This is a video of the John Stott London Lecture 2023, delivered by Dr Myrto Theocharous at All Souls Langham Place on 16 November. 

Poverty, the Bible, and the church’s identity. 

How would God have us identify with and care for the poor?  

In recent years, the Covid-19 pandemic, military conflicts, and climate change have made the state of global poverty significantly worse. Every nation has been affected, but the poorest countries suffer the most.  

The church knows well that we live in a fallen world in need of restoration. In response, we’re called both to mourn and intercede for humanity’s suffering, and to continuously reflect on who God is with respect to the suffering of the poor. Because that in turn underpins who we’re called to be as the body of Christ in a groaning world.  

In the 2023 John Stott London Lecture, biblical scholar and anti-trafficking activist Dr Myrto Theocharous examined God’s concern for the poor and his radical identification with them. She made the case that the way we care for the poor is a sacred act of worship, with implications for how the people of God are called to relate to wealth.  

The 2023 John Stott London Lecture was hosted by Langham Partnership, and organised in partnership with All Souls Langham Place, A Rocha, and LICC.

You can access the powerpoint slides from the lecture here, and you can watch the recorded lecture above.

In the tradition of these lectures, you can expect a powerful blend of listening to God’s word – examining the book of Deuteronomy alongside other key Old Testament texts – and prophetic listening to the cries of our world, seeking light and hope to traverse through our dark times.