (1921-2011), where he provides some insightful quotes from Stott books, followed by a short video on this humble giant of the Christian faith.
Hearing this I felt sadness, he is with Jesus in heaven. I can’t express my feelings as if our people leave us it makes us so sad.
‘In a statement on the subject, Dr Stott has written: “Both sides are faced with difficult texts. I am disturbed by the excessive dogmatism of those who claim that only one view is biblical. I plead for a greater humility of judgement. We evangelical people need to give one another liberty in areas in which Scripture is not absolutely plain. F F Bruce wrote to me in 1989 that ‘annihilation is certainly an acceptable interpretation of the relevant New Testament passages’. He added, ‘For myself, I remain agnostic’. My position is similar.” (Timothy Dudley Smith, John Stott A Global Ministry, IVP 2001, p. 354). But in the light of overwhelming Scripture testimony one can only conclude that the difficulties lie less in the interpretation of the relevant passages than in the solemnity of the doctrine….’
Quote from “Eternal Punishment” by Kenneth D. Macleod
Found at http://www.banneroftruth.org/pages/articles/article_detail.php?1131
J.I. Packer quoted Stott: “Emotionally, I find the concept [of eternal conscious torment] intolerable and do not understand how people can live with it without either cauterising their feelings or cracking under the strain. But our emotions are a fluctuating, unreliable guide to truth and must not be exalted to the place of supreme authority in determining it . . . my question must be — and is — not what does my heart tell me, but what does God’s word say?” {David L. Edwards and John Stott, _Essentials_ (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1988, 315f.)
And, “the ultimate annihilation of the wicked should at least be accepted as a legitimate, biblically founded alternative to their eternal conscious torment.” {p. 250}
And, “I question whether ‘eternal conscious torment’ is compatible with the biblical revelation of divine justice, unless perhaps (as has been argued) the impenitence of the lost also continues throughout eternity.” {p. 319}
http://www.the-highway.com%2Fannihilationism_Packer.html&h=1AQCYgX4o