Hagia Sophia and the Signs of the Times

“The Byzantine Cathedral Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) was built in 537AD by Emperor Justinian and remains one of the world’s most recognised and beautiful buildings. It is deservedly a Unesco World Heritage site: a museum of immense beauty and historical significance.

Although I have never had a chance to visit Istanbul and to walk inside this magnificent building, I have long dreamed of wandering along its marble floors, admiring the mosaics and being entranced by the dome above.

But this museum is no more. …

What is happening in Turkey should serve as a reminder for churches not to take for granted the time we have to live and serve and to preach Jesus Christ as Lord. …”

– Murray Campbell sees an important lesson for churches in current events.

We Preach Christ Crucified — J. I. Packer at the 1978 Moore College Lectures

The Donald Robinson Library at Moore College has digitised and made available the videotapes of  Dr. J. I. Packer’s 1978 Moore College Lectures.

His topic? “We Preach Christ Crucified.”

Watch here.

Wallace Benn’s Tribute to J. I. Packer

“It was announced on Friday 17th July that Dr. Packer had passed away.

It is a sad day for Reformed Evangelicals because we have lost our champion, but not for him as he is now with the Saviour he honoured throughout his life.

He was the best Anglican Evangelical theologian of his generation, and a brilliant communicator of warm-hearted and big-minded classical evangelicalism. His wonderful books will live on, and as they are read by a new generation, will, please God, give them a deeper and more profound understanding of the Christian Faith, and deliver them from a weaker and more muddled modern version…”

– Bishop Wallace Benn shares his tribute to J. I. Packer, and Lee Gatiss links to many of Packer’s articles in Churchman – at the Church Society website.

New Anglican archbishop welcomed to Shrine of St Margaret Clitherow

“The Catholic Bishop of Middlesbrough welcomed the newly elected 98th Anglican Archbishop of York to pray alongside him in the shrine of St Margaret Clitherow in the city.   …”

– Report from The Catholic Universe. Image: Church of England.

Forgiveness in Three Images

“Christians always want to understand the world better than it understands itself in order that we can comment on it with light and understanding.

However, we are members of another kingdom (Phil.3:20-21) ruled by a king who is not from our earthly world (John 18:36-37).

For sinners, one of our first issues must be that of forgiveness – which is probably not first on the list of world priorities.…”

– Encouragement from Psalm 103, and the Rev. Dr Peter Barnes, Moderator-General of the Presbyterian Church of Australia.

J I Packer: An evangelical lion


Earlier today, Dominic Steele spoke with Peter Jensen and Mark Thompson to remember and give thanks for J I Packer.

Watch or listen here.

Mentioned in the discussion:

Why I Walked: Sometimes loving a denomination requires you to fight (PDF file).

A voice focussed on the authority of the Bible and the glory of Jesus Christ

Crossway has a very encouraging tribute page to J I Packer.

There’s a 15 minute documentary video, a download of his book “Weakness is the Way”, and links to other resources.

Reformation Theology in the Hands of a Servant

“J.I. Packer wrote a postcard to me dated December 18, 1990, which included this sentence in his tiny handwriting: ‘Creep up behind your wife, whisper in her ear Ellis Peters, Elizabeth Peters, Andrew Greely, Ralph McInerny, William Kienzle, Charles Merrill Smith, and see how she reacts.’…”

– John Piper shares his tribute to J I Packer – at Desiring God.

Photo: The Gospel Coalition.

Don Carson Pays Tribute to J. I. Packer

“James Innell Packer, known in his writings as J. I. Packer and by his friends as Jim, has today learned by experience what the apostle meant when he said that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, which is far better.

His influence on worldwide evangelicalism, especially through his writings but scarcely less through his far-flung lecturing, can scarcely be measured. …”

– D A Carson writes at The Gospel Coalition.

Peter Grice elected Bishop of Rockhampton

Peter Grice, Dean of Geraldton Cathedral in the Diocese of North West Australia, has been elected Bishop of the Diocese of Rockhampton:

“With much joy and gratitude to Almighty God, I announce the successful election of the Very Reverend Peter John Grice as the thirteenth Bishop of the Diocese of Rockhampton. The Episcopal Announcement was made at a Special Session of Synod, via Zoom, that was also livestreamed today.

Peter currently serves as the Dean of the Cathedral in Geraldton, Western Australia. As a family, Peter, Virginia and their five children, have ministered previously in the Dioceses of Armidale and North West Australia.

Peter was born in Newcastle, NSW and completed High School in Wollongong, NSW. He studied a Bachelor of Commerce/Law at the University of NSW before working as a solicitor in Sydney.

He has completed Theological Studies through the Australian College of Theology, studying at Sydney Missionary and Bible College. He holds further Post Graduate qualifications from Moore Theological College and Trinity Theological College. After completing his initial theological training, Peter responded to the call of Parish ministry in the Diocese of Armidale, where he was deaconed and priested in 2001 and 2002 respectively. He served as the Assistant Minister and then Incumbent of St Augustine’s Inverell for 14 years, before accepting his current position as Dean and Minister-in-Charge of the Holy Cross Cathedral Geraldton in January 2015. He is also licensed as the Vicar General of the North West Australia Diocese.”

– See the full announcement by the Administrator of the diocese, Tom Henderson-Brooks. (PDF file)

Photo: Peter and Virginia Grice.

A giant of 20th century evangelicalism

“James Innell Packer was one of the three giants of 20th century evangelicalism: the evangelist, Billy Graham; the pastor/Bible teacher, John Stott; the theologian, Jim Packer. His influence on evangelical thought and practice around the globe has been immense.

Here in Australia we owe him an enormous debt. With the brilliant mind with which God endowed him, he was able to answer the dominant liberalism of the mid and late twentieth century and help revive classic reformed theology in the life of the church…”

– Moore College Principal Dr. Mark Thompson gives thanks to God for J I Packer.

Photo: Dan Gifford, David Short and J I Packer chat before the first Sunday service of St. John’s Vancouver in their new location, 25 September 2011.

Now he truly knows

“Theologian and author J I Packer, one of the foremost evangelical thinkers and writers of the 20th Century, has died at the age of 93.

Dr Packer, who died just five days short of his 94th birthday, ranks alongside John Stott as a giant of Anglican evangelicalism.

Packer was known to millions of Christians around the world for his popular classic, Knowing God, published in the 1970s. But he was already an established scholar of note because of his earlier works in the 1950s and 60s, Fundamentalism and the Word of God and Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God. …

‘We have lost a great champion of the faith in the death of Dr Jim Packer,’ said Archbishop Glenn Davies in a statement after the news was announced.”

– This story by Russell Powell at SydneyAnglicans.net quotes this tribute from Archbishop Glenn Davies.

Albert Mohler gives thanks for J I Packer

Albert Mohler has recorded this impromptu thanksgiving for J I Packer.

J. I. Packer (1926–2020)

“J. I. Packer went to be with the Lord on July 17, 2020. He was 93 years old.

Packer was a lifelong Anglican churchman who spent the first half of his life in England and the second half in Canada but who was perhaps most popular in the United States. …

Throughout his nearly 70 years of writing and ministry, he stressed the importance of knowing and praying to and communing with the triune God. He called for the church to take holiness and repentance seriously by walking in the Spirit and fighting against indwelling sin. He defended biblical authority and championed the cause of disciple-making catechesis. And he reintroduced multiple generations to his beloved Puritan forebears, whom he regarded as the Redwoods of the Christian faith.”

– Justin Taylor has this tribute to J I Packer, who has been called home.

We thank God for this faithful servant (and Honorary Canon of St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney). Image: Crossway.

See also:

J I Packer in his own words – videos from Crossway.

“Packer’s life-changing childhood experience came at the age of seven when he was chased out of the schoolyard by a bully onto the busy London Road in Gloucester, where he was struck by a bread van and sustained a serious head injury. He carried a visible dent in the side of his head for the rest of his life. Nevertheless, Packer was uncomplaining and accepting of what providence brought into his life from childhood on.

Much more important than Packer’s accident was his conversion to Christ, which happened within two weeks of his matriculation as an undergraduate at Oxford University. Packer committed his life to Christ on October 22, 1944, while attending an evangelistic service sponsored by the campus InterVarsity chapter. …” – Christianity Today.

Preach, Pray, Love, and Stay

“When I was interviewing with Capitol Hill Baptist Church before they called me to be their pastor, someone asked me if I had a program or plan to implement for growth.

Perhaps to this person’s surprise (and perhaps to yours too!), I responded that I didn’t really have any great plans or programs to implement.

I was just armed with four P’s – I would preach, pray, develop personal discipling relationships, and be patient. In other words, preach and pray; love and stay. …”

– 9Marks shares this very helpful excerpt from The Deliberate Church: Building Your Ministry on the Gospel by Mark Dever and Paul Alexander.

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