Rating: 
Summary: Great Book for New Believers
Review: "Basic Christianity" was the very first book (besides the Bible) that I read when I became a Christian. It was recommended to me by a dear friend of mine. What a blessing this book was to me as a new believer! It did a great job of laying out the principles and basics of Christianity and addressed a lot of the deep questions that I had at the time. I would recommend this book to any new believer.
Rating:
Summary: The finest short book on the basics of Christianity.
Review: A must read. Probably one of the best books on the basics of Christianity as Dr. Stott carefully lays out the foundations of the faith. Not a word is wasted. Could be a life changing book for many as it was for me.
Rating: 
Summary: What gives?
Review: A thread of unconscious doubt runs through this book. Whence do we get "intellectual suicide" as a non-requirement to consider the deity of Jesus (pg 8)? What compels Stott to say he is not saying something, not saying "...we should suspend rational thinking" to discover God (pg 16)? Why does Stott raise the specter of doubt while exhorting treatment of the Gospels "...as the historical documents they undoubtably are" (pg 22)? The topper has Christians "...not a self-regarding coterie of smug and selfish prigs who are interested only in themselves" (pg 140). An honest treatment of Christianity is not found here.
Rating: 
Summary: A helpful, if incomplete, introduction to the gospel
Review: Although I wouldn't rank this book as high up as, say, C.S. Lewis' _Mere Christianity_, I would still recommend it for a basic introduction to Christianity. Beginning with a few chapters on the evidence of Christ's ministry on earth, Stott continues on to show that all are sinners, and that we all have a need for the forgiveness Christ offers in the cross. This was all great and encouraging reading.The last few chapters -- covering the appropriate response to what the previous chapters explained -- left me a little unsatisfied. Stott valuably explained the need to count the cost of submitting to Christ's lordship, but he offered scant advice on how to live after becoming a Christian, and what Christians' purpose is on earth. What little he *did* say was good, but in a primer on the Christian faith, I would like to see more about how to live in the church, and how to advance Christ's kingdom on earth. A little more practical advice here and there would have been nice. So, good stuff. But _Mere Christianity_ is still my favorite.
Rating:
Summary: Christianity 101
Review: Basic Christianity is just that and more. Stott writes with the purpose to simply inform the novice. He does this in a way that is easy to read, and without a perpensity for big theological words. First and foremost the author centres on Jesus Christ, His person, and work. The chapters 5 and 6 explain from the Bible the deity of Christ, both His direct and indirect claims to be God in man. The author's argument is uncomfortable when he calls Jesus claims to deity egocentric; for that would make Jesus a phony. Nevertheless, the author continues to unpack his fundamental disposition supporting Jesus' claims of deity as true. The point being that if Jesus' claims are not true, then He was a phony and no global people movement such as the church could be sustained for 2 millennium based on the distorted word of a egomaniac. The author answers the central question of "Who needs Christ?" Stott does this by describing sin in a basic way, as pride and self-deification among its other Biblical definitions. Sin has sadly cut mankind off from God to the point that people perceive God as angry and far away. This then, is why people need Christ, to bring them back into fellowship with God. Therefore, Christ's unselfish sacrifice is the peace-making event that restores fellowship with God. This Easter triumph inaugurates the age of the promised Holy Spirit and the beginning of the church. In the last chapter called "Man's Response" I found many helpful pointers for the novice. Stott points out that being born in a so-called Christian nation is not enough for salvation, but the seeking individual must open one's heart to Jesus to be saved. Using marriage as a good example for fellowship with God, Stott proposes a Christianity that can be distinctive from mere intellectual ascent to rational propositions. It is to be loving, caring and covenantal. The latter covenant is a un-breakable bond that God has promised to man, beginning with Abraham and fulfilled in Jesus Christ. I truly appreciate Stott's clarity in discerning a literal interpretation of the person of Jesus Christ from the Bible. It gives me security to be able to put my faith into the Jesus of the Bible when His person and work is clearly and simply defined. For this reason I would recommend this reliable book (after the Bible) for the novice who is seeking Jesus for his or her life.
Rating:
Summary: Christianity 101
Review: Basic Christianity is just that and more. Stott writes with the purpose to simply inform the novice. He does this in a way that is easy to read, and without a perpensity for big theological words. First and foremost the author centres on Jesus Christ, His person, and work. The chapters 5 and 6 explain from the Bible the deity of Christ, both His direct and indirect claims to be God in man. The author's argument is uncomfortable when he calls Jesus claims to deity egocentric; for that would make Jesus a phony. Nevertheless, the author continues to unpack his fundamental disposition supporting Jesus' claims of deity as true. The point being that if Jesus' claims are not true, then He was a phony and no global people movement such as the church could be sustained for 2 millennium based on the distorted word of a egomaniac. The author answers the central question of "Who needs Christ?" Stott does this by describing sin in a basic way, as pride and self-deification among its other Biblical definitions. Sin has sadly cut mankind off from God to the point that people perceive God as angry and far away. This then, is why people need Christ, to bring them back into fellowship with God. Therefore, Christ's unselfish sacrifice is the peace-making event that restores fellowship with God. This Easter triumph inaugurates the age of the promised Holy Spirit and the beginning of the church. In the last chapter called "Man's Response" I found many helpful pointers for the novice. Stott points out that being born in a so-called Christian nation is not enough for salvation, but the seeking individual must open one's heart to Jesus to be saved. Using marriage as a good example for fellowship with God, Stott proposes a Christianity that can be distinctive from mere intellectual ascent to rational propositions. It is to be loving, caring and covenantal. The latter covenant is a un-breakable bond that God has promised to man, beginning with Abraham and fulfilled in Jesus Christ. I truly appreciate Stott's clarity in discerning a literal interpretation of the person of Jesus Christ from the Bible. It gives me security to be able to put my faith into the Jesus of the Bible when His person and work is clearly and simply defined. For this reason I would recommend this reliable book (after the Bible) for the novice who is seeking Jesus for his or her life.
Rating:
Summary: This book is rich nourishment for the doctrinally starved!
Review: For those skeptics who desire to have a purpose in life and who turn to Christianity for possible answers, but who don't want to "compromise" their intellect by believing in the "impossible," John Stott's book, "Basic Christianity," is an absolute MUST READ! Our God is one of intellect and logic as much as He is one of miraculous splendor. He gave us a thinking mind as well as a feeling heart, and he intends us to use them both when seeking Him. If one truly opens his/her mind and heart, the God of the Holy Scriptures will satisfy both. John Stott is a very well-educated man who wants to communicate the gospel in its entire intellectual and spiritual truth, and he will not leave one with unanswered questions.
Rating:
Summary: This book is rich nourishment for the doctrinally starved!
Review: For those skeptics who desire to have a purpose in life and who turn to Christianity for possible answers, but who don't want to "compromise" their intellect by believing in the "impossible," John Stott's book, "Basic Christianity," is an absolute MUST READ! Our God is one of intellect and logic as much as He is one of miraculous splendor. He gave us a thinking mind as well as a feeling heart, and he intends us to use them both when seeking Him. If one truly opens his/her mind and heart, the God of the Holy Scriptures will satisfy both. John Stott is a very well-educated man who wants to communicate the gospel in its entire intellectual and spiritual truth, and he will not leave one with unanswered questions.
Rating: 
Summary: Good reading...
Review: If the average non Christian consumer were to begin considering conversion, spending less than an hour perusing a Christian book section or facing the lists of churches in the Yellow Pages would be enough to confuse them to the point of reconsidering. Christians come in all shapes, sizes, and variants. Although Paul encouraged unity in the Body of Christ, it has never been achieved. What we all agree on is a short list. Despite that, there are some essentials that belong in every church, whether Baptist, Catholic, Pentecostal, or non Demoninational. John Stott has taken the vital facts that you must believe to be called Christian and placed them in a straightforward easy to read book. With a precision akin to Lee Strobel's Case for Christ, he lines out the ABC's of faith. The logic of the Resurrection to the deeper meanings in the Ten Commandments are laid out concisely. *** Long time believers may not have any "aha" moments, but if they read this, they will have more to defend their faith than "it's true because it is written and I believe it." New believers or seekers will know what is most basic without the rigamorole variations that difer from sect to sect. ***
Amanda Killgore
Rating:
Summary: Solid Protestant Christian theology
Review: Solid, meaty, part of your balanced doctrinal diet! This book is not an easy read! It is very densely packed with solid, sound doctrine. Should be on your shelf with "Mere Christianity" by C. S. Lewis.
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