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Our Guilty Silence: The Church, the Gospel and the World
"A vigorous challenge to the Church to rededicate itself whole-heartedly to its evangelistic mission. Excellent for group study on the very vital subject of the mission of the Church." - Christianity Today
- GenresEvangelismTheology
119 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1997
3 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
John R.W. Stott
305 books554 followersJohn R. W. Stott is known worldwide as a preacher, evangelist, and communicator of Scripture. For many years he served as rector of All Souls Church in London, where he carried out an effective urban pastoral ministry. A leader among evangelicals in Britain, the United States and around the world, Stott was a principal framer of the landmark Lausanne Covenant (1974). His many books, including Why I Am a Christian and The Cross of Christ, have sold millions of copies around the world and in dozens of languages. Whether in the West or in the Two-Thirds World, a hallmark of Stott's ministry has been expository preaching that addresses the hearts and minds of contemporary men and women. Stott was honored by Time magazine in 2005 as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World."
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 20, 2021
It took me more than two years to get through this book, not because it was bad but because it was so dense even though it was only 120 pages. Every time I picked it up I had to stop and digest what I was reading. I think it also had to do with the writing style since it was written in 1967 and that it was meant for this specific church. It was still really interesting and there was a lot of truth to it. I definitely want to read it again and take notes.
June 9, 2017
I really enjoyed reading this. As a summary of the book, Stott argues that the concern for evangelism should primarily be for the glory of God, not the glory of the church or ourselves; the message must be the gospel of God, not something manmade; the manpower must be the church of God, and every member in it, not just a select few; and the power must be the Spirit of God, not our own personality, organization or eloquence (see 113-114 for his summary). Each of these main four ideas relates to the four chapters in the book.
As for some interesting points he made:
On page 26, he talks about how Paul uses the language of sacrifice when talking about converts in Rom. 15:16. As a result, Stott argues that "out ultimate aim is to 'offer' converts to God" (26). In other words, God is pleased with this. This is in the chapter of doing it to the glory of God.
On page 46 he argues that when it comes to conviction of sin, some may experience it more after conversion. He shows this is a biblical idea (Ez. 36:26-31). Then on the next page, he shows that it isn't the "eye of faith but the uplifted Christ who is gazed upon" which saves (47).
In the chapter on the church, he really shows that it should be the mission of everyone in the church to evangelize, and not just evangelists. To do this, he offers much practical adivce about how he does it at his church. He thinks in order for all in the church to continually be involved in evangelism, there needs to be three things: 1) training yearly; 2) door-to-door evangelism frequently (splitting up the area); and 3) special evangelistic events about once or twice a year. This chapter is full of practical advice and is very intriguing.
The final chapter is him basically showing that the Holy Spirit is the one who is needed for there to be any fruit. He must convict of sin and show Christ in order to bring about regeneration (rebirth) and then conversion (which he defines as turning in two ways: 1) turning from sin [repentance], and 2) turning to God [faith]). Here, he convicts by pointing out that if a church is ineffective in evangelism, it should ask "Why does the Holy Spirit appear to be bound? Is He grieved by our sin, or hampered by our unbelief? Do we need deeper repentance, or more prayer?" (113).
In sum, the book was well organized and helpful in thinking about evangelism. He weaved together theological insight and practical advice. It is too bad it isn't being published anymore today. Even though some of the advice might sound dated, Stott's insight is very helpful.
As a side note, the main reason I did not give it 5 stars is the lack of emphasis concerning hell. I just can't imagine talking about evangelism for 120 pages without really emphasizing this. A book like One Thing You Can't Do In Heaven, although much less theologically insightful and polished as Stott's book here, at least takes seriously the eternity of hell Christians believe in, which of course impacts their zeal for evangelism. Stott does not speak much of it, and it may be because he was always leaning toward Annihilationism. This is never even hinted at in the book, but knowing he believed this (at least later in his life), it tinted the whole book for me.
As for some interesting points he made:
On page 26, he talks about how Paul uses the language of sacrifice when talking about converts in Rom. 15:16. As a result, Stott argues that "out ultimate aim is to 'offer' converts to God" (26). In other words, God is pleased with this. This is in the chapter of doing it to the glory of God.
On page 46 he argues that when it comes to conviction of sin, some may experience it more after conversion. He shows this is a biblical idea (Ez. 36:26-31). Then on the next page, he shows that it isn't the "eye of faith but the uplifted Christ who is gazed upon" which saves (47).
In the chapter on the church, he really shows that it should be the mission of everyone in the church to evangelize, and not just evangelists. To do this, he offers much practical adivce about how he does it at his church. He thinks in order for all in the church to continually be involved in evangelism, there needs to be three things: 1) training yearly; 2) door-to-door evangelism frequently (splitting up the area); and 3) special evangelistic events about once or twice a year. This chapter is full of practical advice and is very intriguing.
The final chapter is him basically showing that the Holy Spirit is the one who is needed for there to be any fruit. He must convict of sin and show Christ in order to bring about regeneration (rebirth) and then conversion (which he defines as turning in two ways: 1) turning from sin [repentance], and 2) turning to God [faith]). Here, he convicts by pointing out that if a church is ineffective in evangelism, it should ask "Why does the Holy Spirit appear to be bound? Is He grieved by our sin, or hampered by our unbelief? Do we need deeper repentance, or more prayer?" (113).
In sum, the book was well organized and helpful in thinking about evangelism. He weaved together theological insight and practical advice. It is too bad it isn't being published anymore today. Even though some of the advice might sound dated, Stott's insight is very helpful.
As a side note, the main reason I did not give it 5 stars is the lack of emphasis concerning hell. I just can't imagine talking about evangelism for 120 pages without really emphasizing this. A book like One Thing You Can't Do In Heaven, although much less theologically insightful and polished as Stott's book here, at least takes seriously the eternity of hell Christians believe in, which of course impacts their zeal for evangelism. Stott does not speak much of it, and it may be because he was always leaning toward Annihilationism. This is never even hinted at in the book, but knowing he believed this (at least later in his life), it tinted the whole book for me.
April 21, 2017
Such a small book but one filled with clear and powerful truths.
One point keeps repeating in my head which is that people do not turn to God because we are great preachers or evangels but because we allowed the Holy Spirit to do its work through us
One point keeps repeating in my head which is that people do not turn to God because we are great preachers or evangels but because we allowed the Holy Spirit to do its work through us
August 4, 2012
In the past few years I have come across and read many good books devoted to getting
the Gospel right. Add to this the expanding influence of conferences like "Together for
the Gospel" and "The Gospel Coalition", and one might think that this gospel-focus is
somewhat of a recent fad. While it may be true that a right understanding of the gospel
might ebb and flow in popularity, the book "Our Guilty Silence", written in 1967, shows
that men like John Stott, the author, were quite interested in getting the gospel right
decades ago.
In this little book John Stott highlights the foundational message of the gospel in
such a way that the reader is left not a little convicted for their silence in proclaiming
these glorious truths. In the first chapter Stott gives the reader the incentive for bold
proclamation of the gospel - The Glory of God. Our desire to proclaim the truth springs
from our desire to bring glory to the God who saved us. This desire is reflected in our
obedience and love along with our worship and our witness.
The second chapter is devoted to defining the gospel of God. Stott puts forth that one
reason why Christians are silent regarding the gospel is because they are neither clear
no sure what they ought to speak. The chapter covers the person and work of Christ,
the effects of sin and the response of faith.
The third chapter should not be read without the fourth chapter. In the third chapter
Stott talks about the necessity of the church of God (the people of God, both universal
and local) to take action in proclaiming the gospel. He spends a few pages of the
chapter detailing what his specific church does to evangelize, and some of the
differences in culture and time in history become apparent. As he concludes the book,
fourth chapter balances the third in that Stott points out that the power behind the
gospel does not come from programs, but from the Holy Spirit.
the Gospel right. Add to this the expanding influence of conferences like "Together for
the Gospel" and "The Gospel Coalition", and one might think that this gospel-focus is
somewhat of a recent fad. While it may be true that a right understanding of the gospel
might ebb and flow in popularity, the book "Our Guilty Silence", written in 1967, shows
that men like John Stott, the author, were quite interested in getting the gospel right
decades ago.
In this little book John Stott highlights the foundational message of the gospel in
such a way that the reader is left not a little convicted for their silence in proclaiming
these glorious truths. In the first chapter Stott gives the reader the incentive for bold
proclamation of the gospel - The Glory of God. Our desire to proclaim the truth springs
from our desire to bring glory to the God who saved us. This desire is reflected in our
obedience and love along with our worship and our witness.
The second chapter is devoted to defining the gospel of God. Stott puts forth that one
reason why Christians are silent regarding the gospel is because they are neither clear
no sure what they ought to speak. The chapter covers the person and work of Christ,
the effects of sin and the response of faith.
The third chapter should not be read without the fourth chapter. In the third chapter
Stott talks about the necessity of the church of God (the people of God, both universal
and local) to take action in proclaiming the gospel. He spends a few pages of the
chapter detailing what his specific church does to evangelize, and some of the
differences in culture and time in history become apparent. As he concludes the book,
fourth chapter balances the third in that Stott points out that the power behind the
gospel does not come from programs, but from the Holy Spirit.
Read
January 28, 2008not so hot. Most of his stuff is great though.
January 12, 2016
This little book was a very good read. It is stirring and brings the challenge to take the good news to the world.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews