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How would you feel if someone talked to your closest friends and family for two years? What would they say about your childhood, awkward teenage years, or parenting choices?
When I started interviewing in January 2021, I had no idea what we would learn about world-famous preacher Tim Keller, who died on Friday at the age of 72. I have known him since 2007 and have been working with him since 2010 through The Theater. Evangelical Union.
But trying to trace its influence on his intellectual and spiritual formation required digging deeper. I needed to know the books, people and events that helped him become one of the most influential Christian leaders of the 21st century. I appreciated that he wanted me to talk to his longtime friends and encouraged me to speak freely.
Tim Keller, founder of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, was receiving hospice care at home. (Tim Keller/Facebook)
Especially these days, they tend to be cynical towards religious leaders. Like Keller, it doesn’t always end well. We’ve seen too many examples of pastors saying one thing from behind the pulpit and another thing away from the camera. As a podcast voice and book author, it’s safer to keep your distance. Be careful when opening the closet door. After all, a skeleton can fall out.
Timothy Keller looking back on his last podcast episode with Dr.
From my first interview with his sister, I knew Tim Keller wasn’t perfect. But I already knew that. He admitted his fear of humans and his aversion to conflict. I also noticed that his closest colleagues did not worship him. They knew too much about his strengths and weaknesses as a manager, as a father, and as a friend. But somehow that knowledge heightened their affection. They didn’t adore on-screen images. They knew the real person, his family, and ultimately God who prevented the gift of grace from boasting (Ephesians 2:9).
I’ve learned that the best leaders don’t strive for perfection. Thanks to the gospel of Jesus Christ, they are guided on the path of repentance, turning away from the darkness of sin and walking in the light of freedom.
I learned a few other lessons about Tim Keller from what I wrote in his only official biography, Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation.
Don’t judge a young leader’s potential too quickly
You wouldn’t have thought Tim Keller was the most likely to succeed in your seminary class. He was not the most outspoken student. Professors did not recognize him with awards. He got a C in his preaching class. The leaders did not line up to assist him. After graduating from seminary, he and his wife, Kathy, were unsure if they would find a ministry post, so they took the civil service exam to join the United States Postal Service.
Early in his life, Tim Keller had little familiarity with global, multicultural, or urban service. But that is exactly what he has become known for in New York City through the Redeemer Presbyterian Church and its extensive church planting network around the world. He was 57 when he published his first New York Times bestselling book. But in less than a decade, he published a small library of classic writings on everything from prayer to suffering to marriage to evangelism.
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Mission is a long game, at least until Jesus returns. Don’t give up if a young leader doesn’t make a good first impression.
You can borrow from sources without buying everything they sell
Tim Keller was ordained in the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA), one of the most conservative and staunch denominations in the United States. He was a traditional Reformed evangelical who taught the inerrancy of Scripture, the vicarious atonement of Jesus Christ through the chastisement, and justification by faith alone.
He may have disagreed with New Testament scholar NT Wright on the Reformation. However, he recommended Wright’s landmark book on the resurrection of Jesus. He did not come to exactly the same conclusions as the missionary scholar Leslie Newbigine. But he has still built on this work of previous generations to set the agenda for 21st century Western Christians.
You don’t have to agree with everything to learn something from someone.
Admit your weakness and ask for help
Tim Keller had to admit he had a problem twice during his leadership of the Redeemer Presbyterian Church. The church’s growth and complexity were beyond his managerial skills. Not even his astounding work ethic could save him. Twice he called on his friends to serve as senior pastor and lead a restless staff.
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Being gifted at preaching doesn’t mean you’re gifted at administration. Each part of Christ’s body has a role (1 Corinthians 12:12). The mouth is less important than the hand. The best leaders know when to let go and allow others to fulfill their God-given roles.
never stop learning
I don’t think anyone pulled more out of seminary than Tim Keller. The books he read and the lectures he heard set the course for his entire life.
Many leaders will be satisfied with that learning foundation. I’m not Keller. Even when I was publishing my best-selling apology book in 2008, I was rethinking my entire apology approach in light of new reading. Even in his later years he recommended new books to his friends and colleagues.
Keller’s lifelong learning evolved like the rings of a tree. His core never changed. He continued his growth and kept adding his layers.
A good teacher never stops learning.
Seeking a Deeper Experience of God
When I was working on this book, Tim Keller was wondering if he had one more day to live, or 10 more years to write the book and guide a new generation of Christian leaders. I did. That’s life with pancreatic cancer. But no one knows what will happen tomorrow (James 4:13-15).
A few months after my diagnosis in Spring 2020, I noticed a change in Keller. His voice lightened, as if a burden had been lifted. And there it was. Allowing him to focus on each day without worrying about tomorrow’s problems, he enjoyed the company of his beloved wife Cathy. He doubled down on his prayer efforts in search of deeper communion with God. While quarantined in his apartment on Roosevelt Island, he kept in touch with his distant friends.
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This life is an eternal rehearsal of seeing God face to face. The day before he died, Tim Keller told his family, “I am grateful for the time God has given me, but I am ready to meet Jesus. Please send me home.”
That day comes to each of us sooner or later, whether we are ready for it or not. Keller taught me to let go of the burden of tomorrow and live today in the light of eternity.
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