Issues Facing Christians Today
John Stott's comprehensive survey emerged from his conviction that evangelical Christians had withdrawn too far from serious engagement with contemporary social and political questions. Writing as both a respected biblical expositor and a pastor who had spent decades in dialogue with secular intellectuals, Stott aimed to demonstrate how Scripture speaks with clarity and authority to the pressing moral issues of the late twentieth century.
The work systematically applies biblical principles to eight major areas of modern life: unemployment and poverty, human rights, feminism and gender roles, marriage and divorce, abortion, environmental stewardship, nuclear weapons, and racial reconciliation. Rather than offering simplistic answers, Stott carefully traces the theological foundations for Christian social action, showing how the doctrines of creation, fall, and redemption provide a framework for understanding human dignity, social justice, and moral responsibility. He argues that Christians must neither withdraw from the world nor accommodate uncritically to secular ideologies, but instead develop a distinctively Christian perspective that takes both Scripture and contemporary realities seriously. Throughout, he maintains that personal evangelism and social action are inseparable aspects of the church's mission.
The book established Stott as a leading voice in evangelical social ethics and helped legitimize sustained Christian engagement with political and cultural issues among conservatives who had been suspicious of the social gospel. Its balanced approach influenced a generation of evangelical leaders to embrace what Stott called "radical discipleship" — a commitment to biblical authority that leads inevitably to concern for justice, peace, and human flourishing. Who should read this: Christians seeking a biblically grounded approach to contemporary ethical debates, particularly those from conservative backgrounds who need convincing that social action belongs at the heart of faithful discipleship. This is not for readers looking for detailed policy prescriptions or those primarily interested in theoretical ethics rather than practical application.