Where'd All These Calvinists Come From? Part 7 of 10
So far in this series we've considered influences from the Presbyterian or Baptist streams. It may surprise some to hear that I think one of the main reasons for the resurgences of Calvinism in American evangelicalism in the 1970s and 1980s came from Episcopalians! Historians know that Episcopalians (Anglicans) are historically a reformed denomination, but few Americans today would associate Episcopalianism or Anglicanism with Reformed theology. That reflects both our ignorance of history, and how much the Anglican tradition has changed over the centuries (especially with the rise of Anglo-Catholicism and theological Liberalism in the 19th century).
Nevertheless, Thomas Cranmer (the first protestant Archbishop of Canterbury) was a reformed theologian. The 39 Articles (the Church's statement of faith) is a clearly Protestant, Calvinistic statement. The Puritan movement was largely a movement of Anglicans. The Westminster Confession was written for the Church of England. And Richard Sibbes was an Anglican!!
Anyway, it should not surprise us, therefore, that the English church has so strongly contributed to the revival of Calvinism in English-speaking America. Spurgeon, Lloyd-Jones, Banner of Truth--all of these are British influences. But in 1973 Hodder & Stoughton in England, and IVP in the US printed a book which had a large immediate effect, and an even larger longer-term effect. Did you notice how the 1970s and 1980s saw a number of books [gerund] God? Like Loving God, Desiring God, Trusting God. Where did that trend come from?
It came from J. I. Packer's book, Knowing God. It was published in 1973. And it has continued to sell, year after year, to seminarians, small-group leaders, Christian study groups. It has been read by hundreds of thousands of Christians. Packer has written many other things which have made him the current grandfather of this reformed movement. (He just turned 81 day before yesterday. Pray for more years of health and strength and ministry.) Many of us have disagreed with his work with ECT, but there is no denying that from his introduction to Owen's Death of Death to his book, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, to his many published articles on theology and history, Packer has been one of the best and clearest and most popular theological tutors of those Christians who've grown up in the evangelicalism of the 1980s & 1990s.
Agreed. Reading Knowing God has probably moved many folks over to Calvinism almost unconsciously.
Posted by: Alex Chediak | Jul 24, 2007 11:04:40 PM
For me, Packer's Knowing God and Sproul's Holiness of God had a profound effect on me as a teenager. They challenged and eventually helped to change my view of God. It was from there that I had a framework to consider Calvinism on its biblical merits.
Posted by: SGaylord | Jul 25, 2007 12:13:02 AM
Packer's "Knowing God" Sproul's "Chosen By God" and Murray's "Redemption Accomplished and Applied" were the books that pushed me toward the Reformed faith. Packer's love of the Puritans is also what led me to love of the Puritans.
Posted by: cameo | Jul 25, 2007 12:58:15 PM
Thanks for this very interesting series, and another fine post in that series. However, it may be better to speak about English influences, rather than Anglican. While Packer is an Anglican, Lloyd-Jones was not (if I recall correctly), and Spurgeon was a Baptist. The Puritans represent a movement of protest against the Anglican church. Talking about Episcopalians is even more confusing, especially with the current troubles in the Anglican communion.
Those waters muddied, I look forward to further installments.
Posted by: WTM | Jul 25, 2007 1:38:47 PM
Praise the Lord for Packer. Not only has his writing influenced me profoundly, but his life, through a few mutual friends, and Alister McGrath's incredible biography, has been an inspiration to me as well. I hear he's working on a Systematic Theology - THAT is one I can't wait to get a hold of!
Posted by: Shannon Lewis | Aug 1, 2007 8:28:18 AM
Random tidbit, for anybody who's curious: The US editions of Knowing God have sold roughly 1.2 million copies over the years, combining paperback, hardcover, anniversary editions, etc. That's in addition to however many have been sold in British and other international editions.
I read Knowing God my sophomore year of college and it revolutionized my understanding of God. So much so that I wore out my paperback copy and bought a hardcover edition of it and transferred my highlighting to it page-by-page.
A comment above alludes to Packer's systematic theology - alas, this long-awaited book may never develop. Publishers have been hoping for a systematic theology from Packer for decades, but for various reasons, it's not likely ever to materialize. Knowing God may be the closest we ever get, though The J. I. Packer Collection (edited by Alister McGrath) brings together key Packer essays from over the years that provides a mini-systematic sampling of his thought. Out of print now, but available used online.
Posted by: Al Hsu | Aug 8, 2007 9:57:01 AM
P.S. Packer is an Anglican, but not an Episcopalian, as he's part of the Anglican Church of Canada. Only members of the Episcopal Church in the USA are properly called Episcopalians. (And there are plenty of American Anglicans who are not Episcopalian, but have affiliated with other Anglican movements like the Anglican Mission in America or the Convocation of Anglicans in North America.)
Posted by: Al Hsu | Aug 9, 2007 10:24:44 AM
I was introduced to the Doctrines of Grace by a young Roger Ellsworth in 1974. He and his wife invited church members to read and study together the then new book "Knowing God". On Friday nights we would gather in his living room warmed by a roaring fire and passionate conversation. Then and there a Calvinist was born.
I thank God for the ministry of J.I. Packer and Roger Ellsworth. They set me on the right path and I will ever be grateful.
SDA
Posted by: Ivan Schoen | Aug 16, 2007 10:23:03 PM