In the early 1970s, John Stott circulated to a number of evangelical Christian organisations and individuals a proposal ‘to endow a lectureship – preferably annual – so that a distinguished evangelical Christian scholar can be invited to deliver a series of 4 or 5 lectures in London’. The lecture series would have the following aims:
• to expound some aspect of biblical Christianity
• to relate it to a contemporary issue in the church or the world, whether theological, ethical or pastoral
• to be scholarly in content, yet popular enough in appeal and style to attract the educated public
• to present its theme in such a way as to be of interest to the secular as well as the Christian public
The first lecture series was held in 1974, and – with a few exceptions – lectures were held annually until the death of John Stott in 2011. Many of the lecture series were subsequently published (see below).
Following John’s death, the London Lectures Trust agreed to to allow ‘The London Lectures in Contemporary Christianity’ to become ‘The John Stott London Lecture’. In line with John’s original concerns, the lectures in their new format seek to provide an opportunity to explore topics of current concern from a biblical and theological perspective, in order to encourage and equip God’s people to live faithfully and fruitfully as missional disciples of Jesus in their everyday lives.
1974
Christians and Marxists: The Mutual Challenge to Revolution
Lecturer: José Míguez-Bonino
Published as José Míguez-Bonino, Christians and Marxists: The Mutual Challenge to Revolution (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1976)
1975
Issues of Life and Death
Lecturer: Sir Norman Anderson
Published as Norman Anderson, Issues of Life and Death (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1976)
1976
Christ and the Media
Lecturer: Malcolm Muggeridge
Published as Malcolm Muggeridge, Christ and the Media (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1977)
1977
Human Science and Human Dignity: A Christian Assessment
Lecturer: Donald M. MacKay
Published as Donald M. MacKay, Human Science and Human Dignity (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1979)
1978
Who Needs the Family? A Christian Contribution to the Modern Debate
Lecturer: O. Raymond Johnston
Published as O. Raymond Johnston, Who Needs the Family? A Survey and a Christian Assessment (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1979)
1979
Crime and the Responsible Community: A Symposium on Criminal Justice
Lecturers: Sir Norman Anderson, Charles Colson, Bob Holman, Michael Jenkins, and Sir David McNee
Published as John Stott and Nick Miller (eds.), Crime and the Responsible Community: A Christian Contribution to the Debate about Criminal Justice (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1980)
1980
Morality and the Market Place: Christian Alternatives to Capitalism and Socialism
Lecturer: Brian Griffiths
Published as Brian Griffiths, Morality and the Market Place: Christian Alternatives to Capitalism and Socialism (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1982)
1981
The Year 2000 AD: Major Issues Facing the Global Village at the Close of the 20th Century
Lecturers: Andrew Kirk, Sir Neil Cameron, Alan Kreider, Donald Hay, Ian Blair, Sir Fred Catherwood, and Martin Harrison
Published as John R.W. Stott (ed.), The Year 2000 AD (Basingstoke: Marshalls, 1983)
1982
Free to Be Different: Varieties of Human Behaviour
Lecturers: R.J. (Sam) Berry, Malcolm Jeeves, and David Atkinson
Published as John R.W. Stott (ed.), Free to be Different: Varieties of Human Behaviour (Basingstoke: Marshalls, 1984)
1983
Begotten Not Made? Human Procreation and Medical Techniques
Lecturer: Oliver O’Donovan
Published as Oliver O’Donovan, Begotten or Made? (Oxford: OUP, 1984)
1984
Art in Question: Christian Approaches to the Arts
Lecturers: Graham Birtwhistle, William Edgar, Ruth Etchells, David Porter, Alby James, and Peter Smith
Published as Tim Dean and David Porter (eds.), Art in Question (Basingstoke: Marshall Pickering, 1987)
1985
Silicon Society? Social Questions About Information Technology
Lecturer: David Lyon
Published as David Lyon, The Silicon Society: How will Information Technology Change our Lives? (Tring: Lion Publishing, 1986)
1986
The Good of the People: Christian Reflection on Living with the Modern State.
Lecturer: John Gladwin
Published as John Gladwin, The Good of the People: A Christian Reflection on Living with the Modern State (Basingstoke: Marshall Pickering, 1988)
1987
Violence: A Symposium on Violence in Human Nature, the Family, the Community and Internationally
Lecturers: Richard Winter, Elaine Storkey, David Porter, Bob Holman, and Donald Anderson
1988
That They May Learn: Towards a Christian View of Education
Lecturer: Brian V. Hill
Published as Brian V. Hill, That They May Learn: Towards a Christian View of Education (Exeter: Paternoster, 1990)
1989
Just Health: Towards a Christian View of Health Care
Lecturer: David Cook
1990
No lectures
1991
Britain, Europe and Democracy: Europe after 1992
Lecturer: Sir Fred Catherwood
Published as Fred Catherwood, Pro-Europe? (Leicester: IVP, 1991)
1992
Greens, Gaia and God: Christianity and Environmental Ethics
Lecturer: R.J. (Sam) Berry
1993
God and Sexuality
Lecturer: Elaine Storkey
1994
Transforming Leadership: A Christian Approach to Managing Organizations
Lecturer: Richard Higginson
Published as Richard Higginson, Transforming Leadership: A Christian Approach to Management (London: SPCK, 1996)
1995
The Word on the Box: Do We Get the Media We Deserve?
Lecturers: Robert McLeish, Justin Phillips, Graham Mytton, Alan Rogers, and Tim Dean
Published as David Porter (ed.), The Word on the Box (Carlisle: Paternoster, 1997)
1996
The Spirit of the Age: Christianity and the Future of Our Culture
Lecturer: Roy McCloughry
Published as Roy McCloughry, Living in the Presence of the Future (Leicester: IVP, 2001)
1997
Matters of Life and Death: Contemporary Medical Dilemmas in the Light of Christian Faith
Lecturer: John Wyatt
Published as John Wyatt, Matters of Life and Death: Today’s Healthcare Dilemmas in the Light of the Christian Faith (Leicester: IVP, 1998), subsequently revised as Matters of Life and Death: Human Dilemmas in the Light of the Christian Faith (Nottingham: IVP, 2009)
1998
Endless Conflict or Empty Tolerance? Christian Approaches to a Multi-Faith World
Lecturer: Vinoth Ramachandra
Published as Vinoth Ramachandra, Faiths in Conflict? Christian Integrity in a Multicultural World (Leicester: IVP, 1999)
1999
Justice That Restores
Lecturer: Charles Colson
Published as Charles Colson, Justice That Restores (Leicester: IVP, 2000)
2000
The Incomparable Christ: Celebrating his Millennial Birth
Lecturer: John Stott
Published as John Stott, The Incomparable Christ (Leicester: IVP, 2001)
2001
Moral Leadership
Lecturer: James Jones
Published as James Jones with Andrew Goddard, The Moral Leader: For the Church and the World (Leicester: IVP, 2002)
2002
Moving Genes: Evolving Promise or Un-Natural Selection?
Lecturer: John Bryant
Published as John Bryant and John Searle, Life in Our Hands: A Christian Perspective on Genetics and Cloning (Leicester: IVP, 2004)
2003
Can Christianity and Islam Co-Exist in the 21st Century?
Lecturer: Peter G. Riddell
Published as Peter G. Riddell, Christians and Muslims: Pressures and Potential in a Post-9/11 World (Leicester: IVP, 2004)
2004
Spirituality, Christianity, and the Future of the World
Lecturer: John Drane
Published as John Drane, Do Christians Know How to Be Spiritual? The Rise of New Spirituality and the Mission of the Church (London: Darton, Longman and Todd, 2005)
2005
Disciples and Citizens
Lecturer: Graham Cray
Published as Graham Cray, Disciples and Citizens: A Vision for Distinctive Living (Nottingham: IVP, 2007)
2006
Redeeming Family
Lecturers: Andrew Goddard and Lis Goddard
2007
Redeeming Creation
Lecturers: Peter Harris and Chris Wright
2008
Christian Approaches to Armed Conflict
Lecturer: Peter Dixon
Published as Peter Dixon, Peacemakers: Building Stability in a Complex World (Nottingham: IVP, 2009).
2009
No lectures
2010
Relational Thinking: A Vision for Christian Engagement in Public Life
Lecturers: Michael Schluter, Paul Mills, and Jonathan Burnside
2011
No lectures
2012
No lectures