Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God

While not "deep" theology, this is an erudite and thoughtful discussion of evangelism in the context of God's sovereignty. Or to put it another way, here is a title that explains the work of God in the affairs of men. The author, who is a well-known evangelical author, theologian, and pastor, adroitly explains in understandable terms the interdependence of the work of God and man in the process of evangelism. Grover Gardner does a splendid job in reading this work. His voice is pleasant and engaging. He speaks with authority but is neither arrogant nor condescending. M.T.F. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 05/ JAN 06]

I remember back in Bible college and being assigned Packer’s Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God as a textbook. When I purchased it at the bookstore, I thought, “This little thing is worth being a textbook?” Obviously that nineteen year-old ignorant, diminutive theologian didn’t know what he was in for. That little book not only introduced me into the theological whirlpool of paradoxes, it introduced me to one of the best theological minds alive.

Now that Hovel has put this classic in audio form, I was able to reacquaint my mind and spirit to this great, little book again. The book is read by Grover Gardner, a veteran in the world of audio books. It did take a good half hour of listening to get used to his voice, but then I was able to settle in for the remainder of the audio book and actually have enjoyed Gardner’s voice on other audio books.

I would say that if one has never read the print edition of Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, diving into the audio version might be a big challenge because of the level of theological writing and Packer’s use of language. But if you have read the book, having it on audio is a gem. I will probably listen to it once a year, especially since it just over three hours, to refresh my mind and to calibrate my thoughts on this challenging topic of human will and God’s sovereignty in evangelism.

Packer is a master at explaining tough theological topics without long rabbit trails explaining the background of each issue. Of course, he assumes a lot of knowledge on the reader, but I think his assumption here is well founded. A book with a titled Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God is not going to be on the end cap of may Christian bookstores this Christmas, but Packer’s little book will always be fodder for Bible college students, pastors and theologians’ minds for years to come.

If it has been a while that you read Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, I would highly recommend picking up the audio copy and get into the old, yet fresh arguments of free will…since your free to do so…or are you?


Rev. Daniel Taylor
Associate Pastor
Bridgeway Community Church
Columbia, MD

Adjunct Professor
Capitol Bible Seminar
Lanham, MD