• May 2023

    • Remembering Tim Keller

      Author: Rev. Douglas McCallum

      Dear CPC Family,

      On Friday, 19 May, Timothy Keller, founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, died. In the days that have followed, a number of articles have been written reflecting on the life and legacy of arguably the most influential evangelical preacher of the past thirty years. I did not ever meet Tim Keller, but I read several of his books and listened to a number of his sermons, especially when I was in my twenties, and always found them very helpful and stimulating.

      One of the things that often struck me about Keller’s preaching was how “conversational” it seemed. By this I do not mean that there was an absence of declarative power or force in his sermons; far from it. In a very gentle, quiet, even understated way, Keller’s preaching would invariably “get under my skin” and speak deeply to my soul.

      Rather, what I mean by “conversational” is that he would constantly be asking questions of whichever text he was preaching on — questions that I myself would often be asking — and then he would seek, usually very persuasively, to answer them. In this way, the monologue of preaching became almost dialogical in form. It was as though Keller (by the work of the Spirit, of course) was speaking directly to me, even though I was listening thousands of miles away to a sermon he had preached perhaps months or years before. It was in this sense that his preaching, at least to me, had the air of an edifying spiritual conversation, rather than a dull religious discourse.

      Related to this, Keller’s sermons were always refreshingly contemporary. He spoke winsomely, yet prophetically, into the cultural zeitgeist of late 20th/early 21st Western society. He addressed the particular concerns and questions of modern (or post-modern) people. He applied Scripture with wisdom, penetration and thoughtfulness.

      Again, this observation needs to be qualified. The contemporary “feel” of Keller’s sermons did not result from an unthinking dismissal of the past. Indeed, one of the noticeable features of his preaching was how much Keller would quote our Christian forebears, particularly the Puritans. But, drawing on the insights of theologians from the past, he would apply them creatively to people living today and always do so in accessible, easy-to-understand language.

      Perhaps, though, the main reason for the contemporary freshness of Keller’s sermons lay in the fact that his preaching was always thoroughly focused on Christ. For me, this was the great benefit I derived from listening to his sermons (as well as reading his books): my eyes would unfailingly be lifted up to behold the glory and grace of my Saviour. I would come to see more of the beauty of Jesus, more of the wonder of the gospel, and more of the love of God. Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, my heart would often burn within me when I listened to Tim Keller open up the Scriptures. Why? Because he was feeding me with Christ.

      I hope none of what I’ve said above smacks of me idolising a fallen man. There is no doubt that, like the rest of us, Tim Keller was a sinner who did not get everything right. I think, for example, he was wrong in arguing that the church should be directly involved in the business of transforming the culture. I also wish that, for all of his right emphasis on the centrality of the gospel, he had spent a bit more time mining and uncovering the rich treasures of Reformed theology in his preaching and teaching.

      Still, for all that we need to guard ourselves against putting a mere man on a pedestal, and for all that we must not seek to be just like Tim Keller (and how preachers like me are so prone to such foolish and idolatrous imitation!), I think it is right for us to honour someone who was so greatly used by the Lord and whose ministry has effected much good for the kingdom of Christ. In being thankful for the life and ministry of Tim Keller, I therefore trust that I am giving thanks to the God who raised up and equipped this servant of his, who used him to accomplish much, and who has now called him home.

      With love in Christ,

      Doug