Review: "The Radical Disciple: Some Neglected Aspects of Our Calling"

In what John Stott calls his final book, The Radical Disciple: Some Neglected Aspects of Our Calling, he seeks to address eight areas in which he believes the Church is lacking.

He begins by explaining that by “radical disciple,” he wants to emphasize the teacher-student relationship between Christ and the Christian, as well as the necessary deep-rootedness of commitment that Jesus requires from His disciples (14-15).

First, Stott argues that we have not exemplified nonconformity. Rather, we have sought escapism or conformism, Nonconformity is “a call to engagement without compromise” (19).

Second, Christlikeness. Stott argues that The Westminster Shorter Catechism is not strong enough – what God has called us to is to become like Christ. We are to be like Him in being incarnational, servants, loving, patience in enduring, and like Him in His Mission (31-34).

Third, maturity. Stott argues the greatest problem of the modern church is “growth without depth” (38).Maturity comes as one gets a clear portrait of Jesus through prayer and study of the Scripture (48).

Fourth, Creation care. Stott explains tat both dominion and being created in the image of God bear on our stewardship responsibility to care for the Creation, as well as the Scripture’s teaching that the Creation will be restored on the last day – not destroyed. (I found this the weakest chapter because he does not explain how to care for the Creation.)

Fifth, simplicity. Not asceticism, but biblical simplicity. Rather that explain this briefly as Stott does with his other chapters, he prints the entire document, An Evangelical Commitment to Simple Life-Style (65-82). This would ave served better as an appendix; in the body of the book, I found myself going from listening to a kind teacher to slogging through a marsh.

Sixth, balance. In this chapter, Stott examines six metaphors that Peter uses to describe the disciples, and Stott shows that each is a balancing act as they all work together (97-98).

Seventh, dependence. This is the humility to accept that w not only need God but we need each other, both in understanding, and in emotional and physical well-being. (102).

Eighth, death. Stott examines the relationship of the fact of death to salvation, discipleship, mission, persecution, martyrdom, mortality, and the necessity of death if we are to live (133).

Stott’s book covers a great deal of necessary material for the 21st century Church, though I would wish it had some expansion, and some additional editing. Also, in looking for the books that Stott quotes, I found that most of them are out of print, though somewhat available through the usual sources.

I hope Stott will write more on these issues or that others will take up his mantel and continue to show how we might become the radical disciples Christ has called us to be.