James Innell Packer (22 July 192617 July 2020) was an English-born Canadian

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

theologian, cleric and writer in the low-church Anglican and

Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...

traditions. Having been considered as one of the most influential evangelicals in North America, Packer is known for his 1973 best-selling book ''

Knowing God ''Knowing God'' is a book by J. I. Packer, a British-born Canadian Christian theologian. It is his best-known work, having sold over 1,000,000 copies in North America alone. Originally written as a series of articles for the ''Evangelical Maga ...

'', along with his work as the general editor of the

English Standard Version The English Standard Version (ESV) is a translation of the Bible in contemporary English. Published in 2001 by Crossway, the ESV was "created by a team of more than 100 leading evangelical scholars and pastors." The ESV relies on recently pu ...

Bible. He was one of the high-profile signers on the 1978

Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy is a written statement of belief formulated by more than 200 evangelical leaders at a conference convened by the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy and held in Chicago in October 1978. The statem ...

, a member on the advisory board of the

Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) is an evangelical Christian organization promoting a complementarian view of gender issues. According to its website, the "mission of The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood is to set fo ...

, and also was involved in the

ecumenical Ecumenism ( ; alternatively spelled oecumenism)also called interdenominationalism, or ecumenicalismis the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships ...

book ''

Evangelicals and Catholics Together "Evangelicals and Catholics Together" is a 1994 ecumenical document signed by leading Evangelical and Catholic scholars in the United States. The co-signers of the document were Charles Colson and Richard John Neuhaus, representing each side of ...

'' in 1994. His last teaching position was as the board of governors' Professor of Theology at

Regent College Regent College is an interdenominational evangelical Christian College of Christian studies, and an affiliated college of the University of British Columbia, located next to the university's campus in the University Endowment Lands west of Va ...

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, in which he served from 1996 until his retirement in 2016 due to failing eyesight.

Life and career

Packer was born on 22 July 1926 in Twyning,

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

, England, to James and Dorothy Packer. His sister, Margaret, was born in 1929. His father was a clerk for the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...

, and his lower-middle-class family was only nominally

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

, attending the local St. Catherine's Church. When he was seven, Packer suffered a severe head injury in a collision with a bread van, which precluded him from playing sports, so he became interested in reading and writing. At 11 years of age, Packer was gifted an old Oliver typewriter. He went on to cherish typewriters for the rest of his life. In 1937, Packer went to

The Crypt School The Crypt School is a grammar school with academy status for boys and girls located in the city of Gloucester. Founded in the 16th century, it was originally an all-boys school, but it made its sixth form co-educational in the 1980s and moved ...

, where he specialized in

the classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek and Roman literature and their original languages, ...

. At age 14 he was

confirmed In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. The ceremony typically involves laying on of hands. Catholicis ...

at St. Catherine's Church. He won a scholarship to the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

, where he was educated at Corpus Christi College, obtaining his

bachelor of arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in 1948. In a 1944 meeting of the

Oxford Inter-Collegiate Christian Union The Oxford Inter-Collegiate Christian Union, usually known as OICCU ( ), is the world's second oldest university Christian Union and is the University of Oxford's most prominent student Christian organisation. It was formed in 1879. Due to the ...

(OICCU), Packer committed his life to Christian service. It was during this time that Packer became exposed to the Puritans through OICCU's library, which were an influence he carried for the rest of his life. He also first heard lectures from C. S. Lewis at Oxford, whose teachings would (though he never knew Lewis personally) become a major influence in his life. After college, he spent a brief time teaching

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

and

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

at Oak Hill College in London. During this 1949–1950 school year, he sat under the teaching of

Martyn Lloyd-Jones David Martyn Lloyd-Jones (20 December 1899 – 1 March 1981) was a Welsh Congregationalist minister and medical doctor who was influential in the Calvinist wing of the British evangelical movement in the 20th century. For almost 30 years, he ...

at Westminster Chapel, who also would have a great influence on his thinking, and who he would know and interact with later. In 1949, Packer went back to

Wycliffe Hall, Oxford Wycliffe Hall () is a permanent private hall of the University of Oxford affiliated with the Church of England, specialising in philosophy, theology, and religion. It is named after the Bible translator and reformer John Wycliffe, who was mas ...

, in 1949 to study theology. He obtained his

Master of philosophy A Master of Philosophy (MPhil or PhM; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. The name of the degree is most often abbreviated MPhil (or, at times, as PhM in other countries). MPhil are awarded to postgraduate students after completing at leas ...

degree in 1954, and

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

in 1954. He wrote his dissertation under Geoffrey Nuttall on the

soteriology Soteriology (; ' "salvation" from wikt:σωτήρ, σωτήρ ' "savior, preserver" and wikt:λόγος, λόγος ' "study" or "word") is the study of Doctrine, religious doctrines of salvation. Salvation theory occupies a place of special sign ...

of the Puritan theologian

Richard Baxter Richard Baxter (12 November 1615 – 8 December 1691) was an English Nonconformist (Protestantism), Nonconformist church leader and theologian from Rowton, Shropshire, who has been described as "the chief of English Protestant Schoolmen". He ma ...

. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

in 1952 and

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

in 1953 in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

, within which he was associated with the

evangelical movement Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

. He served as assistant

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' () of souls of a parish. In this sense, ''curate'' means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy who are as ...

of Harborne Heath in Birmingham from 1952 to 1954. In 1954, Packer married Kit Mullet, and they had three children, Ruth, Naomi, and Martin. In 1955, his family moved to

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

and Packer taught at Tyndale Hall, Bristol, from 1955 to 1961. He wrote an article denouncing Keswick theology as

Pelagian Pelagianism is a Christian theological position that holds that the fall did not taint human nature and that humans by divine grace have free will to achieve human perfection. Pelagius (), an ascetic and philosopher from the British Isles, ta ...

in the ''

Evangelical Quarterly ''Evangelical Quarterly'' is an academic journal covering theology and biblical studies. It was established in 1929 by Donald Maclean and J. R. Mackay. The current editors Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visu ...

''. According to biographer

Alister McGrath Alister Edgar McGrath (; born 1953) is an Irish theologian, Anglican priest, intellectual historian, scientist, Christian apologist, and public intellectual. He currently holds the Andreas Idreos Professorship in Science and Religion in the F ...

, it is widely agreed that his critique "marked the end of the dominance of the Keswick approach among younger evangelicals". It was also during this time that he published his first book, ''Fundamentalism and the Word of God'' (1958), a defense of the authority of the Bible, which sold 20,000 copies in that year and has been in print since. Packer moved back to Oxford in 1961, where he served as librarian of Latimer House in Oxford from 1961 to 1962 and warden from 1962 to 1969, an evangelical research centre he founded with

John Stott John Robert Walmsley Stott (27 April 1921 – 27 July 2011) was a British Anglican pastor and theologian who was noted as a leader of the worldwide evangelical movement. He was one of the principal authors of the Lausanne Covenant in 1974. I ...

. In 1970, he became principal of Tyndale Hall, Bristol, and from 1971 until 1979 he was associate principal of the newly formed

Trinity College, Bristol Trinity College, Bristol is an Evangelicalism, evangelical Anglican theological college located in Stoke Bishop, Bristol, England. It offers a range of full-time and part-time taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses which are validated by ...

, which had been formed from the amalgamation of Tyndale Hall with Clifton College and Dalton House-St Michael's. He became editor of the ''Evangelical Quarterly'' in the 1960s, and eventually published a series of articles he wrote in the journal into a book, ''

''. The book, published by

Hodder & Stoughton Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint of Hachette.H ...

in Britain and

InterVarsity Press Founded in 1947, InterVarsity Press (IVP) is a Christian publisher located in Lisle, Illinois. IVP focuses on publishing Christian books and digital resources that discuss influential cultural moments, provide tools for mental growth through a ...

in the United States in 1973, became a bestseller of international fame and sold over 1.5 million copies. In 1977, he signed the

. In 1979, one of Packer's Oxford friends persuaded him to teach at

in Vancouver, eventually being named the first Sangwoo Youtong Chee Professor of Theology, a title he held until he was named a Regent College Board of Governors' Professor of Theology in 1996. At Regent he taught many classes, including

systematic theology Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topics ...

and the

Puritans The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...

. He was a prolific writer and frequent lecturer, and a frequent contributor to and an executive editor of ''

Christianity Today ''Christianity Today'' is an evangelical Christian media magazine founded in 1956 by Billy Graham. It is published by Christianity Today International based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ''The Washington Post'' calls ''Christianity Today'' "eva ...

''. Packer served as general editor of the

(ESV), an evangelical translation based upon the

Revised Standard Version The Revised Standard Version (RSV) is an English translation of the Bible published in 1952 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. This translation is a revision of the American St ...

of the Bible, and theological editor of the '' ESV Study Bible''. Packer was associated with St. John's Shaughnessy Anglican Church, which in February 2008 voted to

schism A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...

from the

Anglican Church of Canada The Anglican Church of Canada (ACC or ACoC) is the Ecclesiastical province#Anglican Communion, province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French-language name is ''l'Église anglicane du Canada''. In 2016, the Anglican Church of ...

over the issue of same-sex blessings. The departing church, St. John's Vancouver, joined the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC). Packer, on 23 April, handed in his licence from the Bishop of New Westminster. (ANiC eventually co-founded and joined the

Anglican Church in North America The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is a Christian denomination in the Anglican tradition in the United States and Canada. It also includes ten congregations in Mexico, two mission churches in Guatemala, and a missionary diocese in Cuba. ...

in 2009.) In December 2008, Packer was appointed an honorary clerical canon of St Andrew's Cathedral in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

in recognition of his long and distinguished ministry as a faithful teacher of

biblical theology Because scholars have tended to use the term in different ways, Biblical theology has been notoriously difficult to define. The academic field of biblical theology is sub-divided into Old Testament theology and New Testament theology. Academic ...

. Packer had been the theologian emeritus of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) since its creation in 2009, being one of the nine members of the task force who wrote on a trial basis ''Texts for Common Prayer'', released in 2013, and general editor of the task force who wrote for trial use ''To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism'', approved on 8 January 2014 by the College of Bishops of the church. He was awarded the St. Cuthbert's Cross at the Provincial Assembly of ACNA on 27 June 2014 by retiring Archbishop Robert Duncan for his "unparalleled contribution to Anglican and global Christianity". In 2016, Packer's eyesight deteriorated due to

macular degeneration Macular degeneration, also known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD or ARMD), is a medical condition which may result in blurred vision, blurred or vision loss, no vision in the center of the visual field. Early on there are often no sym ...

to a point where he could no longer read or write, consequently concluding his public ministry. Packer died on 17 July 2020, five days before his 94th birthday.

Theological views

Packer held to the

soteriological Soteriology (; ' "salvation" from σωτήρ ' "savior, preserver" and λόγος ' "study" or "word") is the study of religious doctrines of salvation. Salvation theory occupies a place of special significance in many religions. In the academic ...

position known as

Calvinism Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyteri ...

. Packer had signed the ''

'', affirming the conservative evangelical position on

biblical inerrancy Biblical inerrancy is the belief that the Bible, in its original form, is entirely free from error. The belief in biblical inerrancy is of particular significance within parts of evangelicalism Evangelicalism (), also called evangelic ...

. On gender roles, Packer was a

complementarian Complementarianism is a theological view in some denominations of Christianity, Rabbinic Judaism, and Islam, that men and women have different but complementary roles and responsibilities in marriage, family, and religious life. Some Christians ...

and served on the advisory board of the

. He thus subscribed to a view of gender roles such that a husband should lovingly lead, protect and provide for his wife and that a wife should joyfully affirm and submit to her husband's leadership. Complementarians also believe the Bible teaches that men are to bear primary responsibility to lead in the church and that as such only men should be elders. In 1991 Packer set forth his reasons for this in an influential yet controversial article called "Let's Stop Making Women Presbyters". Packer endorsed and supported books that have advocated for

theistic evolution Theistic evolution (also known as theistic evolutionism or God-guided evolution), alternatively called evolutionary creationism, is a view that God acts and creates through laws of nature. Here, God is taken as the primary cause while natural cau ...

, but also expressed caution towards the validity of evolution. In recent years, he had supported the

ecumenical movement Ecumenism ( ; alternatively spelled oecumenism)also called interdenominationalism, or ecumenicalismis the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships ...

, which drew criticism from other evangelicals. Specifically, Packer's involvement in the book '' Evangelicals and Catholics Together: Toward a Common Mission'' (ECT) was sharply criticised, but he defended ECT by arguing that believers should set aside denominational differences for the sake of winning converts to Christianity. Packer took the side of evangelical ecumenism in opposition to

in 1966, then co-authored a work with two

Anglo-Catholics Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholic heritage (especially pre-Reformation roots) and identity of the Church of England and various churches within Anglicanism. Anglo-Catholicism claims to restore liturg ...

in 1970 (''Growing into Union'') that many evangelicals felt conceded too much biblical ground on critical doctrinal issues. The publication of that work led to the formal break between Lloyd-Jones and Packer, bringing an end to the Puritan Conferences.

Works

* ''Fundamentalism and the Word of God'' (1958; reprinted 1984) * ''Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God'' (1961 by Inter-Varsity Fellowship) (reprinted 1991) * ''Our Lord's Understanding of the Law of God'' (1962) * ''The Church of England and the Methodist Church: Ten Essays'' (1963) * ''God Speaks To Man: Revelation and the Bible'' (1965) * ''Tomorrow's Worship'' (1966) * ''Guidelines: Anglican Evangelicals Face the Future'' (1967) * ''

'' (1973, reprinted 1993) * ''What did the Cross Achieve? The Logic of Penal Substitution'' (1974) * ''I Want To Be A Christian'' (1977) * ''The Ten Commandments'' (1977) * ''The Evangelical Anglican Identity Problem: An Analysis'' (1978) * ''The New Man'' (1978) * ''For Man's Sake!'' (1978) * ''Knowing Man'' (1979) * ''God Has Spoken'' (1979) * ''Beyond the Battle for the Bible'' (1980) * ''Freedom and Authority'' (1981: International Council on Biblical Inerrancy) * ''A Kind of Noah's Ark? : The Anglican Commitment to Comprehensiveness'' (1981) * ''God's Words: Studies of Key Bible Themes'' (1981) * ''Freedom, Authority and Scripture'' (1982) * ''Keep In Step With The Spirit: Finding Fullness In Our Walk With God'' (1984, reprinted 2005) * ''The Thirty-Nine Articles: Their Place and Use Today'' (1984) * ''Through the Year with J. I. Packer'' (1986) * ''Hot Tub Religion'' (1987) * Laid-back Religion?: A penetrating look at Christianity today (1989) ISBN 978-0-8511-0799-8 * ''A Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life'' (1990) * ''Among God's Giants: Aspects of Puritan Christianity'' (1991) * ''A Passion for Holiness'' (1992) * ''Rediscovering Holiness'' (1992) * ''Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs'' (1993) * ''Knowing Christianity'' (1995) * ''A Passion for Faithfulness: Wisdom from the Book of Nehemiah'' (1995) * ''Decisions – Finding God's Will: 6 Studies for Individuals or Groups'' (1996) * ''Truth & Power: The Place of Scripture in the Christian Life'' (1996) * ''Life in the Spirit'' (1996) * ''Meeting God'' (2001) * ''God's Plans for You'' (2001) * ''Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility'' (2002) * ''Faithfulness and Holiness: The Witness of J. C. Ryle'' (2002) * ''The Redemption and Restoration of Man in the Thought of Richard Baxter'' (2003, based on his 1954 Oxford dissertation) * ''Knowing God Through The Year'' (2004) * ''18 Words: The Most Important Words You Will Ever Know'' (2007) * ''Praying the Lord's Prayer'' (2007) * ''Affirming the Apostles' Creed (2008) '' * ''Weakness Is the Way: Life with Christ Our Strength ''(2013) * ''Finishing Our Course With Joy '' (2014)

In the ''Anglican Agenda'' series

* ''Taking Faith Seriously'' (2006) * ''Taking Doctrine Seriously'' (2007) * ''Taking Repentance Seriously'' (2007) * ''Taking Christian Unity Seriously'' (2007)

Collections

* ''The J. I. Packer Collection'', edited by

(1999) * ''Collected Shorter Writings of J. I. Packer'' ** ''Volume 1: Celebrating the Saving Work of God'' (1998) ** '' Volume 2: Serving the People of God'' (1998) ** ''Volume 3: Honouring the Written Word of God'' (1999) ** ''Volume 4: Honouring the People of God'' (1999)

Co-authored

* ''The Spirit Within You: The Church's Neglected Possession'' with Alan Stibbs (1979) * ''The Bible Almanac'' with Merrill C. Tenney and William White (1980) * ''Christianity: The True Humanism'' with Thomas Howard (1985) * ''New Dictionary of Theology'' with Sinclair B Ferguson and David F Wright (1988) * ''Knowing and Doing the Will of God'' with LaVonne Neff (1995) * ''Great Power'' with Beth Feia (1997) * ''Great Grace'' with Beth Feia (1997) * ''Great Joy'' with Beth Feia (1999) * ''Never Beyond Hope: How God Touches and Uses Imperfect People'' with Carolyn Nystrom (2000) * ''Knowing God Journal'' with Carolyn Nystrom (2000) * ''J. I. Packer Answers Questions for Today'' with Wendy Murray Zoba (2001) * ''Hope, Never Beyond Hope: Six Studies for Individuals or Groups with Leader's Notes'' with Carolyn Nystrom (2003) * ''One Faith: The Evangelical Consensus'' with

Thomas Oden Thomas Clark Oden (1931–2016) was an American Methodist theologian and religious author. He is often regarded as the father of the paleo-orthodox theological movement and is considered to be one of the most influential theologians of the 20th ...

(2004) * ''Battle for the Soul of Canada: Raising up the Emerging Generation of Leaders'' (2006) * ''Praying: Finding Our Way Through Duty To Delight'' with Carolyn Nystrom (2006) * ''Guard Us, Guide Us: Divine Leading in Life's Decisions'' with Carolyn Nystrom (2008) * ''In My Place Condemned He Stood: Celebrating the Glory of the Atonement'' with Mark Dever (2008)

Notes

References

External links

Interview with J. I. Packer about his work on the English Standard Version Bible

* '' ttps://web.archive.org/web/20081121205512/http://www.theologynetwork.org/studying-theologyrs/penal-substitution-revisited.htm Penal Substitution Revisited' by J. I. Packer, o
www.theologynetwork.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Packer, J. I. 1926 births 2020 deaths 20th-century Anglican theologians 20th-century British Anglican priests 20th-century British male writers 20th-century British non-fiction writers 20th-century English theologians 20th-century evangelicals 21st-century Anglican theologians 21st-century British Anglican priests 21st-century British male writers 21st-century British non-fiction writers 21st-century English theologians 21st-century evangelicals Academic staff of Regent College Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Oxford Alumni of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford Anglican realignment people Anglican writers British Anglican theologians English emigrants to Canada British evangelicals British male non-fiction writers English religious writers Calvinist and Reformed writers Canadian Anglican Church in North America priests Canadian Anglican theologians 20th-century Canadian Protestant theologians Canadian Calvinist and Reformed theologians Canadian evangelicals Canadian male non-fiction writers Canadian religious writers Christian humanists British critics of atheism English Calvinist and Reformed theologians Evangelical Anglican clergy Evangelical Anglican theologians People from Gloucestershire People in Christian ecumenism Staff of Trinity College, Bristol Systematic theologians Theistic evolutionists Writers from Vancouver