The Incomparable Christ [Hardcover]

John R. W. Stott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2002

Who is Jesus Christ? No human question is more pivotal. No thoughtful answer fails to stretch our language, our categories or our aspirations.

In recent years numerous books have been written on Jesus, books that are shaped by faith or skepticism or follow the Western academic quest for the historical Jesus. The result has been a kaleidoscope of Jesuses, a thicket of viewpoints, some troubling to faith, some puzzling to the intellect, and a few that enrich our vision as they explore familiar terrain from new and promising angles.

Here is a book written by one who for a lifetime has followed Christ with heart, mind, soul and strength. John Stott offers us a vision of Christ whose portrait is discerned in the mosaic pattern of Scripture, whose influence is traced in the great currents of history, and whose compelling call has shaped the story line of ordinary humans who have been charged with extraordinary faith and courage.

The minimalist criteria for weighing the authenticity of Jesus' sayings and deeds yield only a thin outline of Jesus, the barely discernible image of a Jewish sage or prophet. But the criteria of Scripture's testimony and the effective power of Jesus in lives and history point to a multidimensional, incomparable Christ who defies measurement. Jesus is the one figure who, like no other, has changed lives, shaped culture and offers one sure hope for the future. He is the center of history, the focus of Scripture, the heart of mission. He is the incomparable Christ.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

In The Incomparable Christ John Stott brings to print his 2000 A.D. London Lectures on Contemporary Christianity. In this landmark book, one of the outstanding evangelical statesmen and intellects of the last half century directs our attention to the One like no other, Jesus Christ.

Stott invites us to view Jesus from four aspects:

The Original Jesus--The New Testament witness to Jesus in Gospels, Acts and Letters

The Ecclesiastical Jesus--How the church has presented him from Justin Martyr, Benedict and Anselm, to Thomas á Kempis, Luther and Jefferson, to Guitierrez, Wright, and the Edinburgh and Lausanne missionary confessions of the twentieth century

The Influential Jesus--How he has inspired people from St. Francis to Tolstoy, from Gandhi to Roland Allen, from Father Damien to William Wilberforce

The Eternal Jesus--How he challenges us today through ten visions from the book of Revelation.

This is the Jesus who is like no other--worthy of our worship, our confession and our obedience as we follow him into the future.

About the Author

John Stott is known worldwide as a preacher, evangelist and communicator of Scripture. For many years he served as rector of All Souls Church in London. An outstanding leader among evangelicals in Britain, the United States and around the world, Stott was the principal framer of the landmark Lausanne Covenant. His books have sold millions of copies around the globe in dozens of languages, two of his best-known being Basic Christianity and The Cross of Christ. His life is the subject of a two-volume biography by Timothy Dudley-Smith entitled John Stott: The Making of a Leader and John Stott: A Global Ministry (IVP).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: InterVarsity Press (February 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830823433
• ISBN-13: 978-0830823437
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #714,459 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John R. W. Stott is known worldwide as a preacher, evangelist and communicator of Scripture. For many years he served as rector of All Souls Church in London, where he carried out an effective urban pastoral ministry. A leader among evangelicals in Britain, the United States and around the world, Stott was a principal framer of the landmark Lausanne Covenant (1974). His many books, including Why I Am a Christian and The Cross of Christ, have sold millions of copies around the world and in dozens of languages. Whether in the West or in the Two-Thirds World, a hallmark of Stott's ministry has been expository preaching that addresses the hearts and minds of contemporary men and women. Stott was honored by Time magazine in 2005 as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maybe the best of the Jesus books., September 29, 2002

By 

David Marshall - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Incomparable Christ (Hardcover)

This is the first book I have read by John Stott, and am impressed. I quickly came to the conclusion that here was an author whose opinion carries weight. No hackneyed collection of classic quotes and tired connect-the-dots reasoning, the book exhibits rich scholarship, broad range, and a wise combination of boldness and caution. He discusses both Jesus as a historical person (and I agree with him that the "historical Jesus" is the "Christ of faith"), and the influence of Jesus on history, through intermediaries not so unlike you and I.

Some of the people Stott discusses,(offering mostly positive but I think balanced critiques of Wilberforce and Gandhi, for examples, and a deservedly negative review of the Jesus seminarians) have been written about often enough elsewhere. But Stott makes the story fresh because he thinks for himself, reads a lot, and displays a depth of background knowledge such that his evaluation carries weight. Others of whom Stott writes, Justin Martyr, N.T. Wright, and Toyohiko Kagawa, I agree ought to be better known. Some (St. Benedict) were new to me. Whether famous or forgotten, Stott establishes himself as a trustworthy and wise guide from page one to the end.

Not that he is necessarily right about everything. I disagree with his view of the Crusades. Certainly Stott does not cover everything worth covering. (The Clapham Sect also deeply influenced India, for example. See Farquhar, Crown of Hinduism, and Mangalwadi, Missionary Conspiracy, etc.) This is only one book, and Christ is not only incomparable, but also incomprehensible, in the historical sense: a river of influence whose channels and depths and end no one standing on our side of the bank can fully know. But Stott generally notices what is important in those topics he does discuss. Even his take on that mysterious, strange book of Revelation does not overlook the obvious, as so many do: that in some sense at least, the book sure is inspired.

Yancey, Wright, and Polkinghorne are also worth reading on the "historical Jesus." There are some good books out there on the influence of Christ on history. But all in all, and combining both, this may be the best of the Jesus books I have read so far. (Along with my own, Jesus and the Religions of Man, which naturally I also recommend.)

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Incomparable Christ., March 18, 2005

By 

Wesley L. Janssen (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Incomparable Christ (Hardcover)

Some have said that the Anglican/Episcopalian church is "the thinking man's church" (although there may be some concern regarding the church in North America) and I must say there is some evidentiary merit in this assessment. To a list of excellent expositors that includes C.S. Lewis, John Polkinghorne, Desmond Tutu, and Alister McGrath, based on this volume, I may need to add John Stott. This book is very strong throughout.
The book is structured in four parts. I/ The Original Jesus (the New Testament accounts [excepting Revelation, that being treated in part 4]); II/ The Ecclesiastical Jesus (Jesus as the church has presented him); III/ The Influential Jesus (the inspirational influence Jesus has had on selected individuals): IV/ The Eternal Jesus (how Jesus challenges us today).
Any time a writer undertakes an exegetical treatment of the book of Revelation (part four of this volume) he will [necessarily] put forward disputed understandings. But in this reader's opinion, Stott is near masterful here. Some rather popular but poorly considered literalizations and convoluted embellishments are gently but firmly 'left behind.'

Each of the four parts is so good that no one stands above the others. I appreciated Stott's consideration, in part two, of Thomas a Kempis' "Imitation of Christ", a long esteemed devotional classic that unfortunately promulgates some sorely deficient theology. I was happy to find that others have observed this (my amazon.com review of that volume was not well received). Churchmen have, in many instances, presented some poorly developed Christology. Inevitably our ideas about Jesus fall short of the profundity, mystery, and beauty of the incomparable Christ. Sometimes, the Teacher who's "burden is light" has been taught by men as being far too burdensome. Stott relates: "Procrustes in Greek mythology was a brutal robber who compelled his victims to fit the dimensions of his iron bed. If they were too short, he stretched them. If they were too long, he chopped off their feet. The Christian Procrustes exhibits a similar inflexibility, forcing Jesus into his or her way of thinking and resorting to ruthless measures in order to secure his conformity. From Procrustes and all his disciples, good Lord, deliver us!" (p128)
Stott's book is highly recommended, particularly for the individual who's understanding of Christian faith might be focused upon his own excellent (of course) doctrine or his personal affinity for a stilted "old time religion".

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maybe the best of the Jesus books., September 29, 2002

By 

David Marshall - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Incomparable Christ (Hardcover)

This is the first book I have read by John Stott, and am impressed. I quickly came to the conclusion that here was an author whose opinion carries weight. No hackneyed collection of classic quotes and tired connect-the-dots reasoning, the book exhibits rich scholarship, broad range, and a wise combination of boldness and caution. He discusses both Jesus as a historical person (and I agree with him that the "historical Jesus" is the "Christ of faith"), and the influence of Jesus on history, through intermediaries not unlike you and I.

Some of the people Stott discusses,(offering mostly positive but I think balanced critiques of Wilberforce and Gandhi, for examples, and a deservedly negative review of the Jesus seminarians) have been written about often enough elsewhere. But Stott makes the story fresh because he thinks for himself, reads a lot, and has a depth of background knowledge such that his evaluation carries weight. Others of whom Stott writes, Justin Martyr, N.T. Wright, and Toyohiko Kagawa, I agree ought to be better known. Some (St. Benedict) were new to me. Whether famous or forgotten, Stott establishes himself as a trustworthy and wise guide from page one to the end.

Not that he is necessarily right about everything. I disagree with his view of the Crusades. Certainly Stott does not cover everything worth covering. (The Clapham Sect also deeply influenced India, for example. See Farquhar, Crown of Hinduism, and Mangalwadi, Missionary Conspiracy, etc.) This is only one book, and Christ is not only incomparable, but also incomprehensible, in the historical sense: a river of influence whose channels and depths and end no one standing on our side of the bank can fully know. But Stott generally notices what is important in those topics he does discuss. Even his take on that mysterious, strange book of Revelation does not overlook the obvious, as so many do: that in some sense at least, the book is certainly inspired.

Yancey, Wright, and Polkinghorne are also worth reading on the "historical Jesus." There are some good books out there on the influence of Christ on history. But all in all, and combining both, this may be the best of the Jesus books I have read so far. (Apart from my own, Jesus and the Religions of Man, which naturally I also recommend.) I will be looking for more books by this author.