J. I. Packer

J. I. Packer
Packer in the 1950s
Born
James Innell Packer

(1926-07-22)22 July 1926
Twyning, England
Died17 July 2020(2020-07-17) (aged 93)
Nationality
  • Canadian
  • British
Spouse
Kit Mullett
(m. 1954)
Ecclesiastical career
ReligionChristianity (Anglican)
Church
Ordained
  • 1952 (deacon)
  • 1953 (priest)
Academic background
Alma mater
ThesisThe Redemption and Restoration of Man in the Thought of Richard Baxter (1954)
Doctoral advisorGeoffrey Nuttall
Influences
Academic work
DisciplineTheology
Sub-disciplineSystematic theology
School or tradition
Institutions
Notable students
Notable worksKnowing God (1973)
Influenced

James Innell Packer (22 July 1926  17 July 2020) was an English-born Canadian evangelical theologian, cleric and writer in the low-church Anglican and Calvinist traditions. Having been considered as one of the most influential evangelicals in North America, Packer is known for his 1973 best-selling book Knowing God, along with his work as the general editor of the English Standard Version Bible. 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, and also was involved in the ecumenical book Evangelicals and Catholics Together in 1994. His last teaching position was as the board of governors' Professor of Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, in which he served from 1996 until his retirement in 2016 due to failing eyesight.