John Stott advocated “double listening” – that is, listening to the Word of God (to believe and obey it), and listening to the world around us (to understand and engage with it). He also insisted that evangelism and social engagement are both integral parts of the church’s holistic mission – like two blades of a pair of scissors or two wings of a bird.
The trouble is that some churches are good at one or the other but not both. Some preach and teach the Word, but avoid too much involvement in social issues. Others invest heavily in addressing the needs they see in the world around them, but are not known for evangelism or Biblical preaching.
Why do we so easily polarise in either direction, when the gospel itself surely summons and mandates us to do both?
What stand-up comedy showed me about teaching the Bible
Three weeks, more than 2,000 shows and 2.6 million tickets sold last year. August is the month of the Edinburgh …