Timothy J. Keller

Timothy J. Keller (born 1950) is an American Christian apologist, author, speaker, and the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, New York. He is the author of several books, including The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism, which garnered awards from World Magazine^[1] and Christianity Today^[2] and was No. 7 on the New York Times Best Seller list for non-fiction in March, 2008.^[3]

Biography [edit]

Keller was raised in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of Bucknell University (BA, 1972), Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (M.Div., 1975) and Westminster Theological Seminary, where he received his D.Min in 1981.^[4] He became a Christian while at Bucknell University, due to the ministry of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, with which he later served as a staff member.^[5] He was ordained by the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) and served as a pastor in Virginia for nine years, while serving as director of church planting for the PCA.^[6] He also served on the faculty of Westminster Theological Seminary, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he and his wife Kathy were involved in urban ministry and he continues as an adjunct professor of practical theology.^[7]

Redeemer [edit]

Keller was asked by the PCA to start Redeemer in 1989 despite his relative lack of experience and after two others had turned down the position.^[6] The church grew from 50 people to a total attendance of over 5,000 people each Sunday as of 2008, leading many to call him "the most successful Christian Evangelist in the city."^[6][8] In 2004 Christianity Today praised Redeemer as "one of Manhattan's most vital congregations",^[9] and, according to a 2006 survey of 2,000 American church leaders, is the 16th most influential church in America.^[10] His target audience consists mainly of young urban professionals, whom he believes exhibit disproportionate influence over the culture and its ideas.^[11] In his preaching, "he hardly shrinks from difficult Christian truths, [but] he sounds different from many of the shrill evangelical voices in the public sphere."^[6] He shuns the label "evangelical" because of its political and fundamentalist connotation, preferring to call himself orthodox because "he believes in the importance of personal conversion or being 'born again,' and the full authority of the Bible."^[6]

Stance on social issues [edit]

Tim Keller is a signatory of the Manhattan Declaration^[12] and has been described by Mark DeVine as a "doctrine-friendly" pastor noted for his opposition to homosexuality and abortion.^[13]

Keller believes that "Marriage provides the personal growth that comes through cross-gender relationships"^[14] and was quoted by Gay City News as saying "Homosexuality, prostitution, sex outside of marriage, and adultery all fall outside of what God says he has designed sex for."^[15] He considers his opposition to abortion as a matter of human rights, but is not opposed to birth control.^[16][17]

Keller is a complementarian who believes that the Bible teaches male headship in the home and in the church.^[14] On creationism, Keller states has his view is not strictly literal and that evolution is "neither ruled in nor ruled out" in his church.^[17] Keller's support for the Harry Potter novels has been controversial with "a small but vocal group of people".^[18]

Keller is a co-founder of The Gospel Coalition, a group of Reformed leaders from around the United States.

Personal life [edit]

Keller lives on Roosevelt Island in New York City with his wife, Kathy. They have three sons, David, Michael and Jonathan.^[5]

Books [edit]

• Resources for Deacons: Love Expressed through Mercy Ministries (Christian Education and Publications, 1985) ISBN 0-9703541-6-9
• Ministries of Mercy: The Call of the Jericho Road (P&R Publishing, 1997) ISBN 0-87552-217-3
• Church Planter Manual (Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2002)
• The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism (Dutton Adult, February 2008) ISBN 0-525-95049-4
• The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith (Dutton Adult, November 2008) ISBN 0-525-95079-6
• Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters (Dutton Adult, October 2009) ISBN 0-525-95136-9
• Generous Justice: How God's Grace Makes Us Just (Dutton Adult, November 2010) ISBN 0-525-95190-2
• King's Cross: The Story of the World in the Life of Jesus (Dutton Adult, February 2011) ISBN 0-525-95210-7
• The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God (Dutton Adult, November 2011) ISBN 0-525-95247-0
• Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City (Zondervan, September 2012) ISBN 0-310-494184-0
• Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God's Work (Dutton, November, 2012) ISBN 978-0-525-95270-1

Contributions [edit]

• Schaller, Lyle E, ed. (1993), Center City Churches: The New Urban Frontier, Abingdon Press, ISBN 0-687-04802-8 .
• Bustard, Ned, ed. (2000), It Was Good: Making Art to the Glory of God, Square Halo Books, ISBN 978-0-9785097-1-2 .
• Carson, DA, ed. (2002), Worship by the Book, Zondervan, ISBN 0-310-21625-7 .
• The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World, Crossway Books, 2007, ISBN 978-1-58134-922-1 .
• A Place for Truth: Leading Thinkers Explore Life's Hardest Questions, IVP Books, 2010, ISBN 0‐8308‐3845‐7 

References [edit]