Keller was a mountain on the church landscape. He will be regarded as one of the most influential Christians in the past 100 years. His death will be felt throughout the world and across all denominations, beyond his New York Redeemer Presbyterian church.
So, what were the key beliefs that made Keller so influential? What was it about his message that was so appealing to charismatics, to conservatives and confessional church members?
Style
Firstly, Keller’s deep voice and relaxed conversational style allowed the message to be the main thing. Often preachers stir audiences into an emotional fever, using volume to distract from a lack of an argument.
However, Keller was always calm and clear. He still engaged the emotions but approached it from a pastoral angle rather than a polished public speaker. But what was this message Keller proclaimed?
The gospel
Secondly, and centrally of Keller’s message was the gospel. And while the broader church says it thinks it understands the gospel, Keller politely called it out pointing his audience back to the momentous message of grace.
As he explains, “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.”Keller, Timothy, p44 (2011).
Within this short statement, Keller’s key doctrines of total depravity, unmerited grace and substitutionary atonement are seen.
In this summary, Keller articulates the gospel as well as challenges Christians to compare their definition against his. Keller’s humble, self-depreciating manner allowed him to penetrate all denominational barriers to ask if we take sin seriously and hence reveal the true heights of the work of Jesus.
Grace
And the underlying theological theme in both the gospel and Keller’s life work was GRACE: unconditional favour. Sermon after sermon, book after book, conference after conference, Keller always summarised his message or Bible passage with a summary of God’s grace: that while we were still sinners Jesus died for us as a free gift.
Idols
The other side of the gospel coin is idols. Keller stated that we all worship something. We all have a list of valued things and whatever is at the top of that list is “god.”
For some it may be an addiction or devotion to money, career, or power. This, he says, is an idol that replaces Jesus. If anything,apart from Jesus, givesultimate significance and satisfaction in life it is an idol (see his book Counterfeit Gods).
Fun in fundamental
Keller put the fun back in fundamentalism. The conservative evangelical church movement has often suffered an image problem of “not being relevant.” A point that charismatic denominations have taken up by shaping their worship style and preaching for the marketplace.
However, Keller’s messages and books shined across all denominations because he was able to explain the core of the Bible in a dynamic and relevant way. A listener could hear him preach on a passage such as Nehemiah and leave not only understanding the historical background of the exile and rebuilding of the city temple and wall but also understand how this pointed to Jesus as the true temple and wall protecting our daily lives.
He made reading the Bible with Jesus at the centre fun again. His gift was to take the richness of deep Reformed theology and make it accessible to the street.
Catechism
Even more, he explained the importance of Catechism, a word modern generations had not heard. His rich reading and understanding of the heritage of the church saw Keller build on the traditions of the Protestant church fathers to create a systematic way to understand the core aspects of the Christian faith.
In a broader church culture full of soundbites and themes influenced more by cultural trends rather than the Bible, Keller created a bedrock of “what do we believe” in the form of a Catechism.
Influence
Keller’s desire to stay true to the Bible yet culturally relevant meant his influence was profound. He wrote many books on ways Bible concepts can influence our church, culture and lives. His bestselling book, “Prodigal God, The: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith” set out his heart for the gospel of grace.
Many of his other books revealed his pastoral heart to disciple people in their belief of God, forgiveness, prayer, marriage, and even death. He also worked on a deeper level challenging the wider church to explore worship in the way God desires against cultural desires. And his Centre Church book explored an area significant to his heart: revival and church planting. He also co-founded the The Gospel Coalition as a resource to link Bible-believing churches together.
If you have not encountered Dr. Keller’s work can I encourage you to do so. Not just because he is a good communicator or theologian but because his message cuts to the heart of the news about Jesus. Dr. Timothy Keller, 72, died on May 19, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
Jeremy Dover is a former sports scientist and Pastor
Jeremy Dover's previous articles may be viewed at https://www.pressserviceinternational.org/jeremy-dover1.html
And https://www.pressserviceinternational.org/jeremy-dover.html
