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Review: J. I. Packer, Proclaiming Christ in a Pluralistic Age: The 1978 Lectures, Illinois: Crossway, 2024

The past two hundred years of human history has seen the rise of so-called “modern” thinking, which has created unprecedented challenges for Christians around the world. As it stands, our current society is underpinned by a subjective approach to truth – emotions determine worldviews; objective biblical standards are labelled extremist; and unalterable biological realities like one’s own gender are contested on the grounds of personal feelings. In turn, this subjectivity has accompanied religious pluralism, as no revelation from God can be considered objectively true, because nothing is objectively true. Against this cultural backdrop, believers are constantly in need of reminders to keep preaching Christ crucified. As a compilation of Packer’s 1978 lectures at Moore Theological College on Common Objections Against Christianity, this book serves to do exactly that.

Beginning with an overview of modern challenges to the divinity of Christ, Packer proceeds by systematically addressing four central issues around modern interpretations of Jesus: namely, the nature of his humanity (ch. 2), Godhood (ch. 3), work (ch. 4), and uniqueness (ch. 5).

Throughout his lectures, Packer maintains that the modern spirit of arbitrary skepticism and invasive intellectualism manifests itself in how we attempt to restructure Jesus within the confines of our humanistic worldviews. For example, there are those who treat Jesus like a myth or an idea, one of many in a pantheon of other spiritual symbols. Others attempt to rationalise Jesus in purely physical terms, treating him as no more than a wise teacher or guru. Each of these approaches, Packer contends, inevitably leads to a Christ emptied of power, which is the hallmark of theological liberalism.

One of the features I appreciated most is Packer’s familiarity with the heresies of his time (many of which remain relevant today), and their twisted theological roots. I particularly appreciated his reflections on how some progressive theologians have specifically sought to attack the uniqueness of Christ as an intercessor through reducing the message of salvation to an abstract “sense of dependence on the divine”, shared by all other religions (ch. 5). Such views, as Packer surmises, treat Christianity as “just an accident of geography”, which give us no more than is given to the Hindu through his Hinduism, or the Muslim through the worship of Allah.

I also appreciated the simplicity and clarity of Packer’s recognition that the solution to theological liberalism is orthodox evangelicalism. This approach points people back to the biblical Jesus and presents Him to be a greater champion, and a better hope, than the hollow saviours of our world. As Packer aptly concludes, to cut through the heresies of our time is to be “left with a sufficient saviour, Christ crucified. Christ the power and wisdom of God, the risen, reigning Lord, who in the power of his atoning work and of his heavenly ministry is adequate to meet the needs of every human being”.

Overall, this book is an excellent read for anyone seeking to understand why our society thinks the way it does about Jesus, and how misconceptions about him lead to disastrous consequences. It also functions as a refreshing reminder of who our Saviour is, and what he came to do. In a nutshell, Packer delivers a robust Christology in an accessible volume. In an age where secular humanism is alive and well, Packer’s book is a helpful tool for grounding believers in the true Christ who saves.

– Shun Kwong