Timothy Keller

Tim Keller, Author

One more post dedicated to the life and ministry of Timothy Keller – a trilogy of sorts, which is appropriate given Keller’s love of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and C.S. Lewis’s Space trilogies. Keller was a prolific writer – something that didn’t happen for him until the sixth decade of his life. I tend to pay more attention to people that write later in their faith journey when they possess a more fully developed theology. In the same manner, I like reading the epistles that the Apostle Paul wrote later in his ministry (e.g., Philippians, Colossians, Ephesians).

Keller’s numerous books (and sermons) reflect a culturally thoughtful and intellectually rigorous approach to theology. I recently discovered that I have read a fair number of his books. I thought it might be interesting to capture of few great quotes from his books I’ve read – for my benefit if nothing else! You may also enjoy…

Tweet by The Gospel Coalition, May 26, 2023

“The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.” (The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism, 2008)

“A faith without some doubts is like a human body without any antibodies in it. People who blithely go through life too busy or indifferent to ask hard questions about why they believe as they do will find themselves defenseless against either the experience of tragedy or the probing questions of a smart skeptic.” (The Reason for God)

“Doubt is not the opposite of faith; it is an element of faith” and “Believers should acknowledge and wrestle with doubts… It is no longer sufficient to hold beliefs just because you inherited them.” (The Reason for God)

“Our need for worth is so powerful that whatever we base our identity and value on we essentially ‘deify.'” (The Reason for God)

“The only person who dares wake up a king at 3 am for a glass of water is a child. We have that kind of access.” (Twitter)

“Justice without grace is only harshness. Grace without justice is only sentimentality.” (The Reason for God)

“God never said that the journey would be easy, but He did say that the arrival would be worthwhile.” (The Reason for God)

“Both brothers were lost, but only one knew it.” (The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith, 2008)

“The gospel is distinct from mere morality. Morality is about good and bad, but the gospel is about lost and found.” (The Prodigal God)

“The younger son repents because of his circumstances; the elder son does not repent despite his circumstances. The first is sorry for what he has done; the second is angry that God does not seem to have blessed him enough for his goodness. The younger son repents with his whole heart; the elder son, with only half a heart.” (The Prodigal God)

“Both the irreligious and the religious are spiritually lost, but they are lost in different ways. Religious people are lost because they don’t think they’re lost. Irreligious people are lost because they don’t know they’re lost.” (The Prodigal God)

“The gospel is not religion. Religion operates on the principle of ‘I obey, therefore I’m accepted.’ The gospel operates on the principle of ‘I’m accepted, therefore I obey.'” (The Prodigal God)

“Jesus’s teaching consistently attracted the irreligious while offending the Bible-believing, religious people of His day. However, in the main, our churches today do not have this effect. The kind of outsiders Jesus attracted are not attracted to contemporary churches, even our most avant-garde ones. We tend to draw conservative, buttoned-down, moralistic people. The licentious and liberated or the broken and marginal avoid church. That can only mean one thing. If the preaching of our ministers and the practice of our parishioners do not have the same effect on people that Jesus had, then we must not be declaring the same message that Jesus did.” (The Prodigal God)

“Jesus doesn’t just give us advice; He gives us Himself… Jesus doesn’t just show us the way; He is the way… Jesus doesn’t just point us to truth; He is the truth… Jesus didn’t come to make bad people good; He came to make dead people alive… Jesus doesn’t offer temporary relief from life’s struggles; He offers eternal hope in the midst of them.” (Encounters with Jesus: Unexpected Answers to Life’s Biggest Questions, 2013)

“Jesus did not come to earth simply to teach; He came to be the King… Jesus doesn’t just claim to be a king; He is the King of all kings… Jesus didn’t just talk about the kingdom of God; He brought the kingdom of God to earth… Jesus didn’t come to establish an earthly empire; He came to bring about a revolution of the heart… Understanding Jesus as King means recognizing His authority over every aspect of our lives.” (Jesus the King: Understanding the Life and Death of the Son of God, 2011)

“The desire for justice and the longing for a better world point to something beyond ourselves. They hint at the existence of a moral lawgiver.” (Making Sense of God: An Invitation to the Skeptical, 2016)

“Christianity is not merely a set of beliefs; it is a story that makes sense of the world. It offers a comprehensive framework for understanding life, purpose, and the human condition.” (Making Sense of God)

“The gospel is not a transaction; it is a transformation. It is not about earning salvation through good works, but receiving God’s grace and allowing it to change us from the inside out.” (Making Sense of God)

That was fun! My pastor put me onto this book: Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation, by Collin Hansen, which just came out in February. If you are a Timothy Keller fan, I highly recommend it. I listened to it on Audible, which contains some bonus talks and sermons of Keller’s, including the message he preached the Sunday after 9/11/2001.

Tim Keller, Intellect

Though largely known for his cultural engagement that led to a successful mega-Church plant (though not in his plans when he moved to Manhattan – see Timothy Keller), Timothy Keller’s real asset to Christianity was his intellect. Those who are not part of the Christian faith commonly hold the belief that Christians have “checked their intellect at the door.” This prevailing perception is rooted in the fact that many Christians have indeed demonstrated this behavior and, at times, even exhibited a sense of arrogance regarding their stance.

I think of people like Mark Driscoll who bragged about his lack of education when he planted a church at 25 years of age (cf. Rise and Fall of Mars Hill). Wise people like Keller and Dallas Willard would suggest we think otherwise. Willard reminded his readers of Romans 12:2: Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God’s will is—what is good and pleasing and mature (CEB).*

We tend to focus on the beginning of the first sentence of the passage, trying hard not to conform to the patterns of this world (which is simply moralism, by the way). As a result, we end up conforming to something else. Twenty years ago we lived in a smaller fairly churched community with a plethora of churches possessing a variety of worship styles. I have often quipped that when at an ecumenical gathering in that community, I could tell where they attended based on the way they prayed. *

We conform to something, which I posit can be a result of checking our intellect at the door. Mars Hill’s intent was that people come to know Jesus. After salvation, people’s intellects weren’t a necessity – Mark Driscoll provided them with what they needed. His messages pushed back against the culture of the world (do not conform to the patterns of this world) and gave them a different set of patterns to conform to. And they did – 15,000 thousand attendees and staff. Then Mars Hill collapsed.

Shifting our attention from conformity, let’s direct our focus towards the latter portion of Paul’s statement: but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God’s will is—what is good and pleasing and mature. I’ve talked about the word transformation before (see Metamorfoo). How does transformation happen? Not through conformity, but by feeding the intellect.

Renewing our minds cannot happen if we are “mindless” and rely only on others to tell us what to do and believe. Paul’s letters were full of intelligent thought and I assume he expected the groups to whom they were written to ponder together and discuss together. Jesus told stories and asked questions that drove his hearers (especially his followers) to become critical thinkers. Keep in mind that for first-century Israelites conformity trumped mind renewal. Former conformers were part of Paul’s audience when he wrote his letter to the Romans.

What does renewing the mind look like? In pointing Christ-followers to the second part of the passage, Dallas Willard stressed the need for intentional spiritual practices and intellectual cultivation of a Christ-centered worldview that might lead to a genuine transformation in every aspect of life. He appealed to biblical discipleship – be with, learn from, become like, and join Jesus in his mission. He appealed to the intellect. Willard often said that Jesus is the most intelligent person in the universe – learning from Him can/will lead to authentic and comprehensive transformation in one’s life.

Timothy Keller’s emergence as a prominent figure for engaging with culture within the evangelical community can be directly attributed to his intellectual agility and the development of his critical thinking skills, which he began cultivating during his college years. He grappled with the prevailing evangelical ambivalence towards racism and apartheid, perceiving them to be incongruent with the life and teachings of Jesus. He also wrestled with the more liberal theology that showed concern for “the other,” yet omitted Jesus from the equation. It compelled him to turn to Jesus, seeking a critical understanding of his teachings rather than conforming to the expectations of others.

Keller became a well-respected pastor, theologian, and author known for his intellectual approach to Christianity. He became widely recognized for his ability to engage with philosophical, cultural, and intellectual challenges to the Christian faith in a post-Christian age. His numerous books and sermons reflect a culturally thoughtful and intellectually rigorous approach to theology.

Keller emphasized the importance of engaging the mind in matters of faith and encouraged believers to explore and wrestle with difficult questions. He sought to bridge the gap between faith and reason and presented Christianity as intellectually compelling. Blaise Pascal (the brilliant 17th-century mathematician and physicist, who, after a profound conversion redirected his intellectual pursuits towards Christian philosophy), provided Keller with a quote that described his philosophy of ministry:

Men despise religion. They hate it and are afraid it may be true. The cure for this is first to show that religion is not contrary to reason, but worthy of reverence and respect. Next, make it attractive, make good men wish it were true, and then show that it is.

What we get to intelligently do: Make Christianity attractive, make people wish it were true, and then show them that it is.

* We want to keep in mind that Jesus always appealed to the intellect – asking questions and telling stories to help people “rethink their thinking.” Remember that repentance begins with a shift in one’s thinking. It’s important to consider Jesus’ enhancement to the Shema’s (Deut. 6:4-5) meaning and significance by replacing the word “strength” with “mind,” thus expanding its richness and depth: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (Matt. 22:37). In Mark 12:30, we observe that Jesus retained the term “strength” and added “mind.”

* Addendum 7/17/2023. I stumbled onto this quote by Henri Nouwen: “Often we hear the remark that we have to live in the world without being of the world. But it may be more difficult to be in the Church without being of the Church.” [Nouwen, H. J. M. (1997). Bread for the journey : a daybook of wisdom and faith 91st edition). Harper SanFrancisco.]

We lost a great Christian leader this past month – Timothy (Tim) Keller. He passed away on May 19, 2023, following a three-year battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 72. Keller was a bit of an enigma at a time when American Christians seemed to clamor for “relevance” and charismatic leadership.

Keller’s resume is actually pretty short. After graduating from Gordon-Conwell Seminary in 1975, he was ordained in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), a newer denomination that had been formed in the early 70s. His first call was to pastor a church in a small blue-collar town in Virginia, where he served for nine years. It’s there that he learned how to trust, serve, and pastor. Keller in a World magazine interview:

Being in a blue-collar church taught me to be both clear and practical in preaching. One of the biggest compliments I ever got was when someone in the congregation thanked me that I “wasn’t intellectual” and therefore could be understood. I also learned not to build a ministry on leadership charisma (which I didn’t have anyway!) or preaching skill (which wasn’t so much there early on) but on loving people pastorally and repenting when I was in the wrong. In a small town, people will follow you if they trust you—your character—personally, and that trust has to be built in personal relationships, not through showing off your credentials and your talents.

“People will follow you if they trust you—your character—personally, and that trust has to be built in personal relationships, not through showing off your credentials and your talents.“

The next item on his resume was a professorship stint at Westminster Theological Seminary, teaching practical theology while working on his doctorate. He also began working for the PCA, focused on their church planting efforts. He was charged with finding someone willing to plant a church in Manhattan. No one was interested – it was a bad idea, fraught with potential failure. Keller:

I was told by almost everyone it was a fool’s errand. Manhattan was the land of skeptics, critics, and cynics. The middle class, the conventional market for a church, was fleeing the city because of crime and rising costs.

So, in 1989, Tim and his wife, Kathy, embarked on the fool’s errand, moving to Manhattan to plant Redeemer Presbyterian Church. In the process, they fell in love with the city and its inhabitants. In the World interview, one can see Keller’s heart for the upwardly mobile young professionals that landed in Manhattan:

They had lived their whole lives with parents, music teachers, coaches, professors, and bosses telling them to do better, be better, try harder. In their view, God was the ultimate taskmaster, with unfulfillable demands. To hear that He Himself had met those demands for righteousness through the life and death of Jesus, and now there was no condemnation left for anyone who trusted in that righteousness—that was an amazingly freeing message.

Keller was a model of cultural evangelical engagement. His approach was especially popular with those Christians who felt the culture wars had harmed their gospel witness. He resisted the prevailing evangelical emphasis on suburbs that overlooked the cities. In a similar spirit, he challenged the political mobilization of churches. His views were not universally received as we can see in this op-ed by Carl R. Trueman, professor at the Alva J. Calderwood School of Arts and Letters, Grove City College:

I disagree at points with both his theology and philosophy of ministry. [I do not] share his love of the city. For me, cities are a necessary evil whose sole purpose is to provide country boys like me somewhere to go to the theatre once in a while. And I am definitely not an optimistic transformationalist as he is—trust me, things are going to get worse before, well, they get even worse than that.

Regardless of push-back from those who questioned his theology or methods, Keller was true to the orthodox Gospel he understood, preached, and lived. His understanding of the Gospel was something he oft Tweeted: “We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.”

His theology and methods led a Christianity Today editor to write, “Fifty years from now, if evangelical Christians are widely known for their love of cities, their commitment to mercy and justice, and their love of their neighbors, Tim Keller will be remembered as a pioneer of the new urban Christians.”

Tim Keller will be missed!

(This was Keller’s last message to the Redeemer Churches recorded a few weeks before his death. It is worth 10 minutes of your time.)