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Pastor Tim Keller

Pastor Timothy Keller

Dr. Tim Keller (Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York City) — the most insightful and intellectually honest Bible teachers I’ve heard, deeply theological without a belittling tone to those with differing convictions. Gifted to speak in a winsome Gospel-centered way to Christians and non-Christians alike. Not afraid to read and use pop culture references. cf. Read 14 reasons why I like Keller.

[quick links] | TimothyKeller.com official website | Messages | Articles | Quotes | Texts | Excerpt 1: sun & frost | Excerpt 2: poor

Aside: this web page was the first Tim Keller website ever on the Internet, circa 2002. NOTE: this is an historical archive of a fan page

In Memory of Tim Keller (from official website) — now in the presence of the Lord Jesus | “Tim Keller, New York City Pastor Who Modeled Winsome Witness” (Christianity Today, May 19, 2023) | Special Issue: The Life and Legacy of Tim Keller (Christianity Today)

Books

More about Tim Keller

Tim Keller's preaching handsFeatured in Newsweek, “The Smart Shepherd: A New York pastor who says he thinks too much wants to bring his Christian message to the world.” (2/18/08 issue; cf. Keller’s comments on this article and Ed Stetzer’s comments)

Featured in New York Times, “Clergy Again Shoulders Burdens of Consoling and Explaining” (9/11/06 memorial service; cache, sermon text) + “Preaching the Word and Quoting the Voice” (2/26/06; cached pdf; cf. disclaimer from kellered: “Redeemer does not aspire to fame. In fact, Redeemer did not want the article done but the journalist was going to do it whether or not Redeemer helped him to write it. … Redeemer is happy to fly under the radar…”)

Featured in New York Magazine’s Influentials 2006 List (5/16/06):

Rev. Timothy Keller
Redeemer Presbyterian
Keller has become the most successful Christian Evangelist in the city by recognizing what marketers have known for decades: that young professionals and artists are “disproportionately influential” in creating the country’s culture and that you have to meet this coveted demographic on its own terms. With intellectual, brimstone-free sermons that manage to cite Woody Allen alongside Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John …

Other Keller web pages:: Wikipedia entry on Tim Keller + Reformissionary’s Tim Keller Resources (via Steve McCoy) + Monergism.com links (with a kitchy caricature) + the lengthiest Keller bio to date.

Listen to Redeemer’s original vision unpacked by Tim Keller (22:00 mins, posted with permission):

Redeemer had a Vision Campaign in Fall 2005:: 7 Vision Papers, 5 vision sermons, thoughts on giving (3 talks – mp3 audios), and more. Plus, video of Redeemer’s vision for cities

Messages (hear + see Keller)

Hear Tim Keller live (besides at Redeemer) at:

  • TogetherLA (Los Angeles) February 26-28, 2015 ~ Speaking at 5 main sessions!

Messages from Past Events

More Messages in Audio and/or Video

Articles (about Keller)

Texts (by Keller)

Quotes (attributed to Keller)

Blog Comments by Keller

  • After several years of reading blogs I conclude that these sharp exchanges between people with different points of view almost always generate far, far more heat than light. Blogs seem to best for helping like-minded people to share information and to mildly revise one another’s thinking. Alan Jacobs (in an article on weblogs in May/June 2006 Books and Culture) said that blogs are ‘the friend of information, but the enemy of thought.’ I absolutely love blogs for getting news and opinion of all kinds, but the ‘dialogues’ are generally unhelpful. I’m sure everyone can point to one or two exceptions. But most of these interactions toward the pro- and anti-emergent caucuses usually just polarize people. (re: Emergent & Consistency 11/29/06)
  • I wonder where you’d go to find a truly missional denomination? I don’t know of any. For missionally minded churches, any denominational connection will bring you into relationship with some other churches and ministers who downright embarass you. This will be true of any ecclesiastical body with more than 5 churches in it. I don’t think that going independent and only staying connected in to a missional ‘network’–which has no disciplinary authority–is the answer either. My counsel: 1) inhabit a denomination with a historic tradition you admire (Reformed, Lutheran, Anglican, Baptist) 2) stay in a denomination if it gives you space to follow your calling, 3) don’t be marginal to it–be active in the denomination, but 4) don’t be too absorbed in all its workings and especially not in its politics. (re: denominational frustration 10/9/06)
  • I was making the point that the older Stott-Packer-Francis Schaeffer evangelicalism is fragmenting. Stott’s “evangelical essentials” are not seen by the emergent as essentials. That’s noteworthy and worthy of reflection, I think, since Stott and others carved out the space between fundamentalism and liberalism a half-century ago. Emergent (IMO) is moving out of that older space, and trying to create a new space between older liberalism and older evangelicalism. My guess is that they are basically coming to the same place as the post-liberals. But I wonder if they can really make a movement out of it without doing the institution building that Stott, Ockenga, Billy Graham etc did. I doubt it, though I am not totally sure of my doubt (!) since you don’t get back into Narnia the same way you did last time. (re: Emergent’s future 10/05/06)
  • “I don’t know why Millbank’s critique of the secular precludes a pluralistic society (if that is what you are saying?) Modern secularism doesn’t allow real pluralism–it doesn’t allow non-secular people to reason from their ‘narrative identities’–their ‘control beliefs’, as it were–in public discourse. That’s what Newbigin said, I think. I actually don’t know how we get to real pluralism without a serious critique of secularism.” (Keller comments on a blog entry)
  • [confirmed: Tim Keller is a blog reader and commenter! This has been confirmed through first-hand and second-hand sources.]

also see Comments about Keller in the blogosphere

Excerpt 1

[from 6/29/2003] Derek Kidner commentary on Genesis.. At first sight, the rough handling of Joseph of his brothers has the look of vengefulness, but nothing could be further from the truth. Behind the harsh pose was deep, almost uncontrollable affection, seen in Joseph’s continual running out of the house, running out of the room to weep. And after the ordeal is over, there is nothing but overwhelming kindness and tenderness. Joseph’s enigmatic treatment of them was a kinder and more searching test. Just how well judged was his policy can be seen in the growth of new attitudes in the brothers as the alternating sun and frost broke them open to God.

That’s the method perfectly put by Derek Kidner alternating sun and frost broke them open to God. If things get really hot and really cold, it breaks things. Stones can crack. Truth and love, frost and sun, convicting them, humbling them, and graciously encouraging them back and forth. Joseph does the very same thing to his brothers. With Jacob, it’s all love and affection for Joseph, but no boundaries. With the brothers, it’s all boundaries and rules, but no love. Truth and love changes people.

Why is Joseph toying with them? It’s not just retribution, i.e. Just desserts for slavery and prison for years. Joseph just hasn’t forgiven them, if he wanted justice, he would have told them it’s me in prison. If it was just love he was after, he would say all is forgiven, all is fine. Would it have changed them? No. But by alternating sun and frost, love and truth, convicting them of their sin, giving them a taste of retribution, he brings them to this spot. He sets up the exact same situation – a new betrayal. To save their skin, in order to fail again, or too get it right. Judah says, “Let me become the slave, in place of the boy. Let me bear the blame.”

At this point, Joseph can say, now let me tell you (what God’s done). Just justice wouldn’t have changed them. Just pardon wouldn’t have change them. If you love someone, you just don’t give them pardon. They need healing and restoration. Joseph loves them, he messes with them. He goes after them. Truth and love, truth and love, until they’re broken open to God. He engages them. God will never just let you be, as long as there’s foolishness in your heart. He has designed you to save lives.

Excerpt 2: Our Approach to the Poor

The liberal/pragmatists tend to scorn the religion of the poor and see them as helpless victims needing expertise. This is born out of a disbelief in God’s common grace or special grace to all. Ironically, the secular mindset also disbelieves in sin, and thus anyone who is poor must be oppressed, a helpless victim. The conservative/moralists on the other hand tend to scorn the poor as failures and weaklings. They see them as somehow to blame for their situation. But the gospel leads us to be: a) humble, without moral superiority knowing you were “spiritually bankrupt” but saved by Christ’s free generosity, b) gracious, not worried too much about “deservingness,” since you didn’t deserve Christ’s grace, and c) respectful of believing poor Christians as brothers and sisters from whom to learn. The gospel alone can bring “knowledge workers” into a sense of humble respect for and solidarity with the poor. [From Tim Keller’s The Centrality of the Gospel]