Portrait of Integrity: The Life of Ray C. Stedman

by Mark S. Mitchell

The Life of Ray C. Stedman is captured in this compelling portrait of revolutionary pastor.Ray Stedman is one of the foremost pastors and biblical expositors of the twentieth century. Ray's message of authentic Christianity continues to revolutionize the lives of countless individuals and churches worldwide.

272 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2004

Reviews

[Doug Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humble. Authentic. Transparent. Characteristics rare among men and women in the public eye, and sadly even among today's renowned ministers and Bible teachers. But Stedman was cut out of cloth uniquely preparing him for the time and season he was designed to impact. I heard him teach on the book of Ecclesiastes in 1989 and I have never forgotten the ease at which he opened and explained such a mysterious book of the Bible. I knew then that the Bible was meant to be understood and enjoyed and USED and I wanted to know it and use it like he did. What a wonderful work and ministry wrought by God thru such a man who only wanted to be remembered as a faithful servant.

[Susan Weibel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been using Ray Stedman's work for commentaries and my daily devotions for a number of years now. I don't know how it's possible that a West Coast pastor who was promoted to eternity in 1992, a man I had never met or even heard of during his years on earth, came to speak to me so meaningfully, but it happened. When I saw that there was a biography on Ray's life, I decided to give it a read. The book was written by a teaching pastor, not by an author per se, and this is evident in the text though it is not a great distraction. This is a book about content, not intended to be a work of literature as we might anticipate from C.S. Lewis or even Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It is a simple and straightforward treatise on the life of a simple and straightforward man. Of greatest interest to me was the historical period in which Stedman did the bulk of his ministry. Stedman was at the heart of the movement documented in the recent movie "Jesus Revolution" when the church was having to rethink how it welcomed and nurtured a world swept up in a cultural revolution; all the while, Stedman's teenage daughters were being swept into that same revolution in a manner that divided the family for a time. Skeptics may wag a finger at the holy man who worked too many hours at church to the neglect of his family, but Stedman's life instead reminds me of the words of "the prophet" Rich Mullins who said, "I never understood why going to church made you a hypocrite, because nobody goes to church because they're perfect. If you've got it all together, you don't need to go. You can go jogging with all the other perfect people on Sunday morning. Every time you go to church you're confessing again to yourself, to your family, to the people you pass on the way there, to the people who will greet you there, that you don't have it all together. And that you need their support. You need their direction. You need some accountability, you need some help." And so Stedman's Peninsula Bible Church grew like a weed - for it was a safe place to be transformed from weed to beautiful flower. The end of the book is an appendix containing six short pieces (some sermons) written by Stedman. It was the perfect way to wrap up the story of this exceptional and simple man's life.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful summary of a Christian witness well lived without flash but with plenty of fruit.

[Dan Gossett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book about a great preacher. Appendix includes excepts from some of his sermons. If you are not familiar with him, check out http://www.raystedman.org/complete-li...