J. I. Packer Page

James Innell (J. I.) Packer

1926 -

J. I. Packer was born July 22, 1926, in Twyning, Gloucestershire, England to James (a clerk) and Dorothy Packer. He was educated at Oxford (BA, 1948, MA and D.Phil., 1954). He began his career as an Anglican clergyman and served as assistant curate in Birmingham, England in 1952 then as a tutor at Tyndale Hall, Bristol, England, a librarian and later, warden, at Latimer House, Oxford, England. He returned to Tyndale Hall, as principal, in 1970; then associate principal at Trinity College, Bristol from 1971-79. He has been on the faculty at Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia since 1979. Dr. Packer published his first book, Fundamentalism And The Word Of God in 1958 and has written many excellent books over the years, one of his most famous being Knowing God, featured below, which has been published in several languages. He has served as a senior editor for Christianity Today since 1985. Still going strong in his seventies as far as I know. Profit from his wisdom with any of the books or articles offered here this month!

Knowing God - classic guide to discovering and knowing the God revealed in Scripture. Packer presents the Christian faith in an engaging style. John Stott, featured here in July, writes "the truth he handles fires the heart. At least it fired mine, and compelled me to turn aside to worship and pray." All I can say is: Me, too!

Knowing Christianity. In this fast-paced, secular world, Christians can find themselves swimming against the stream. We need to be sure of the foundations of our faith and have the specifics firmly anchored in our minds. This book centers on those fundamentals of the faith.

Honouring The Written Word of God This is a collection of Packer's shorter writings on the authority of Scripture, his principles of interpretation and the importance of preaching from the Word of God.

God Has Spoken: Revelation And The Bible. Packer sees the church suffering from a famine of hearing God's Word, just as the prophet Amos predicted long ago, resulting in Christians who are confused about what to believe and do. He urges the church to return to preaching the Word, teaching vital doctrines, and following the real person of Jesus Christ as revealed in the gospel.

Concise Theology: A Guide To Historic Christian Beliefs. This book sets out in brief the permanent essentials of Christianity, a belief system and a way of life. Asserting that theology must be both for doxology and devotion - for the praise of God and the practice of godliness.

Keep In Step With The Spirit. Here's a classic on the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit from a Reformed view. Each chapter deals with a unique ministry of the Spirit of God based on Scripture. It's easy to read Theology updated for today. There's a wonderful chapter on errors concerning the Work of The Spirit that refutes the idea of "Christian Perfection", Baptism in The Spirit, and etc., where Packer shows how these beliefs lead to an unbalanced view of the Person of The Spirit. This chapter alone makes the book a worthwhile read!

J. I. Packer Online

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A Quest For Godliness - The Puritan Vision Of The Christian Life: Packer's Introduction to John Owen's The Death Of Death In The Death Of Christ. From Grace Online Library.
An Interview with J. I. Packer: from The Founder's Journal, Spring 1994 Issue.
Freedom and Authority: an article by J. I. Packer courtesy of The Highway - a site we like with lots of great articles!
Sola Fide: The Reformed Doctrine: Another article at The Highway