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The radical discipleStott’s farewellTHE RADICAL DISCIPLE In his very moving and personal farewell book, John Stott has picked out eight characteristics that should mark out a radical disciple of the One we would call ‘Master and Lord’, but which he feels have often been neglected. Some of these are, indeed, themes that he has addressed before. We have, for instance, his last Keswick address on Christlikeness, which, in many ways, he has unselfconsciously epitomised. Frequently John Stott has bemoaned the shallowness and superficiality of much Christian thinking and living, so that it is not surprising to have chapters on maturity and balance. Some may feel that Dr. Stott has gone a shade green as he pleads for creation-care, but we need to be challenged on this issue as well as on the issue of living simply. It is all very well for Western Christians to decry the prosperity gospel, but we do not need it as we already live so prosperously. Although in no way ascetic, John Stott’s own life-style exemplified simplicity. However, this book is supremely worth obtaining and loving for the final two chapters on Dependence and Death. He gently castigates those who, as they approach old age, say, ‘I don’t want to be a burden on anyone else. I’m happy to go on living so long as I can look after myself, but as soon as I become a burden I would rather die’. But this is wrong. We are all designed to be a burden to others. The life of the local church family should be one of ‘mutual burdensomeness’. After many decades of being wonderfully self-sufficient, John finds himself now in a position of considerable dependence. It is a hard, humbling and fruit-bearing experience. Movingly he describes this as part of ‘radical discipleship’, as is the Christian’s positive and joyful approach to death. Yet again we are indebted to this marvellous man. Jonathan Fletcher,
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