J. I. Packer

James Innell Packer (born July 22, 1926 in Gloucester, England) is a British-born Canadian Christian theologian in the Reformational Anglican tradition. He currently serves as the Board of Governors' Professor of Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. He is considered to be one of the most important evangelical theologians of the late 20th century. Packer also served as general editor of the English Standard Version of the Bible. Image File history File links J. I. Packer This is a copyrighted promotional photo with a known source. ... Image File history File links J. I. Packer This is a copyrighted promotional photo with a known source. ... 22 July is the 203rd day (204th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 162 days remaining. ... 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... This article is about the city of Gloucester in England; for other uses see Gloucester (disambiguation). ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the British Isles Languages English (de facto) Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st UK 50. ... Christian theology practices theology from a Christian viewpoint or studies Christianity theologically. ... Regent College is, in its own words, An International Graduate School of Christian Studies, based near Vancouver, British Columbia. ... This article refers to the city in British Columbia, Canada. ... Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Official languages English Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Lieutenant-Governor Iona Campagnolo Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 36 6 Area Total  â€¢ Land  â€¢ Water    (% of total)  Ranked 5th 944,735 km² 925,186 km² 19,549 km... The word evangelicalism usually refers to a tendency in diverse branches of Protestantism, typified by an emphasis on evangelism, a personal experience of conversion, biblically-oriented faith, and a belief in the relevance of Christian faith to cultural issues. ... The English Standard Version (ESV) is an English translation of the Holy Bible. ...

The son of a clerk for the Great Western Railway, Packer won a scholarship to Oxford University. It was as a student at Oxford where he first met C.S. Lewis whose teachings would become a major influence in his life. In a meeting of the Oxford Inter-Collegiate Christian Union, Packer committed his life to Christian service. The original Bristol Temple Meads station, first terminus of the GWR, is the building to the left of this picture The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company, linking South West England, the West Country and South Wales with London. ... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford in England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... Clive Staples Lewis (November 29, 1898 – November 22, 1963), commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis, was an author and scholar. ... The Oxford Inter-Collegiate Christian Union, usually known as OICCU, was the second university Christian Union and is the University of Oxfords most prominent student Christian organisation. ...

After briefly teaching Greek at Oak Hill College in London, Packer entered Wycliffe Hall to study theology and was ordained a priest in the Church of England. He became recognized as a leader in the Evangelical movement in the Church of England. In 1978, he signed the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, which affirmed the conservative position on Biblical inerrancy. For other uses, see London (disambiguation). ... This article is about the sacrament. ... The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ... The word evangelicalism usually refers to a tendency in diverse branches of Protestantism, typified by an emphasis on evangelism, a personal experience of conversion, biblically-oriented faith, and a belief in the relevance of Christian faith to cultural issues. ... The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, formulated in 1978, is a Christian interdenominational statement designed to defend the position of Biblical inerrancy against the trend toward liberal and neo-orthodox conceptions of Scripture. ... Biblical inerrancy is the belief that the Bible, as the inspired Word of God, is without error. ...

In 1979, Packer moved to Vancouver to take up a position with Regent College. A prolific writer and frequent lecturer, Packer is widely regarded in Protestant circles as one of the most important theologians and church historians of the modern era. He is a frequent contributor to and an executive editor of Christianity Today. In recent years, he has become an outspoken proponent of the ecumenical movement but believes that unity should not come at the expense of abandoning orthodox Protestant doctrine. Nonetheless, his advocacy of ecumenicism has brought sharp criticism from some conservatives. Christianity Today is an Evangelical Christian periodical based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ... Christian ecumenism is the promotion of unity or cooperation between distinct religious groups or denominations of the Christian religion, more or less broadly defined. ... Separate articles treat Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Orthodox Judaism. ...

Packer served as general editor for the English Standard Version, an Evangelical revision of the Revised Standard Version. The English Standard Version (ESV) is an English translation of the Holy Bible. ... The Revised Standard Version (RSV) is an English translation of the Bible that was popular in the mid-20th century and posed the first serious challenge to the King James Version (KJV) owing to its aim to be both a readable and literally accurate modern English translation of the Bible. ...

Select Book Titles

• Fundamentalism and the Word of God (1958; reprinted 1984) ISBN 0802811477
• Keep In Step With The Spirit: Finding Fullness In Our Walk With God (1984, reprinted 2005) ISBN 0801065585
• Knowing God (1973, reprinted 1993) ISBN 083081650X
• Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God (1991) ISBN 083081339X
• A Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life (1994) ISBN 0891078193
• Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs (2001) ISBN 0842339604
• One Faith: The Evangelical Consensus with Thomas Oden (2004) ISBN 0830832394
• Collected Shorter Writings in four volumes

Dr. Thomas C. Oden Thomas Clark Oden (October 21, 1931 - ) is an American Christian theologian associated with Drew University in New Jersey. ...

External links

• A Stunted Ecclesiology?: The Theory & Practice of Evangelical Churchliness by J.I. Packer