J. I. Packer Quotes
There are few things stressed more strongly in the Bible than the reality of God's work as Judge.
Packer, J. I. Knowing God. InterVarsity Press, 1973, p. 135.
This oath was even in force after the American Constitution was ratified and in effect. At the time, the Bill of Rights was not believed to be binding on the States—only on the Federal Government. Throughout American history there were many practices that were unconstitutional but were simply never litigated in the courts. Local community pressure often inhibited individuals from asserting their rights in the Federal Courts as did the expense. So, for most of American history local communities forced stores to close on Sunday. When the issue was finally taken to the Supreme Court, it was clear that such a practice was in violation of the First Amendment. Even in 2011, in Atlanta, it is “illegal” to buy beer on Sunday. When someone decides to litigate that, it will likely also be declared unconstitutional. The law not only discriminates against non Christians, but there are a few Christian sects which believe that Saturday is the Sabbath.
Franklin was a deist. He believed in God and the Creation but not the Bible which is often referred to as “revealed” truth. He did believe that classic Christianity was a positive force as some people were led to good works and a moral life by it.
James Innell Packer was an English-born Canadian evangelical theologian, cleric and writer in the low-church Anglican and Calvinist traditions. He was considered one of the most influential evangelicals in North America, known for his best-selling book, Knowing God, written in 1973, as well as his work as an editor for the English Standard Version of the Bible. He was one of the high-profile signers on the 1978 Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, a member on the advisory board of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, and also was involved in the ecumenical book Evangelicals and Catholics Together in 1994. His last teaching position was as the board of governors' Professor of Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, in which he served from 1996 until his retirement in 2016 due to failing eyesight.
