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Title: Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God by J. I. Packer ISBN: 0-8308-1339-X Publisher: Intervarsity Press Pub. Date: September, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $11.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.55 (11 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: In Many Ways, Quite Helpful
Comment: JI Packer has long been a prominent voice in evangelical theology, and many of his writings reflect solid teaching and wisdom. This book is no exception. This book makes an attempt to deal with one of the principle objections to Reformed theology particularly, and the sovereignty of God generally - if God is in control of everything and has already determined who will be saved, what purpose does evangelism serve? This book provides one of the more substantive responses to this objection.
Packer makes clear early on that it is impossible to get around two clear Biblical teachings without jettisoning whole sections of the Bible. Those two clear teachings are that God is absolutely sovereign and fully in control, and that man is responsible for his own actions and will be held accountable for his life. These two truths, which appear to be in competition with each other, have long proven to be a formidable theological question for theologians of all stripes. Arminians are often accused of elevating man's responsibility and thus forcing a watered down version of God's sovereignty that appears to be in contradiction with Scripture. Calvinists are often accused of elevating God's sovereignty to the point where human beings necessarily become little more than puppets, and that this seems to be in conflict with Scripture. Finding a reconciliation of the two truths that continues to preach the two truths in a way that's faithful to what Scripture actually says is where the rub has been. In this book, Packer does not offer a detailed compatibilist proposal, but indeed affirms the classic Reformed understanding that God's complete sovereignty is undeniably expressed in Scripture, and that this is a significant issue when it comes to the topic of evangelism.
The best section of the book is where Packer discusses the actual practice of evangelism and what it should look like. I think many readers will gain fresh insights about what evangelism actually is, and that Scripture is rather clear about what it is. Readers who are in the missions field or are in a heavily evangelistic role in their church or community will find this section to be very helpful, in addition to laypeople who are likewise called to evangelize the territory that God has given them.
Packer concludes by eloquently discussing how evangelism, without the recognition that God is sovereign, is a worthless enterprise that will yield no fruit. Packer persuasively argues that those who believe that winning converts is based upon their own evangelism techniques or charisma are utterly out of touch with what Scripture clearly says about the human condition in its natural state and its complete unwillingness to grasp or accept the things of God absent a work of God in unregenerate hearts. And it is here that Packer proposes that the sovereignty of God, contrary to eliminating the need for evangelism, is actually the one sure-footed basis upon which to conduct fruitful evangelism. Packer repeatedly comments that regardless of one's views on election and predestination, God's sovereignty is not only complementary, but a necessary precondition to the human responsibility to evangelize effectively. He effectively shows that if we water down or compromise the sovereignty of God, Arminians and Calvinists alike have no Biblical basis to believe that evangelism will be worth anything, and this line of thought is quite helpful for Calvinists attempting to deal with the mainly Arminian objections to the impact the sovereignty of God has on evangelism. A good book.
Rating: 5
Summary: God's total control vs. Man's responsibility - An Antinomy
Comment: An Antinomy Explained. Antinomy: a contradiction between two apparently equally valid principles or between inferences correctly drawn from such principles. This is what this book is all about. I used to constantly struggle with this issue and I'm glad to say that Packer helped me put it to rest in a logically and biblically consistent manner. If you don't believe that God is in total control of his creation your prayers are futile, and if you don't believe men/women are responsible for their actions it follows that we all should converge into a common destiny. This book will clearly teach you both, that God is Sovereign and that mankind will have to give an account. More specifically, Packer treats this issue in regards to evangelism (the proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ), as an activity for which each believer is responsible, and the gift of salvation (or gift of faith), as an activity that belongs to God. If you have not read it in five years, you should read it again, it is that good. EGM.
Rating: 5
Summary: A generation changing book - buy it and then some more!
Comment: This was a generation changing book when it first came out in the 1950s, so it is immensely exciting to see that it is still in print today. Your evangelism will be transformed by this book - you will evangelise with the full confidence of the Holy Spirit at work behind you, and you cannot do better than that! This book ought to be read by everyone in evangelism and every single church member in a church that is actively evangelistic. Your Christian life and your evangelism will never be the same after reading this superb, timeless and completely biblically based classic. Christopher Catherwood, author of CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS AND ISLAMIC RAGE (Zondervan, 2003)
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Title: Knowing God by J. I. Packer ISBN: 083081650X Publisher: Intervarsity Press Pub. Date: December, 1993 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: Chosen by God by R. C. Sproul ISBN: 0842313354 Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers Pub. Date: October, 1994 List Price(USD): $10.99 |
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Title: Concise Theology (sc) by J. I. Packer ISBN: 0842339604 Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers Pub. Date: 01 February, 2001 List Price(USD): $12.99 |
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Title: Putting Amazing Back into Grace: Embracing the Heart of the Gospel by Michael Horton, J. I. Packer ISBN: 0801064007 Publisher: Baker Book House Pub. Date: May, 2002 List Price(USD): $15.99 |
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Title: The Potter's Freedom by James R. White ISBN: 1879737434 Publisher: Calvary Pr Pub. Date: 15 May, 2000 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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