J. I. Packer

The name J. I. Packer is one known to many through his insightful book Knowing God. Dr. Packer is widely respected as one of the world’s foremost evangelical scholars. He taught for years at Regent College in Vancover, and has written many books and spoken around the world in many settings. It was surprising to hear that Packer had been suspended from ministry in the Anglican Church and that there were proceeding to revoke his ordination.

Why? The church he attends, St John's, Shaughnessy, voted overwhelmingly last month to break with the Anglican Church in Canada and seek episcopal oversight from Archbishop Gregory Venables in South America. Why? The church simply could not accept the blessings of homosexual unions and the ordination of homosexual clergy that the Anglican Church of Canada under Bishop Michael Ingham seemed hell-bent on establishing. The church wanted to remain Anglican, but they could not remain under Bishop Ingham’s leadership in something so blatantly immoral and unscriptural. So Ingham by brining ecclesiastical charges and seeking to revoke Packer’s ordination.

I have to admit to not understanding the church polity and politics here. I am very grateful my church is non-denominational and autonomous. (Of course, sometimes that only means that our church law and tradition is understood rather than written down). But you have to applaud people who are willing to take personal and professional hits because they are committed to seeking God’s holiness. The fact that a theologian and preacher would be prosecuted and persecuted by his church for seeking to uphold both scripture and 2000 years of Christian living is both surprising and depressing.

Archbishop Venables (of the diocese with which Packer’s church is now affiliated) suggests that the issue was not solely about homosexuality. He says this—

This is about two versions of Christianity which are in a strong state of difference. You've got the original biblical Christianity which the church, the Christian church throughout the world has held to over the past 2000 years and then you've got this new liberal postmodern Christianity which has evolved especially in the western world over the last 100 years or so. It's like two ships that have gradually pulled apart and can no longer really sail together and the trouble is, it's pulling the church apart as it does that.