The first authorized biography of John Stott. Timothy Dudley-Smith tells the story of the first forty years in the life of one of the great Christian leaders of this century. He places his subject in the context of his times. John Stott has been a key player in a remarkable resurgence among evangelicals, yet when he was ordained in 1945 it seemed that evangelicals, would be little more than a marginalized remnant. Tracing the formative processes shaping his life and character, Timothy Dudley-Smith draws on John Stott's unpublished letters, diaries and other papers. In the light of them it becomes clear why this multi-gifted man preferred the simple vocation of a local Christian minister to high rank in the church. This engaging and intelligent biography uncovers the secret of John Stott's worldwide impact upon contemporary Christianity - the impact of a preacher passionately discovering the validity of a biblical and reasoned faith in a troubled and tormented century.