J.I. Packer, Knowing Scripture and the Church

As many of you know, I'm reformed. It was through the ministries of Robert Morey, John Piper and R. C. Sproul that I traveled from my uninformed Christian world-view, to the light of the Reformation. Indeed, the light of the Word of God. It's been a great journey. Sproul's radio show along with Dr. Morey's radio show that played a huge role. I'm currently reading Sproul's book "Knowing Scripture" and the introduction written 31 years ago, by J.I. Packer, is very interesting.
For those of you who are't following Anglican news (the few of you who don't) The Anglican church is going through a change. The Archbishop has been behind changes in the church that include the blessing of same-sex marriages. Many within the church (notably African and South American and Conservative Western churches) have begun to distance themselves. Packer (an Evangelical and Anglican and author of great books like "Knowing God" and an upcoming systematic theology) has gone with his church and they have aligned themselves with the Church of the Southern Cone (The Southern Cone is Argentina in South America). As a result, Packer and other's will be suspended from the Anglican church of Canada. The reason is because it is the conservative branch of the Anglican Church that has opposed the new changes. I might add, that for the first time in centuries, Anglicans are looking to someone in South America (The Bishop of Argentina) as their leader. This is only the beginning, as stats show that in the future Christianity will be stronger in Asia, Africa and South America.
Why is this important? Packer write in his introduction to Sproul's book:
If I were the devil... I should try to distract all clergy from preaching and teaching the Bible... I should broadcast doubts about the truth and relevance of and good sense and straightforwardness of the Bible....At all costs I should want to keep from using their minds in a disciplined way to get the measure of its message.


The Anglican church has now with it's approval of the New Perspective on Paul, and it's blessing of same-sex marriages and even the Archbishops shameful statements about Sharia law being practiced in England, show that it is time to "come out from among them and be different". They have let the devil take them from the pure milk of the word. The Bible has been taken down, and popular opinion has been allowed to take over. Keep the church in prayer as they begin anew with new leadership from the Southern Cone.