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Two new books on J. I. Packer

9781433542527mThe new biography of J. I. Packer by Leland Ryken is out and it is 50% off at Westminster Bookstore. Look for an interview with Ryken in the upcoming issue of Credo Magazine as well.

Publisher’s Description

For the last 60 years, J. I. Packer has exerted a steady and remarkable influence on evangelical theology and practice. His many books, articles, and lectures have shaped entire generations of Christians, helping elevate their view of God and enliven their love for God. In this new biography, well-known scholar Leland Ryken provides readers with a compelling overview of Packer’s interesting life and influential legacy. Exploring his childhood, college days, theological education, and professional life in both England and America, this volume combines detailed facts with personal anecdotes so as to paint a holistic portrait of the man himself. Finally, Ryken identifies lifelong themes evident in Packer’s life, ministry, and writings that shed light on his enduring significance for Christians today.

About the Author

Leland Ryken (PhD, University of Oregon) served as professor of English at Wheaton College for nearly 50 years. He has authored or edited over fifty books, including The Word of God in English, A Complete Handbook of Literary Forms in the Bible, and J. I. Packer: An Evangelical Life. He is a frequent speaker at the Evangelical Theological Society’s annual meetings and served as literary stylist for the English Standard Version Bible.

Praise for the book

“For evangelicals, J. I. Packer stands as one of the foremost theological leaders of this generation. His writings have illuminated the minds of countless Christians with the clarity of the Bible’s teaching. He has answered our questions, provoked our thinking, expanded our understanding, and always pointed us to Christ. I’m so glad that Crossway has produced this biography of the man behind the words.”
Phillip D. Jensen

“J. I. Packer is chief among the cadre of impressive British thinkers who have had a shaping influence on evangelical Christianity in North America over the past half-century. Indeed, his influence girdles the globe, and it shows no sign of abating as this great theologian approaches his tenth decade. This new biography builds on earlier Packer studies, but it offers distinctive insights into the humanity and ministry of a life lived well, with grace abounding and wisdom from above.”
Timothy George, Dean, Beeson Divinity School; Executive Editor, Christianity Today

“It is such a pleasure to read Leland Ryken’s biography of Dr. Jim Packer. Personally, I have been deeply blessed by Dr. Packer’s writing and teaching ministry for over fifty years since, as a student, I picked up “Fundamentalism” and the Word of God. I can also testify that his Knowing God was most often nominated by my seminary students as a work that profoundly influenced them. To be able to read about the man himself and to understand how God gifted and shaped him has been a moving and edifying experience. This is a good book about a great man.”
Peter Jensen

“Without a doubt, this is now the definitive, most up-to-date biography of J. I. Packer, and it deserves high praise. With the sensitivity, wisdom, and sheer humanity that a fine biographer needs, Leland Ryken allows us to see the life, mind, and heart of this quiet but highly influential man. Traversing the notoriously complex and hazardous terrain of UK and US evangelicalism with impressive sure-footedness, Ryken not only helps us understand the man and his context, but ourselves as evangelicals.”
Michael Reeves, Director of Union and Senior Lecturer, Wales Evangelical School of Theology

“This book is a fascinating, insightful, and, to my mind, precisely accurate portrait of the same Jim Packer whom I have known for more than thirty-five years. What a joy to read this book and be challenged by Packer’s remarkable life!”
Wayne A. Grudem, Research Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies, Phoenix Seminary

“This book offers a full and balanced portrait of a diligent and faithful theologian. But because J. I. Packer’s theology has always been pastoral, practical, catechetical, and eminently readable—instead of recondite, esoteric, or merely academic—it is appropriate that this welcome volume is itself down-to-earth, accessible, and reader friendly. Leland Ryken, as a veteran student of the Puritans, is the ideal author to write about the most influential Puritan of our time.”
Mark A. Noll, Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History, University of Notre Dame

9781433539527mPacker on the Christian Life

Additionally, don’t miss Sam Storms’s new book, Packer on the Christian Life: Knowing God in Christ, Walking by the Spirit (Theologians on the Christian Life), which is 23% off right now at Westminster Bookstore. 

Publisher’s Description

J. I. Packer is widely recognized as a pillar of 20th-century evangelicalism and has had a profound impact on millions of Christians living today. Now in his late eighties, Packer still exerts an enormous influence on pastors and laypeople around the world through his many books, articles, and recorded lectures–works that overflow with spiritual wisdom related to the Christian life. In this soul-stirring book, well-known pastor Sam Storms explores Packer’s legacy and profound insights into prayer, Bible study, the sovereignty of God, the Christian’s fight against sin, and more, offering readers the chance to learn from a true evangelical titan.

About the Author

Sam Storms (PhD, University of Texas at Dallas) has spent more than four decades in ministry as a pastor, professor, and the author of more than two-dozen books. He was visiting associate professor of theology at Wheaton College from 2000 to 2004, and is currently senior pastor at Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He is the founder of Enjoying God Ministries and the author of numerous books, including Chosen for Life, Tough Topics: Biblical Answers to 25 Challenging Questions, and Kept for Jesus.

Praise for the book

“The most noteworthy feature of this book is the author’s ability to assimilate vast quantities of data, condense it, and put it into a systematic format. This begins with a wonderful biographical chapter and then proceeds to Packer’s theology. A brief version of the systematic theology that Packer has long promised the world, this book is a triumph of scholarship.”
Leland Ryken

“This is one of the best books on J. I. Packer I have read. It gets to the heart of this great theologian’s central concern, what Henry Scougal called ‘the life of God in the soul of man.’ For those of us who have sat at Packer’s feet for many years, this is a delightful reprise and refresher. For new Christians just getting to know Packer, fasten your seat belts!”
Timothy George, Dean, Beeson Divinity School; Executive Editor, Christianity Today

“The writings of J. I. Packer have been a great help to many believers in many ways. It is therefore most welcome that Sam Storms has synthesized insights from those writings in this helpful, accessible book. I’m sure Pastor Storms agrees that the very best thing about his book would be if it encouraged readers to dive into Packer’s works themselves.”
Mark A. Noll, Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History, University of Notre Dame

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