James Innell Packer (22 July 192617 July 2020) was an English-born Canadian

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

theologian, cleric and writer in the low-church Anglican and

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

traditions. He was considered one of the most influential evangelicals in North America, known for his best-selling book, ''

Knowing God ''Knowing God'' is a book by J. I. Packer, a British-born Canadian Christian theologian. It is his best-known work, having sold over 1,000,000 copies in North America alone. Originally written as a series of articles for the ''Evangelical Magazin ...

'', written in 1973, as well as his work as an editor for the

English Standard Version The English Standard Version (ESV) is an English translation of the Bible. Published in 2001 by Crossway, the ESV was "created by a team of more than 100 leading evangelical scholars and pastors." The ESV relies on recently published critic ...

of the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

. He was one of the high-profile signers on the 1978 Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, a member on the advisory board of the

Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) is an evangelical Christian organization promoting a complementarian view of gender issues. According to its website, the "mission of The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood is to set fort ...

, and also was involved in the

ecumenical Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

book '' Evangelicals and Catholics Together'' in 1994. His last teaching position was as the board of governors' Professor of Theology at

Regent College Regent College is an interdenominational evangelical Christian College of Christian studies, and an affiliated college of the University of British Columbia, located next to the university's campus in the University Endowment Lands west of Van ...

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, in which he served from 1996 until his retirement in 2016 due to failing eyesight.

Life and career

Packer was born on 22 July 1926 in

Twyning Twyning is a village and civil parish on the River Avon in the north of Gloucestershire, near Tewkesbury, England. The parish is first mentioned in the Liber Wigorniensis in about 1016, where it is called Tuinaeum, part of Gretestane in the co ...

, Gloucestershire, England to James and Dorothy Packer. His sister, Margaret, was born in 1929. His father was a clerk for the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...

and his lower-middle-class family was only nominally

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

, attending the local St. Catherine's Church. When he was seven, Packer suffered a severe head injury in a collision with a bread van, which precluded him from playing sports, so he became interested in reading and writing. At 11 years of age, Packer was gifted with an old

Oliver typewriter The Oliver Typewriter Company was an American typewriter manufacturer headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The Oliver Typewriter was one of the first "visible print" typewriters, meaning text was visible to the typist as it was entered. Oliver ...

. He went on to cherish typewriters for the rest of his life. In 1937, Packer went to

The Crypt School The Crypt School is a grammar school with academy status for boys and girls located in the city of Gloucester. Founded in the 16th century, it was originally an all-boys school, but it made its sixth form co-educational in the 1980s, and moved ...

, where he specialized in

the classics The Classics were an American vocal group formed in 1958 in Brooklyn. The Classics first sang together in high school; two of them had previously sung in a group called The Del-Rays. In 1959, under the auspices of manager Jim Gribble, they record ...

. At age 14 he was

confirmed In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...

at St. Catherine's church. He won a scholarship to the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

, where he was educated at Corpus Christi College, obtaining his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in 1948. In a 1944 meeting of the

Oxford Inter-Collegiate Christian Union The Oxford Inter-Collegiate Christian Union, usually known as OICCU ( ), is the world's second oldest university Christian Union and is the University of Oxford's most prominent student Christian organisation. It was formed in 1879. Due to the ...

(OICCU), Packer committed his life to Christian service. It was during this time that Packer became exposed to the Puritans through OICCU's library, which were an influence he carried for the rest of his life. He also first heard lectures from C. S. Lewis at Oxford, whose teachings would (though he never knew Lewis personally) become a major influence in his life. After college, he spent a brief time teaching Greek and

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

at Oak Hill College in London. During this 1949–1950 school year, he sat under the teaching of Martyn Lloyd-Jones at

Westminster Chapel Westminster Chapel is an evangelical free church in Westminster, central London. The church is in Buckingham Gate, on the corner of Castle Lane and opposite the junction with Petty France. Buckingham Gate is just off Victoria Street and near ...

, who also would have a great influence on his thinking, and who he would know and interact with later. In 1949, Packer went back to

Wycliffe Hall, Oxford Wycliffe Hall is a Church of England Seminary, theological college and a permanent private hall of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is named after the Bible translator and reformer John Wycliffe, who was Master (college), mast ...

in 1949 to study theology. He obtained his

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree in 1954, and

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

in 1954. He wrote his dissertation under

Geoffrey Nuttall Geoffrey Fillingham Nuttall (8 November 1911 – 24 July 2007) was a British Congregational minister and ecclesiastical historian. Nuttall was born in Colwyn Bay, North Wales, the son of the general practitioner. He was educated at Bootham Sc ...

on the soteriology of the Puritan theologian

Richard Baxter Richard Baxter (12 November 1615 – 8 December 1691) was an English Puritan church leader, poet, hymnodist, theologian, and controversialist. Dean Stanley called him "the chief of English Protestant Schoolmen". After some false starts, he ...

. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

in 1952 and

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

in 1953 in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

, within which he was associated with the evangelical movement. He served as assistant

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

of Harborne Heath in Birmingham from 1952 to 1954. In 1954, Packer married Kit Mullet, and they had three children, Ruth, Naomi, and Martin. In 1955, his family moved to

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

and Packer taught at

Tyndale Hall, Bristol Trinity College, Bristol is an evangelical Anglican theological college located in Stoke Bishop, Bristol, England. It offers a range of full-time and part-time taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses which are validated by the University o ...

, from 1955 to 1961. He wrote an article denouncing Keswick theology as Pelagian in the ''

Evangelical Quarterly ''Evangelical Quarterly'' is an academic journal covering theology and biblical studies. It was established in 1929 by Donald Maclean (principal), Donald Maclean and J. R. Mackay. The current Editor-in-chief, editors are Richard Snoddy and John Nol ...

''. According to biographer Alister McGrath, it is widely agreed that his critique "marked the end of the dominance of the Keswick approach among younger evangelicals". It was also during this time that he published his first book, ''Fundamentalism and the Word of God'' (1958), a defense of the authority of the Bible, which sold 20,000 copies in that year and has been in print since. Packer moved back to Oxford in 1961, where he served as librarian of Latimer House in Oxford from 1961–1962 and warden from 1962–1969, an evangelical research centre he founded with John Stott. In 1970, he became principal of Tyndale Hall, Bristol, and from 1971 until 1979 he was associate principal of the newly formed

Trinity College, Bristol Trinity College, Bristol is an evangelical Anglican theological college located in Stoke Bishop, Bristol, England. It offers a range of full-time and part-time taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses which are validated by the University o ...

, which had been formed from the amalgamation of Tyndale Hall with Clifton College and Dalton House-St Michael's. He became editor of the ''Evangelical Quarterly'' in the 1960s, and eventually published a series of articles he wrote in the journal into a book, ''

''. The book, published by

Hodder & Stoughton Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint (trade name), imprint of Hachette (publisher), Hachette. History Early history The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged 14, with Messrs ...

in Britain and InterVarsity Press in the United States in 1973, became a bestseller of international fame and sold over 1.5 million copies. In 1977, he signed the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy. In 1979, one of Packer's Oxford friends persuaded him to teach at

in Vancouver, eventually being named the first Sangwoo Youtong Chee Professor of Theology, a title he held until he was named a Regent College Board of Governors' Professor of Theology in 1996. At Regent he taught many classes, including systematic theology and the

Puritans The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become more Protestant. P ...

. He was a prolific writer and frequent lecturer, and a frequent contributor to and an executive editor of ''

Christianity Today ''Christianity Today'' is an evangelical Christian media magazine founded in 1956 by Billy Graham. It is published by Christianity Today International based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ''The Washington Post'' calls ''Christianity Today'' "evange ...

''. Packer served as general editor of the

(ESV), an evangelical translation based upon the

Revised Standard Version The Revised Standard Version (RSV) is an English translation of the Bible published in 1952 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. This translation itself is a revision of the Ameri ...

of the Bible, and theological editor of the ''

ESV Study Bible The ''ESV Study Bible'' (abbreviated as ESVSB) is a study Bible published by Crossway. It features the text of the English Standard Version, along with study notes from a perspective of "classic evangelical orthodoxy, in the historic stream of th ...

''. Packer was associated with St. John's Shaughnessy Anglican Church, which in February 2008 voted to

schism A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...

from the

Anglican Church of Canada The Anglican Church of Canada (ACC or ACoC) is the Ecclesiastical province#Anglican Communion, province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French-language name is ''l'Église anglicane du Canada''. In 2017, the Anglican Church co ...

over the issue of

same-sex blessings The blessing or wedding of same-sex marriages and same-sex unions is an issue about which Christian churches are in ongoing disagreement. Traditionally, Christianity teaches that homosexual acts are sinful and that holy matrimony can only exis ...

. The departing church, St. John's Vancouver, joined the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC). Packer, on 23 April, handed in his licence from the Bishop of New Westminster. (ANiC eventually co-founded and joined the Anglican Church in North America in 2009.) In December 2008, Packer was appointed an honorary clerical canon of St Andrew's Cathedral in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

in recognition of his long and distinguished ministry as a faithful teacher of

biblical theology Because scholars have tended to use the term in different ways, Biblical theology has been notoriously difficult to define. Description Although most speak of biblical theology as a particular method or emphasis within biblical studies, some scho ...

. Packer had been the theologian emeritus of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) since its creation in 2009, being one of the nine members of the task force who wrote on a trial basis ''Texts for Common Prayer'', released in 2013, and general editor of the task force who wrote for trial use ''To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism'', approved on 8 January 2014 by the College of Bishops of the church. He was awarded the St. Cuthbert's Cross at the Provincial Assembly of ACNA on 27 June 2014 by retiring Archbishop Robert Duncan for his "unparalleled contribution to Anglican and global Christianity". In 2016, Packer's eyesight deteriorated due to

macular degeneration Macular degeneration, also known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD or ARMD), is a medical condition which may result in blurred or no vision in the center of the visual field. Early on there are often no symptoms. Over time, however, som ...

to a point where he could no longer read or write, consequently concluding his public ministry. Packer died on 17 July 2020, five days before his 94th birthday.

Theological views

Inerrancy

He signed the '' Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy'', affirming the conservative evangelical position on biblical inerrancy.

Gender roles

Packer was a

complementarian Complementarianism is a theological view in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, that men and women have different but ''complementary'' roles and responsibilities in marriage, family life, and religious leadership. The word "complementary" and it ...

and served on the advisory board of the

. He thus subscribed to a view of gender roles such that a husband should lovingly lead, protect and provide for his wife and that a wife should joyfully affirm and submit to her husband's leadership. Complementarians also believe the Bible teaches that men are to bear primary responsibility to lead in the church and that as such only men should be elders. In 1991 Packer set forth his reasons for this in an influential yet controversial article called "Let's Stop Making Women Presbyters".

Calvinism

Packer held to the soteriological position known as

Calvinism Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Cal ...

Evolution

Packer endorsed and supported books that have advocated for

theistic evolution Theistic evolution (also known as theistic evolutionism or God-guided evolution) is a theological view that God creates through laws of nature. Its religious teachings are fully compatible with the findings of modern science, including biological ...

, but also expressed caution towards the validity of evolution.

Ecumenism

In recent years, he had supported the ecumenical movement, which drew criticism from other evangelicals. Specifically, Packer's involvement in the book '' Evangelicals and Catholics Together: Toward a Common Mission'' (ECT) was sharply criticised, but he defended ECT by arguing that believers should set aside denominational differences for the sake of winning converts to Christianity. Packer took the side of evangelical ecumenism in opposition to Martyn Lloyd-Jones in 1966, then co-authored a work with two

Anglo-Catholics Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholic heritage and identity of the various Anglican churches. The term was coined in the early 19th century, although movements emphasising the Catholic nature of Anglican ...

in 1970 (''Growing into Union'') that many evangelicals felt conceded too much biblical ground on critical doctrinal issues. The publication of that work led to the formal break between Lloyd-Jones and Packer, bringing an end to the Puritan Conferences.

Works

* ''Fundamentalism and the Word of God'' (1958; reprinted 1984) * ''Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God'' (1961 by Inter-Varsity Fellowship) (reprinted 1991) * ''Our Lord's Understanding of the Law of God'' (1962) * ''The Church of England and the Methodist Church: Ten Essays'' (1963) * ''God Speaks To Man: Revelation and the Bible'' (1965) * ''Tomorrow's Worship'' (1966) * ''Guidelines: Anglican Evangelicals Face the Future'' (1967) * ''

'' (1973, reprinted 1993) * ''What did the Cross Achieve? The Logic of Penal Substitution'' (1974) * ''I Want To Be A Christian'' (1977) * ''The Ten Commandments'' (1977) * ''The Evangelical Anglican Identity Problem: An Analysis'' (1978) * ''The New Man'' (1978) * ''For Man's Sake!'' (1978) * ''Knowing Man'' (1979) * ''God Has Spoken'' (1979) * ''Beyond the Battle for the Bible'' (1980) * ''Freedom and Authority'' (1981: International Council on Biblical Inerrancy) * ''A Kind of Noah's Ark? : The Anglican Commitment to Comprehensiveness'' (1981) * ''God's Words: Studies of Key Bible Themes'' (1981) * ''Freedom, Authority and Scripture'' (1982) * ''Keep In Step With The Spirit: Finding Fullness In Our Walk With God'' (1984, reprinted 2005) * ''The Thirty-Nine Articles: Their Place and Use Today'' (1984) * ''Through the Year with J. I. Packer'' (1986) * ''Hot Tub Religion'' (1987) * ''Among God's Giants: Aspects of Puritan Christianity'' (1991) * ''A Passion for Holiness'' (1992) * ''Rediscovering Holiness'' (1992) * ''Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs'' (1993) * ''A Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life'' (1994) * ''Knowing Christianity'' (1995) * ''A Passion for Faithfulness: Wisdom from the Book of Nehemiah'' (1995) * ''Decisions – Finding God's Will: 6 Studies for Individuals or Groups'' (1996) * ''Truth & Power: The Place of Scripture in the Christian Life'' (1996) * ''Life in the Spirit'' (1996) * ''Meeting God'' (2001) * ''God's Plans for You'' (2001) * ''Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility'' (2002) * ''Faithfulness and Holiness: The Witness of J. C. Ryle'' (2002) * ''The Redemption and Restoration of Man in the Thought of Richard Baxter'' (2003, based on his 1954 Oxford dissertation) * ''Knowing God Through The Year'' (2004) * ''18 Words: The Most Important Words You Will Ever Know'' (2007) * ''Praying the Lord's Prayer'' (2007) * ''Affirming the Apostles' Creed (2008) '' * ''Weakness Is the Way: Life with Christ Our Strength ''(2013) * ''Finishing Our Course With Joy '' (2014)

In the ''Anglican Agenda'' series

* ''Taking Faith Seriously'' (2006) * ''Taking Doctrine Seriously'' (2007) * ''Taking Repentance Seriously'' (2007) * ''Taking Christian Unity Seriously'' (2007)

Collections

* ''The J. I. Packer Collection'', edited by Alister McGrath (1999) * ''Collected Shorter Writings of J. I. Packer'' ** ''Volume 1: Celebrating the Saving Work of God'' (1998) ** '' Volume 2: Serving the People of God'' (1998) ** ''Volume 3: Honouring the Written Word of God'' (1999) ** ''Volume 4: Honouring the People of God'' (1999)

Co-authored

* ''The Spirit Within You: The Church's Neglected Possession'' with Alan Stibbs (1979) * ''The Bible Almanac'' with

Merrill C. Tenney Merrill Chapin Tenney (April 16, 1904 – March 18, 1985) was an American professor of New Testament and Greek and author of several books. He was the general editor of the Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, and served on the original translati ...

and William White (1980) * ''Christianity: The True Humanism'' with Thomas Howard (1985) * ''New Dictionary of Theology'' with Sinclair B Ferguson and David F Wright (1988) * ''Knowing and Doing the Will of God'' with LaVonne Neff (1995) * ''Great Power'' with Beth Feia (1997) * ''Great Grace'' with Beth Feia (1997) * ''Great Joy'' with Beth Feia (1999) * ''Never Beyond Hope: How God Touches and Uses Imperfect People'' with Carolyn Nystrom (2000) * ''Knowing God Journal'' with Carolyn Nystrom (2000) * ''J. I. Packer Answers Questions for Today'' with Wendy Murray Zoba (2001) * ''Hope, Never Beyond Hope: Six Studies for Individuals or Groups with Leader's Notes'' with Carolyn Nystrom (2003) * ''One Faith: The Evangelical Consensus'' with

Thomas Oden Thomas Clark Oden (1931–2016) was an American Methodist theologian and religious author. He is often regarded as the father of the paleo-orthodox theological movement and is considered to be one of the most influential theologians of the 20th ...

(2004) * ''Battle for the Soul of Canada: Raising up the Emerging Generation of Leaders'' (2006) * ''Praying: Finding Our Way Through Duty To Delight'' with Carolyn Nystrom (2006) * ''Guard Us, Guide Us: Divine Leading in Life's Decisions'' with Carolyn Nystrom (2008) * ''In My Place Condemned He Stood: Celebrating the Glory of the Atonement'' with Mark Dever (2008)

Works about

* Alister E McGrath, ''To Know and Serve God: A Life of James I. Packer'' (1997) * Alister E McGrath, ''J. I. Packer: A Biography'' (1997) * Roger Steer, ''Guarding the Holy Fire: The Evangelicalism of John R. W. Stott, J. I. Packer and Alister McGrath'' (1999) * Don J Payne, ''The Theology of the Christian Life in J. I. Packer's Thought: Theological Anthropology, Theological Method, and the Doctrine of Sanctification'' (2006) * Timothy F George, ''J. I. Packer and the Evangelical Future: The Impact of His Life and Thought'' (2009) * Leland Ryken, ''J. I. Packer: An Evangelical Life'' (2015)

Notes

References

External links

Interview with J. I. Packer about his work on the English Standard Version Bible

* '' ttps://web.archive.org/web/20081121205512/http://www.theologynetwork.org/studying-theologyrs/penal-substitution-revisited.htm Penal Substitution Revisited' by J. I. Packer, o
www.theologynetwork.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Packer, J. I. 1926 births 2020 deaths 20th-century Anglican theologians 20th-century English Anglican priests 20th-century English theologians 21st-century Anglican theologians 21st-century English Anglican priests 21st-century English theologians Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Oxford Alumni of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford English emigrants to Canada Canadian Anglican Church in North America priests Canadian Anglican theologians Canadian Calvinist and Reformed theologians Canadian evangelicals Christian humanists Critics of atheism English Anglican theologians English Calvinist and Reformed theologians English evangelicals Evangelical Anglican clergy Evangelical Anglican theologians People from Gloucestershire Staff of Trinity College, Bristol Systematic theologians Theistic evolutionists Writers from Vancouver Regent College faculty Anglican realignment people