BOOK REVIEW

Book Review


by Linda Cliff







WHY I AM A CHRISTIAN
by John Stott

For those of you who have been enjoying the Wednesday morning Bible studies John Stott is a familiar name.   Stott helped us with our journey through Romans, the Beatitudes, and Acts.   So it was with a great deal of excitement that I checked “Why I Am a Christian”  out of the library.

This is a personal book.  Stott offers a clear and analytical account of why he is a Christian.  He begins by explaining how God pursued him but he also adds accounts from other famous Christians, so the reader gets an expanded view of what it means to wrestle with the question of their salvation.  He then goes on to discuss the claims of Jesus.  He states that he believes that Christianity is true and we can look to the claims of Jesus to confirm this.   Then Stott takes us to the cross.  He discusses the atonement for our sins, the character of God revealed by the cross, the conquering of the powers of evil and how the resurrection proclaims the victory of the cross.  The last section discusses the needs of human beings and how these needs are fully met through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.   The book ends with an invitation for the reader to respond to the claims of Christ and a sample prayer is offered.

This book helps us to look at the question “Why Jesus”.  Stott gives the reader 7 chapters to explore this question in a clear and logical way.  Stott is saying that if you take an honest look at Jesus you will discover that following him gives you the purpose, identity and freedom you have been searching for.