Who was Timothy Keller?

Answer

Reverend Timothy James Keller (1950–2023) was an author, theologian, apologist, and the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. He also co-founded and chaired Redeemer City to City, a training network for pastors and church planters in global cities. After a three-year battle with pancreatic cancer, Timothy Keller passed away on May 19, 2023, at the age of 72.

Keller was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, to William and Louise Clemente Keller. As a boy, he attended a Lutheran church with his family, but it wasn’t until college that he became a Christian. While studying at Bucknell University in the late 1960s, Keller came to faith in Jesus Christ through his involvement with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. His early days as a believer were deeply influenced by the writings of evangelical scholars such as John Stott, C. S. Lewis, and F. F. Bruce.

While earning his Master of Divinity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Keller met his future wife, Kathy Kristy. They were married in 1975 and had three sons, David, Michael, and Jonathan.

Keller was ordained in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) and, at the age of 24, began pastoring West Hopewell Presbyterian Church in Hopewell, Virginia. Nine years later, he returned to Pennsylvania to teach practical theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, where he also obtained his Doctor of Ministry in 1981.

During this period, Keller worked on staff for his denomination, the PCA, helping to plant churches and recruit pastors. Against almost all human advice at the time, Tim and Kathy eventually answered the PCA’s call to start a church in New York City. The couple moved to the city and began holding gatherings and preaching to unchurched young professionals and their families. In 1989, Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan was established.

Within a year, weekly attendance grew from 50 to an average of more than 500.But following the 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, church growth surged, propelling Redeemer Presbyterian Church into the national spotlight. By 2017, when Timothy Keller stepped down from the pulpit to fully dedicate himself to Redeemer City to City, the urban beacon had expanded into a network of five independent campuses and several daughter congregations across the city, with approximately 6,000 attendees weekly. The church had also established three non-profit ministries to address the social needs of the city, educate lay professionals in Christian theology, and assist urban pastors and intercity outreaches.

In 2008, at the age of 58, Keller released his first bestseller, “The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism,” an apologetics work inspired by numerous discussions with skeptics while ministering to New Yorkers. His collection of over 30 books covers various topics including theology, apologetics, the essence of God, the gospel, forgiveness, Christian living, marriage, and cultural involvement.

Timothy Keller’s preaching emphasized human sin and God’s grace. The essence of this Calvinist’s theology is encapsulated in his frequently cited statement: “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 Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God, Penguin Books, 2011, p. 44).

As a co-founder of The Gospel Coalition, Keller was no stranger to criticism. Conservative evangelicals often accused him of “cultural accommodation” and being “too lenient on sin and worldliness.” However, those within the “Reformed” segment of evangelicalism distanced themselves from him partly because he avoided presenting his beliefs in confrontational manners (https://baptistnews.com/article/tim-keller-was-a-really-nice-guy-but-that-wasnt-enough-for-everyone/, accessed 6/9/23). Progressive Christians also held reservations about him due to his support for complementarity.Arianism and Opposition to Homosexuality and LGBTQ Inclusion.

However, Timothy Keller has left a legacy as a pioneer for Christian revival in urban areas, motivating and equipping ministers to bring the love of Christ into some of the most secular and doubtful communities in our nation and the world. Fred Harrell, the founding pastor of City Church in San Francisco, was directly influenced by Keller’s zeal for establishing urban churches. He remarked, “[Tim] addressed the individual who was not yet present in the room. He encouraged Christians driven by consumerism to embrace a more mission-oriented mindset, urging them to bring their non-Christian friends without fear of shame. His sermons avoided unnecessary alienation, making the message of Jesus accessible to all. This was a revelation for me and a concept that present-day preachers would be wise to recall and implement” (ibid., accessed 6/9/23).

Below are some noteworthy quotes from Timothy Keller:

“All death can do to Christians now is to enhance their lives infinitely.”

“You do not stumble into love. You commit to it. Love declares, ‘I will be there no matter what.’”

“The only person bold enough to wake up a king at 3:00 a.m. for a glass of water is a child. We have that level of access.”

“Mercy is not solely the responsibility of a Christian. Mercy is the hallmark of a Christian.”

“If the suffering Jesus endured did not cause him to abandon us, nothing will.”