Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Conversion
2. Students
3. Parishioners
4. Anglicans
5. Society
6. World
Conclusion
Alister Chapman (B.A., M.A., Ph.D., University of Cambridge) is Associate Professor of History at Westmont College, Santa Barbara, California, where he teaches modern European history. His publications include Seeing Things Their Way: Intellectual History and The Return of Religion, edited with John Coffey and Brad S. Gregory.
"[E]ven readers not interested in evangelicalism will enjoy this
book, offering as it does an engaging account of an intelligent man
struggling to find his footing as the ground beneath him
disappears." --The Journal of British Studies
"Chapman's biography helps us remember Stott as immensely gifted,
dedicated, and ambitious for God's glory. We learn more from this
critical evaluation of his unexpected triumphs and excruciating
failures than from merely laudatory obituaries."--Christianity
Today
"For scholars, Chapman's book is the starting place for any future
studies of Stott (there will be many) and a template for how to
write a good biography that balances appreciation for the subject
without resorting to hagiography."--Themelios
"This book is a splendid success. It is admirably concise, pithily
written, and based on a wealth of manuscript and relatively obscure
printed sources. It adroitly avoids hagiography on one hand and
debunkery on the other, and is a model of engaged, sympathetic yet
critical scholarship which is sure to find a wide readership. It is
only to be regretted that Stott himself did not live to see it
published."--Reviews in History
"Godly Ambition views the ministry of John Stott in historical
perspective and puts it into its social context. The analysis
recounts his well-known successes but, just as illuminating, his
unreached goals and disappointments. The result is a judicious,
fair-minded, and instructional look at one of the most remarkable
Christian leaders of the past 100 years. It is a must-read for
anyone who wishes to understand contemporary world
evangelicalism."
--Timothy Keller, Redeemer Presbyterian Church
"Alister Chapman's well-crafted study expertly situates the career
of John Stott, first in Stott's post-war efforts to revitalize
evangelical forces in Britain's Anglican churches and then from the
1970s as a thoughtful leader of evangelicals around the world.
Chapman's wide-ranging and empathetic effort to probe the 'godly
ambition' of his title make this an important book for an
exceedingly important figure in the modern world history of
Christianity." --Mark
A. Noll, author of America's God: From Jonathan Edwards to Abraham
Lincoln
"A fascinating, insightful, and thought-provoking analysis of the
life of one of the seminal religious figures of recent years-and a
riveting read, too." --Stephen Tuck, Fellow and Tutor in History,
University of Oxford, and author of We Ain't What We Ought To Be:
The Black Freedom Struggle from Emancipation to Obama
"John Stott has been a giant influence in the shaping of
evangelicalism in the English-speaking world and far beyond. He
embodies much that is most thoughtful and winsome in the movement.
Godly Ambition will reward its readers on multiple levels. From
John Stott's pacifism during his formative years to his global
vision in his final days, Alister Chapman's account of his life
will illumine the broader development of not only Stott but
evangelicalism
itself." --John Ortberg, Senior Pastor, Menlo Park Presbyterian
Church
"The global Evangelical movement was moulded by a wide range of
individuals in the later twentieth century. None was more important
than John Stott, who by his lucid writing and strategic vision
forged attitudes that were intellectually mature but still
spiritually vibrant. Alister Chapman's account of John Stott's life
is a probing appraisal of his significance that explains the
trajectory of his career without diminishing his stature." --David
Bebbington,
Professor of History, University of Stirling
"John Stott is more than Anglican but not less. Earthed in his
'beloved' Church of England, his influence has percolated
throughout the world-wide evangelical movement, through preaching,
theological reflection, writing, statesmanship, and personal
contact. Alister Chapman's profoundly perceptive biography combines
erudition and concise comment. With full access to Stott's private
papers, he writes out of a hinterland of historical
perspective,
comprehensiveness and scholarly critical distance." --The Rt Revd
Dr Graham Kings, Bishop of Sherborne
Ask a Question About this Product More... |