Fact File 21 COMMANDER OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE
In November 2005, John Stott was informed that his name would appear in the Queen’s 2006 New Year’s Honours List, as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). Uncle John felt deeply honoured to receive this. An award always has what is called a ‘citation’ explaining what it is for. The citation read: For services to Christian Scholarship and the Christian World.
He wondered how friends around the world may react to an honour which speaks of the ‘British Empire’, as many of his friends were from countries which had gained independence from Britain forty or more years earlier.
John, Frances and John’s study assistant met together, as this trio often did. (Uncle John referred to them as ‘the happy triumvirate’.) Between them they composed a message which would be emailed to all John’s friends as soon as the announcement was made. First it explained the British honours system and how it worked. Then John wrote: ‘While I am grateful for the citation, I am somewhat embarrassed by reference to the British Empire which long ago ceased to exist!’ There was no British superiority in John Stott’s thinking.
