Tim Keller: Remembered for Self-Forgetfulness
Musings after one year without the beloved New York pastor
Timothy Keller passed away one year ago today.
It’s hard to believe one year has passed since the New York pastor-theologian went to be with the Lord, but his impact has remained palpable in many ways.
In the last years of his life, monumental events seem to have occurred in three-year increments: he stepped down from his Senior Pastor position at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in 2017; he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2020; and in early 2023, mere months before his passing, Collin Hansen released a wonderful biography of his intellectual formation—which I reviewed as one of the best books of the year. In it, I wrote:
Rather than centralizing the book on Keller’s achievements and accolades (though they are highlighted), Hansen tells the story from influences on Keller’s life and ministry, offering a glimpse into the humble personality of the biography’s subject.
Over time, I have become increasingly wary of the years following influential Christians’ deaths. I benefitted greatly from Ravi Zacharias’s apologetics and ministry in high school, and was profoundly impacted by one of his final sermons before his passing. Yet, after his passing, everything came crashing down, revealing his true character and the awful, scandalous things he did from a position of power and influence in Christian spheres.
For that reason, when I heard of Keller’s death, I was nervous.
What heart-rending revelations would come? What would we learn about the pastor who wrote a best-selling apologetics work and a monumental book on marriage? I remember some online social circles immediately posting about his “liberal” political leanings (despite a stark biblical sexual ethic, among other generally conservative political thoughts), and his “woke” talks and sermons (but I’m begging anyone who accused him of this to define “woke” and bring evidence).
Some accounts took the high road for a week or so, not mentioning anything about Keller, before opposing his ministry and preaching. William Wolfe considered his silence honorable before going gung-ho against Keller, but those posts have since been deleted.
But, in the year since Tim Keller’s passing, scandals have not been revealed, nor have people raised red flags about his or Redeemer Church’s ministry. It has only been a year, but I am hopeful that Tim Keller truly lived his life faithfully to the Gospel and God, realizing the weight of ministry and prizing Christ above all else.
He managed to become a New York Times best-selling author and popular American minister, but he didn’t forsake a posture of humility and self-forgetfulness. (A recent Christianity Today article notes how just outside the frame of infamous photo of Keller on the cover of the biography is a rotten banana peel on a New York park bench. It’s a subtle, but powerful glimpse into his character.) This is one of the most palpable lessons we Christians (especially in America) can learn from Keller. He started his ministry in a small-town church in Hopewell, Virginia, and couldn’t possibly foresee the popularity he would garner. And yet, even as he became a popular Christian in America, his goal was still to serve the Church and advance the Gospel. Despite what many dissenters may say about Keller’s ministry, it is not a negative thing that he became so well-known. The times preceding and following his death are an indication that his goal was to steward his life and ministry well.
We should strive to do the same. Most of us will not likely receive such acclaim as Keller did throughout his life, but we are all tasked with the same mission: to live, breathe, and share the Gospel.
Another lesson from Keller is the way in which he embodied the Apostle Paul’s words:
For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling…
I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them … I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.
1 Corinthians 2:2–3, 9:19, 22–23
Though impressively intellectual and nerdy, Keller sought to communicate with everyone in ways in which they would understand. He could give a lecture on Calvin’s pastoral ministry that was high-concept but practical and easy to understand, and his sermons were so theologically rich, yet so profoundly meaningful and spoke to the universal feeling of, for example, dealing with dark times.
While many would claim Keller had a liberal or New-York-City-influenced bias on politics and even theology (the latter does not quite make sense to me, as he was a Neo-Calvinist), he had a profound ability to understand the position he opposed and to sympathize with those holding it. “Never describe the view of an opponent in a way that he or she will not own,” he once said. “Describe their view so they say ‘I couldn’t have said it better myself,’ then proceed to refute their view. If you caricature your opponent—you persuade no one.” His approach to dissent and defending the Christian faith was so reasoned and honorable—we could all learn from this example and, in turn, avoid much heartache and harm from an “Us versus Them” mindset.
I am incredibly grateful to God for the life and ministry of Tim Keller. His impact on my growth as a new Christian especially was invaluable. As I ponder one year without him, I can’t help but be grateful for his loving, empathetic, powerful, confident, heartfelt, compassionate, bold, and revolutionary ministry.
Postscript
Here are some resources that have been the most impactful for me, which I return to regularly and highly recommend:
Questioning Christianity series (podcast)
“The First Wedding Day” (sermon)
Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation by Collin Hansen (biography)
“Everything is Going to Be OK” (interview clip)
“How to Deal with Dark Times” (sermon)
What are your favorite moments, resources, and lessons from the life of Tim Keller?
Keller's book 'Counterfeit Gods' has proven instrumental in my battle against indwelling sin, as it clarified some of the root issues of many of my particular sinful habits, and has better equipped me to fight accordingly.
I have also returned to his 2007 sermon "Gospel-Centered Ministry" many times--in particular the section on Jesus being the "true and better" David, Moses, Job, etc.