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J. I. Packer: An Evangelical Life Hardcover – October 31, 2015

by Leland Ryken (Author),
J. I. Packer (Afterword)
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 432 pages
  • Publisher: Crossway (October 31, 2015)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1433542528
  • ISBN-13: 978-1433542527
  • Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 1.6 x 9.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #127,308 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsPacker is fascinating, but the book is a bit clunky at times.
By Adam Shields VINE VOICE on November 3, 2015
Format: Hardcover
I have read several of JI Packer’s books but I really did not know anything about him. I knew he taught at Regent University and was an Anglican. But beside those facts everything else that I had assumed about him was wrong.

JI Packer grew up in a working class home in before showing his strong academic skills and winning a scholarship to Oxford. There he quickly became a Christian and soon was pursuing training to become a pastor. But after spending a year teaching between his undergrad and graduate degrees teaching has always been a part of his focus.

As was traditional in earlier generations, Packer served as a pastor early in his career before becoming a full time seminary professor. Packer has always primarily focused on the training of pastors and that has meant that he has not taken teaching positions that were as high profile as he could have.

After several years teaching and writing, Packer became the director of Latimer House. Latimer House was designed to give Packer and others space to write and think and speak without giving them teaching responsibilities. It seems similar to a Christian version of the idea of Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton that was initially directed by J Robert Oppenheimer and included luminaries such as Albert Einstein.

At Latimer, Packer was a prominent figure in British Christianity. But the pace of speaking and writing about current events and the huge number of committees and study groups that Packer was asked to serve on left him exhausted. After nearly 10 years he left Latimer he went back to teaching (after a brief stint as a college president). Packer taught at Trinity College and then at Regent College in Canada.

In addition to his teaching, Packer has been known for his work around the bible.Read more ›
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4.0 out of 5 starsEnjoyable
By Tim Challies TOP 1000 REVIEWER on November 13, 2015
Format: Hardcover
I have often expressed my love of biography. It’s not only that I enjoy peering into people’s lives, but also that there is so much to learn about life and faith by reading about other people. Biography, and Christian biography in particular, shows Christianity lived, realized in God’s people.

New from Leland Ryken is J.I. Packer: An Evangelical Life. The publisher’s description does a good job of describing what you’ll encounter in the book’s pages: “Over the last sixty years, J. I. Packer has exerted a steady and remarkable influence on evangelicalism. In this biography, well-known scholar Leland Ryken acquaints us with Packer’s life, heart, and mind, tracing the outworking of God’s sovereign plan through his childhood, intellectual pursuits, and professional life. Filled with personal anecdotes and little-known facts, this appreciative volume sheds light on the key themes that have given shape to Packer’s life and thought, highlighting his enduring significance for Christians today.”

This is, as the description says, an appreciative biography, written by someone who knows Packer and who has long been an admirer. In that way it is quite typical of other biographies of still-living individuals—it describes the subject’s life and influence, but without much emphasis on his weaknesses.

Ryken dedicates the book’s opening pages to explaining why he wrote this book and why he did so in the way he did. "My goal in writing this biography was to enable my readers to know J.I. Packer and to get a picture of his varied roles and accomplishments. It is the man that I wanted my readers to encounter.Read more ›
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3.0 out of 5 starsSo-so.
By Julia on February 2, 2016
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
I'm an admirer of J.I. Packer, and reading this book hasn't changed that fact, as the author is obviously and explicitly also an admirer. But frankly getting bogged down in all the minutiae of squabbles between Anglicans and evangelicals and such is wearisome. Also, the author tells us that Packer got married, but there is absolutely nothing about his family life as an adult. Did he have children? Maybe I should Google that, because this book certainly doesn't tell me!

Also, the book needs a good editor. The author repeats himself far too often. I kept getting the feeling that I'd read a certain fact told in a certain way before--and I had.
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5.0 out of 5 starsI was so happy to read this very helpful biography of Dr
By James Roger Howe on February 4, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
I was so happy to read this very helpful biography of Dr. Packer. I spent sometime with him this last summer and at 89 he is still setting the standard for creativity and excellence in Christian leadership. His leadership as an evangelical of wide scope, reformed theologian of deep convictions and Anglican of true faithfulness is clearly displayed in this great read.
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4.0 out of 5 starsFascinating book on a fascinating figure--Well worth the time
By Josh on November 10, 2015
Format: Hardcover
J. I. Packer is one of the most intriguing and influential figures in 20th-century Evangelicalism. I did not realize how intriguing or how influential he is until I spent some time with Leland Ryken's new biography of him. Ryken gives the reader a thematic look at Packer's life, touching on most everything you would expect or want. I love bios; I love Ryken's writing; I love Packer: his life, his influence, his legacy. Ryken writes as a sympathetic voice, but it seems to be a rather fair assessment of Packer's life, controversy, failures, and all.
Definitely a volume worth reading.

I received a review copy from Crossway.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsWonderful life story of a very important person in the ...

Wonderful life story of a very important person in the life of evangelical Christianity. Ryken's style of writing this biography is a bit different than the norm (adding more... Read more

Published 3 months ago by Jason
2.0 out of 5 starsHagiography vs Biography

What is disappointing about Leland Ryken's biography of J.I. Packer is that you'd never guess it is a writer's biography of a writer. Read more

Published 4 months ago by j.mart
5.0 out of 5 starsBio of J.I Packer

Author Leland Ryken has written J.I. Packer, An Evangelical Life (from Crossway), who has become a well-known theologian in both the UK, Canada, and the USA. Read more

Published 4 months ago by Lois Sibley
5.0 out of 5 starsBook Review: J.I. Packer: An Evangelical Life by Leland Ryken

J.I. Packer: An Evangelical Life by Leland Ryken is a fascinating account of one of the most influential theologians of the last one hundred years. Read more

Published 6 months ago by Reformed Renegade
5.0 out of 5 starsDetailed Look at the Life, Person and Work of J.I. Packer reviewed by...

This is a well-written and researched portrait of the great evangelical theologian J.I. Packer, written by Leland Ryken, who teaches at Wheaton College. Read more

Published 6 months ago by Bill Pence
3.0 out of 5 starsI am a great admirer of Packer and his writings and learned a ...

I have mixed feelings about this book. I am a great admirer of Packer and his writings and learned a good deal about him through his book. Read more

Published 7 months ago by WabashAdam
4.0 out of 5 starsHighly Recommend

After reading this book, I feel like J.I. Packer is an old family friend that I've known my whole life.

Published 9 months ago by Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 starsSome of the sweet and simple details about Packer’s childhood

Leland Ryken’s biography of J. I. Packer is an easy-to-read look at the life of one of modern evangelicalism’s most important figures. Read more

Published 9 months ago by T Peterson
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Excellent book on a well known and loved prolific author.
Strongly recommended

Published 9 months ago by k

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