Proclamando a Cristo en una era pluralista: Conferencias inéditas (Proclaiming Christ in a Pluralistic Age: The 1978 Lectures)

by J.I. Packer

5 Classic Lectures from J. I. Packer Defending the Truth of the Gospel against Humanism, Universalism, and More Christians today confront complex opposition to the gospel from intellectuals, skeptics, and pluralists who deny the divinity of Christ. But these are not new issues; the first-century church encountered similar challenges to their faith. How did the apostle Paul address these questions and doubts to effectively spread God’s word? In these never-before-published lectures, originally given at Reformed Bible College and Moore College in 1978, renowned theologian J. I. Packer tackles common objections to Christianity―including secular humanism, pluralism, and universalism. By studying the evangelistic efforts of Paul and the early church, Packer skillfully preaches the glory of Christ crucified and helps students, pastors, and believers share their faith in an age of skepticism.

Genres: Theology

160 pages, Paperback

Published August 20, 2024

About the author

What do J. I. Packer, Billy Graham and Richard John Neuhaus have in common? Each was recently named by TIME magazine as among the 25 most influential evangelicals in America.

Dr. Packer, the Board of Governors’ Professor of Theology at Regent College, was hailed by TIME as “a doctrinal Solomon” among Protestants. “Mediating debates on everything from a particular Bible translation to the acceptability of free-flowing Pentecostal spirituality, Packer helps unify a community [evangelicalism] that could easily fall victim to its internal tensions.”

Knowing God, Dr. Packer’s seminal 1973 work, was lauded as a book which articulated shared beliefs for members of diverse denominations; the TIME profile quotes Michael Cromartie of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington as saying, “conservative Methodists and Presbyterians and Baptists could all look to [Knowing God] and say, ‘This sums it all up for us.’”

In a similar tribute to Dr. Packer almost ten years ago, American theologian Mark Noll wrote in Christianity Today that, “Packer’s ability to address immensely important subjects in crisp, succinct sentences is one of the reasons why, both as an author and speaker, he has played such an important role among American evangelicals for four decades.”

For over 25 years Regent College students have been privileged to study under Dr. Packer’s clear and lucid teaching, and our faculty, staff and students celebrate the international recognition he rightly receives as a leading Christian thinker and teacher.

(https://www.regent-college.edu/facult...)

Reviews

[Timothy Crockett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a super easy and enjoyable book to read. It is a compilation of a series of lectures - 5 in total - given in 1978. Just five chapters deal specifically with the person and work of Christ. He provides a scriptural definition of the subjects and the opposing views. Since there is no new thing under the sun the material is just as relevant today as it was then. Many still question and quite possibly even more so now the historically accepted positions of the church.

Mr. Packer outlines what those views are and then gives sound reasoning against them.

The chapters go as follows -

1) We've a Story to Tell: We Preach Christ Crucified.
2) The Man Christ Jesus: The Humanity of Jesus Christ.
3) He Emptied Himself: The Divinity of Jesus Christ.
4) A Wonderful Exchange: The Work of Jesus Christ.
5) No Other Name: The Uniqueness of Jesus Christ.

Given the sound biblical arguments, readability, and applicability to today's church culture and the influence of a pluralistic society on Gospel-centered biblical Christianity, I would highly recommend this book.

Again, I would love to share this review and others, but GOOD READS has changed its format and does not allow for the image of the book to be shared.

[Dr. David Steele · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is to my utter shame that I fell asleep in the middle of a J. I. Packer sermon during my freshman year at Multnomah University. The man in the pulpit that morning helped restore Reformed theology in America. This man was a stalwart of the Christian faith. He was brave, bold, and uncompromising. And I fell asleep. Oh, that I could hit the “rewind button” and have another chance to hear Dr. Packer preach the Word of God.

J. I. Packer has been with the Lord since 2020. But even after his death, the Anglican churchman continues to speak. Proclaiming Christ in a Pluralistic Age is a series of lectures, originally delivered at Reformed Bible College in 1978. The lectures focus on the gospel of Jesus Christ. Packer presents Christ’s humanity and his deity. He unveils the death of Jesus and also presents his uniqueness.

Each chapter is packed with typical Packer flair (a word that he would have likely abhorred). He simply had a way of presenting biblical reality in a candid way that never deviated from the sacred text. These chapters are much-needed in our day and remind us that compromise always has consequences. Packer’s challenges undercut and annihilate theological liberalism and they, at the same time, exult and exalt the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

May the Lord raise up faithful men like J. I. Packer; men who will stand unafraid and proclaim the unvarnished truth of the gospel.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.

[Zorina Shepard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection from Packer's lectures and addresses some of the common objections to Christianity. He addresses pluralism, universalism, and secular humanism.

"My overall purpose in these five sessions is vindication and restatement of the old, true, apostolic gospel in the face of questions, uncertainties, and alternatives that are being canvassed at this present time. I took the phrase from 1 Corinthians 1, 'We preach Christ crucified, ' as Paul's way of summing up the gospel, what we are seeking to see in these five studies of different aspects of the gospel is the full meaning and the deeper implications of 'Christ crucified' as a summary of the gospel message."

This book is very timely for our current culture. This was a really good read and gave me more insight into what we have been dealing with in a culture that is very pluralistic. Packer really breaks down the implications of skepticism and reminds us of the truth of Christ. An important read for sure and so timely!

Thank you @crosswaybooks for a copy of this book for my review!

[Nick Lees · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was an absolute delight to be able to listen to J.I. Packer and hear his actual voice. I love his books and it was an honor to sit under his teaching via these lectures. The content is great and so applicable still. it is definitely a bit academic, so you will need to engage your brain.

[John Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent explanation and defense of penal substitutionary atonement.

[Brandon Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. J.I Packer is goated.

[John Funnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I pray that Justin Welby and other Church of England leaders read this book!

If only they listened to the lectures in 1978!

[Hobart · Rating 4 out of 5]

★ ★ ★ 1/2
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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What sort of communication is the gospel? Answer: It’s a story. Itsa story told about God. Ultimately, inasmuch as it’s a matter of revelation, it’s a story about God told to us by God. It’s a story in which God through his spokesman bears witness to himself. The theme of the story is precisely the living God at work—in this world, in the past, in the present, and in the future. It's the story of what God has done, is doing, and will do.

WHAT'S PROCLAIMING CHRIST IN A PLURALISTIC AGE ABOUT?
This book is made up of a series of five lectures inspired by 1 Corinthians 1:22-24:

For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

The lectures set out to talk about how we proclaim Christ in an age (as Paul's was) dominated by other ideas about God, the world, Jesus Christ, and so on—starting with Christ crucified and then moving to Jesus' humanity, his divinity, what he did (particularly the atonement, as Packer is focused on him crucified), and his uniqueness. Throughout these talks, his aim is to build up the understanding and confidence of believers in light of secular thought, universalism, pluralism, other forms of theological liberalism, and so on.

Apparently, this was supposed to be a book back in the 70s or 80s, but the project was abandoned (or maybe just overlooked—Packer has something like 70+ titles under his name, he'd have been bound to forget if he didn't finish a book). But now Crossway has got the lectures cleaned up and polished and in our hands now. I, for one, am glad about that.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT PROCLAIMING CHRIST IN A PLURALISTIC AGE?
The chapters are a little over twenty pages each—so there's not a lot of depth that he can get into (I wonder if Packer had put the book together himself if he'd have expanded on the talks). But he does cover each topic adequately—and Packer's a little better at getting in details into a brief work than others are.

While he might not get as granular on some points as a reader (or me, to be specific) would've liked. He covers the breadth of the topic, pointing the reader in the right direction to go to dig deeper themselves.

As always when one reads Packer, you have to be impressed with the clarity that he brings to his work. His desire to see Christ proclaimed correctly and passionately shines through and his perspective on them is like a breath of fresh air. It just rejuvenates you to read him.

Strongly written, convincing, and encouraging—Proclaiming Christ in a Pluralistic Age will satisfy the attentive reader.

[Peter Kiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Given the title and premise, I thought a lot more of the book would be directly addressing errors of pluralism in a deep fashion, but instead most of the book is just an introduction basic gospel truths and outdated biblical scholarship. Only the second half of the last chapter even began addressing pluralistic issues and it was so brief as to not cover any ground of depth. A little bit of a bummer.

[Joel Wentz · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting, but ultimately pretty dated, historical snapshot of apologetics methods that may have worked will in a particularly cultural moment.

Full video review: https://youtu.be/AvNyMjeWfQw

[Buddy Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Timeless truth. Hard to believe he gave these lectures in 1978 as they ring true today.

[Simon Field · Rating 4 out of 5]

Packer is clear and poignant. His passion for the one true gospel comes shining through.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am such a fanboy of Packer. He always says it the way I wish I had said it.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

9/10

[Philip Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding. Classy as ever. Man, I miss J.I. Packer.

[John Dekker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume represents the publication, for the first time, of a series of lectures J. I. Packer gave at Moore College in Sydney in 1978. This is vintage Packer - clear and biblical. He interacts with authors from the 1970s, but what he has to say about the person and work of Jesus Christ is just as relevant for today as it was then.

[Manuel Alfredo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy buen libro de J I Packer, señala como El mensaje de Cristo debe ser el centro de la proclamación del Evangelio en una cultura secular.