Why I am a Christian

Why I am a Christian, by John Stott. Downers Grove, Illinois: Intervarsity Press, 2003. 140 pp. $10.00 ISBN 083083205x

This is the author's version (with some changes) of a work that was submitted/accepted for publication in the following source:

Shaffett, J. E. Christian Librarian 49:42-43 no. 1 2006.

John Stott was ordained into the ministry of the Church of England in 1945 and has served the church ever since. Billy Graham calls John Stott “the most respected clergyman in the world today.” He has written over 40 books. His best known, Basic Christianity, has been translated into more than 40 languages.

Stott, in his new book, Why I am a Christian, answers the question why he is a Christian. This book is similar to Basic Christianity, but is more direct and personal in its tone. You almost get the feeling that Stott is conversing with you at the kitchen table.

In seven chapters, John Stott offers six reasons why he is a Christian. Christ “pursued, pricked, and prodded me until I surrendered to him,” because he is convinced that the claims of Christ are true, because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, because Christianity explains our identity as human beings, because following Jesus Christ leads to freedom, because Christ provides fulfillment of our aspirations. The book concludes with a simple invitation to the reader to respond to the claims of Christ.

Why I am a Christian is easy to read and presents the essentials of Christianity clearly. The book can be read devotionally by Christians with much profit. It can also be given as a gift to non-Christians interested in learning about Christianity.

I am sorry to say that John Stott recently passed away. I have read many of his books and been benefited by them. I wish I had knew him personally, but this is the great thing about books, we can hear and study under the greatest minds and souls who ever lived.