Packer was an illustration par excellence of the pastor/theologian who wrote mainly for the church. In addition to serving as a pastor, I’ve also been privileged to serve local churches as an editor, writer, and author, and along the way God has opened doors for me to encourage pastors to write about Bible, theology, church history, and ministry. Sproul, together shaped my own calling as a pastor who seeks to write for pastors and “regular” church members, making biblical teaching, theology, and church history accessible to ordinary people eager to grow in their knowledge of the things of God. Packer, along with John Piper and the late R. And he wrote for the church through clear, elegant prose. Packer mentored me through his books and articles because he wrote theology for the church. When I asked him why some Christian teachers seemed enamored of the Puritans, he sent me essays Packer had written on them. When I asked my editor/pastor friend what impact the doctrine of predestination might have on evangelism and missions, he gave me Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God. Studying that book was one earthly factor that made me fall in love with theology and church history and sent me deeper into studying both. My editor/pastor friend capitalized on my love for history and good books by funneling me volumes on theology, apologetics, and church history, including Packer’s classic Knowing God. Just before I met this friend, the Lord had begun to stir up in me an unquenchable thirst for the Bible and the things of God. He had been mentored by “Jim Packer” as he called him. For many years before surrendering to ministry, I worked in newspapers, and in the mid-1990s I developed a friendship with a fellow editor who was also an Anglican pastor. Packer among my spiritual/ministerial kinfolk because one of his spiritual sons introduced me to the great doctrines of the Reformation, great doctrines J. Packer.īesides being my brother in Christ, I consider Dr. In much the same way I’m the product of various attributes genetically passed down by my parents and grandparents, I’m preaching, teaching, and writing about theology, ministry, and church history because of J. ![]() ![]() Packer, but I consider him one of my spiritual grandfathers whose ministry-especially his writing-left indelible marks on my own.
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