An author with InterVarsity Press (IVP) for nearly a half century, J. I. Packer (1926–2020) was one of the most beloved and widely read Christian theologians of the twentieth century and was once named in Time magazine’s list of the 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America. July 22, 2026 marks the date of his 100th birthday, and IVP is honored to carry on Packer’s legacy with two new editions: Knowing Christianity and Truth and Power.

Knowing Christianity: The Foundations of the Christian Faith and How They Shape Daily Life covers key elements of spiritual life, Christian living, and our ultimate end. Truth and Power: The Place of Scripture in the Christian Life explores how the Bible should shape every aspect of Christian discipleship.

Jon Boyd, IVP’s associate publisher and vice president of editorial, said, “On Packer’s hundredth birthday, it’s natural for us both to look back in gratitude for all he contributed to that century as well as to turn ahead in prayer and endeavor to press on up the path he pointed out. That path is marked by the Bible as chief among books, the center point of everything else we can say.”

The author of forty-seven books, as well as untold numbers of journal articles, book reviews, dictionary entries, and forewords, Packer’s prolific work, particularly his best-known book Knowing God, has impacted countless pastors, thought leaders, theologians, and authors. Billy Graham once said, “A hundred years from now only a handful of books written today will still be widely read and accepted as Christian classics. Dr. James I. Packer’s Knowing God may well prove to be one of them. A gifted theologian and writer, Dr. Packer has the rare ability to deal with profound and basic spiritual truths in a practical and highly readable way. This book will help every reader grasp in a fuller way one of the Bible’s greatest truths: that we can know God personally because God wants us to know him.”

Boyd noted how formative Knowing God has been in his own life and work: “In one of my first conversations with an InterVarsity Christian Fellowship campus staff worker when I was an undergrad, he pushed a copy of Knowing God across the table to me in the Michigan Union and said, ‘Let’s start with this.’ It was a great beginning. Packer’s wisdom sharpened my appetite for Christian theology, as it has done for countless others.”

Packer was born in a village outside Gloucester, England, on July 22, 1926. When he was seven, while being chased by a bully as he left school, Packer suffered a severe head injury in a collision with a van. Unable to participate in sports after the accident, Packer instead turned his attention to his love for reading. And when he turned eleven, Packer was gifted an old Oliver typewriter from his parents. Little did they know that their son would go on to craft every word of every one of his books on a typewriter, including Praying, A Quest for Godliness, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, Rediscovering Holiness, and more than forty others.

Packer’s time studying at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, became another formative experience for his future as a prolific author and theologian. During his years at school he attended lectures by C. S. Lewis, whose thought became an influential part of Packer’s life and work. While at Oxford he also committed his life to Christ at an evangelistic service sponsored by the campus InterVarsity chapter.

Packer left a lasting impression on those he interacted with on various projects. Bob Fryling, former publisher for IVP, recalled, “One day at lunch with some colleagues I asked him, ’Jim, how would you describe the uniqueness of IVP?‘ After a brief pause he said, ‘Some publishers tell you what to believe and other publishers tell you what you already believe, but IVP helps you to believe.‘ We were so grateful for not only his kind and generous affirmation, but we were a bit stunned that he had captured in a brief moment what indeed was integral to IVP’s vision and mission. He was a publisher’s dream!”

In addition to the new editions of Packer’s books, IVP has been sharing stories, quotes, and excerpts throughout the month of July. But Packer best sums up his life and legacy with these words from a Crossway article published in 2020:  

“As I look back on the life that I have lived, I would like to be remembered as a voice—a voice that focused on the authority of the Bible, the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the wonder of his substitutionary sacrifice and atonement for our sins.

“I would like to be remembered as a voice calling Christian people to holiness and challenging lapses in Christian moral standards.

“I should like to be remembered as someone who was always courteous in controversy, but without compromise.

“I ask you to thank God with me for the way that he has led me, and I wish, hope, pray that you will enjoy the same clear leading from him—and the same help in doing the tasks that he sets you—that I have enjoyed.

“And if your joy matches my joy as we continue in our Christian lives, well . . . you will be blessed indeed.”

For more about IVP’s commemoration of Packer visit ivpress.com.