A key focus in Packer’s thought is theology for the life of the church. McGrath features Packer’s marvelous reply to Bishop Robinson’s Honest to God, the crisis in 1966 with Lloyd Jones leading to the cooling of their relationship and the Keele conference of 1967 defining an evangelical presence within Anglicanism. Packer’s return to Oxford in the 1960’s as Warden of Latimer House came at a time of ferment within Anglican evangelicalism.

McGrath includes marvelous material here on how Packer’s devotional life fed both his pastoral and theological work. At Tyndale Hall in Bristol, Packer comes into his own as a “theological educationalist.” This period marked Packer’s early efforts in publishing, centered around the editorial work on the first edition of The New Bible Dictionary and his first book on Fundamentalism and the Word of God. Martyn Lloyd Jones and the development of the Puritan Studies Conferences, and their later falling out.

He recounts Packer’s early life, his spiritual awakening and early embrace of the theology of the fathers and their ancient wisdom. In fact, McGrath alternates chapters on his life with ones on aspects of his theological work. McGrath traces this thread through his books and thought and his career first in Bristol, then Oxford, then briefly again at Bristol, and finally at Regent in Canada.

Reading this account of the life and thought of Packer by Alister McGrath, I came to understand that the qualities I appreciated in his lectures and his books reflected his central passion for theological education and catechesis for the good of the church. The talks were marked by precision of thought and warmth of devotion. I only heard Packer speak once, giving a series of lectures on revival in Ann Arbor, contrasting Jonathan Edwards and Charles Finney, along with an exposition of Psalm 85 as a prayer for revival. It is one of those books I’ve re-read several times. The first time through, I read a few pages at a time, stopped, reflected, and prayed in wonder at the greatness, majesty, holiness, and love of God. As a young Christian, I discovered that the chief end of our lives as well as the work of theology is that we know, love, and glorify God, and not just know about him. His impact on my life came primarily through the book Knowing God, which I read during my student days. Packer was one of my personal theological heroes.

Summary: An account of the theologian’s faith, life, and theological engagement. Packer: His Life and Thought, Alister McGrath.

Best books by ji packer