Tim Keller

This week I attended a thanksgiving service in Sydney for the life and ministry of Tim Keller. Here are a few reflections I have collated.

“Keller, the most influential Christian apologist and evangelical leader of his generation, died Friday at age 72.” The Atlantic (mainstream newspaper).

Following his death, The New York Times declared that Keller had achieved “a modern miracle of his own – establishing a theologically orthodox church in Manhattan that attracted thousands of young professional followers”.

Perhaps Keller’s finest hour (in the public eye) arrived on September 16, 2001 – a mere five days after the attack on the World Trade Centre. On a normal Sunday at that time, Redeemer had a little under 3000 attendees. That day, however, well over 5000 people came, with a line running down the street before doors opened. Keller added another one-off service to accommodate people who were seeking something after the tragedy. You could clearly see people were looking for answers, and Redeemer was eager to offer biblical and theological perspective for what they were seeking.

“I hope we at least remember him with the same fondness that we have for J.I. Packer or John Stott,” Collin, 'Undeceptions' podcast. “(However) it could be that as we look at the real differences that Keller made in terms of attitudes toward the city, toward the work of evangelism, and apologetics, we may see him as more of a longer-term figure, more like in the John Calvin or Jonathan Edwards category.”

In an era where many notable Christian leaders’ reputations have come unstuck later in their life due to moral failings, Keller stands out. He was loved and respected inside and outside the church. John Dickson noted that to see the factions inside the church lay down their barbs and from across the aisle unite in recognition and affirmation of a life that was well lived.

By Rev. David Rietveld