J. I. Packer
Board of Governor's Professor, Theology
Bill asked Dr. Packer for his top five book recommendations and below is what he had to offer. All five books reflect Dr. Packer's early and formative years - including his discovery of the Puritans - while studying at Corpus Christi College at the University of Oxford.
To play on Luke 10:41, while we sometimes find ourselves “concerned about many books”, for his first choice, Dr. Packer has selected the “one book that is necessary.” Bible translations and editions abound, but today we suggest the jam-packed ESV study Bible, on which Dr. Packer served as Theological Editor.
In a recent lecture at Regent, Dr. Packer remarked that he has been reading the Pilgrim’s Progress once-per-year for quite some time. Have you read Bunyan's classic?
Undoubtedly the lesser-known of the five, is Holiness by J. C. Ryle. Here we recommend Faithfulness & Holiness: The Witness of J. C. Ryle, An Appreciation by J. I. Packer (Crossway, 2002), which is comprised of both the original edition of Holiness coupled with a terrific survey of Ryle’s life and work by Dr. Packer.
