Tim Keller’s legacy of hope
Ericka Andersen
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At a time when denominational arguments about Christian nationalism, patriarchy, same-sex marriage, and abortion dominate the religious landscape, Tim Keller stayed focused on the point of it all: the hope of eternal life.
The New York City pastor and author, known and beloved for his wise, tempered, and Christ-focused leadership, died on Friday after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer.
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Keller’s rich legacy includes Redeemer, the reformed evangelical church he started in the heart of New York City in 1989. Then and now, the streets of New York aren’t optimal soil on which to plant a theologically conservative church, but Keller’s vision, steeped in tradition, took root and flourished. After the 9/11 attacks, weekly attendance at Redeemer multiplied and has remained high, with five locations and a variety of ministries, including the Center for Faith and Work.
In the months and years leading up to his death, Keller focused increasingly on the cornerstone of the Christian faith, the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.
“If Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, then, you know what, everything’s going to be alright,” said Keller when asked for advice on future worries.
Knowing that the Resurrection is the single most powerful argument for the truth of Christianity, he let it guide some of his final messages, including one of his last books, aptly titled On Death.
“We were not meant to die; we were meant to last,” he wrote of God’s original design for mankind. In the Resurrection and in heaven, he assured readers that the original plan has never faltered.
That’s not to say he didn’t have opinions or weigh in on modern political conversations. However, he kept both feet rooted in God’s word, not the world. Keller refused to offer allegiance to parties, politicians, or policies, giving Christians leeway to prayerfully consider how they might participate in pursuing Kingdom goals in a fallen world.
It’s perhaps why a dear friend of mine and I jokingly referred to Keller as “the Pope of modern Christianity.” Like many others we knew, our respect for Keller’s ability to navigate tough issues in the midst of increasingly polarizing cultural issues dividing the Church ran deep.
In a 2018 piece for the New York Times, Keller wrote that “Christians cannot pretend they can transcend politics and simply ‘preach the Gospel.’” Rather, he said, Christians should be politically active, understanding that “the historical Christian positions on social issues do not fit into contemporary political alignments.”
Aware that his particular brand of Christianity was often associated with Republican politics, Keller pushed against such affiliations. Just two weeks ago, he warned the Church to “be vigilant against being co-opted” by political ideologies.
“The ultimate hope is not in the political system,” he tweeted, “But in a restored world, a renewed world.”
Keller co-founded the Gospel Coalition, an organization dedicated to equipping Christians for ministry in a way that doesn’t shy from tackling issues of faith and politics. TGC recently launched the Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics in his name.
“Tim didn’t hesitate to address the culture and the nation and to call for justice as well as for contrition,” wrote his TGC co-founder Don Carson.
As political tensions rose over the past seven years, Keller received criticism from Christians on both sides of the aisle, but the feedback never prompted anger or hindered his commitment to a Gospel-first message.
Keller wrote about the dangers of trying to “make a heaven out of this world” and urged people to embrace the limitations of Earthly life while still enjoying present blessings. His words were a balm for many facing a variety of faith-based issues, from doubt (addressed in his best-selling book The Reason for God) to marital issues (covered in his book The Meaning of Marriage), among others. He was a prolific writer, only becoming an author after 20 years of pastoring Redeemer. While some well-known pastors dive straight into book sales, Keller was slow to move in that direction as God led him.
Keller’s down-to-Earth, simple approach to the Christian faith connected with millions on a visceral level. To the fearful and the doubtful, he brought this extraordinarily good news. To the sick and dying, he offered light in the darkness. To the exhausted and exasperated, he brought refreshment and encouragement.
“If the most powerful person, the power behind the universe, loves you with all his heart, soul, strength, and mind, and you can see that on the cross, why are you afraid?” he tweeted recently.
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I’m thankful for the faith of a man such as Tim Keller, who stood against the cultural tides, lived his life for Christ, and, on Friday, got to hear the words we all hope for someday: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Ericka Andersen is a freelance writer living in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is the author of Reason to Return: Why Women Need the Church & the Church Needs Women.