Tim Keller

Timothy J. Keller is a Christian apologist and American pastor. He is the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, which is located in Manhattan, New York City. Now he served as a senior pastor in this church. He is the chairman of Redeemer City to City, a church planting endeavor, as well. He was regarded as the "pioneer of the new urban Christians" by A New York Times bestseller. He was also been called as "C.S. Lewis for the 21st century".

"The Bible’s purpose is not so much to show you how to live a good life. The Bible’s purpose is to show you how God’s grace breaks into your life against your will and saves you from the sin and brokenness otherwise you would never be able to overcome… religion is ‘if you obey, then you will be accepted’. But the Gospel is, ‘if you are absolutely accepted, and sure you’re accepted, only then will you ever begin to obey’. Those are two utterly different things. Every page of the Bible shows the difference." -- Timothy J. Keller

Biography
Keller was born and raised in Allentown, Pennsylvania.Tim Keller received his education at Bucknell University. When he was studying at the University, the ministry of Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship profoundly influenced him, resulting in that he became a Christian. His majors were Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Westminster Theological Seminary. He started his ministry as an associate staff with this Christian campus ministry for three years. Keller met and married his wife Kathy Louise Kristy during the time he was in Bucknell University; later, they have three children: David, Michael, and Jonathan. Keller with his family dwelled in Boston, and he severed the Presbyterian Church as a pastor for nine years. After that, in the Middle Atlantic region, Tim Keller served as the direction of church planting that administered the advancement of around twenty-four new congregations.

In order to response God's calling, the Keller family decided to move to Philadelphia in the 1980's. In Philadelphia Keller taught communication and leadership at Westminster Seminary. Besides, Tim and Kathy Keller served as Directory of Mercy Ministries in Urban Ministry. He also participated in an evangelistic outreach to against Muslims. Serving as a chairman in an evangelical organization, Keller established a ministry for people who need AIDS. Keller joined the new project: The Presbyterian Church considered about founding a new church in New York City. He believed this would be an excellent opportunity to serve God and missionize.

He moved to New York City with his family and founded Redeemer Presbyterian Church in 1989. Two decades later, this church's weekly attendance grows to 5,000. Due to Tim Keller's great contribution to Christian ministry after the September 11th attacks, New York magazine entitled him as "the most successful Christian evangelist in the city by recognizing that young professionals and artists are ‘disproportionately influential’ in creating the country’s culture and that you have to meet this coveted demographic on its own terms" in 2006. In addition, publishing the book, The Reason for God, Keller enhanced his great effect on the United States besides New York in 2008. This book which mainly discussed how Christians strongly defense their belief of God also became a New York Times the best seller. This book sold over one million copies and has already been translated into fifteen languages.

Quotes

 * “Fifty years from now, if evangelical Christians are widely known for their love of cities, their commitment to mercy and justice, and their love of their neighbors, Tim Keller will be remembered as a pioneer of the new urban Christians.”
 * “To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.” The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God
 * “If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said; if he didn't rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching but whether or not he rose from the dead.” The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism
 * “When people say, "I know God forgives me, but I can't forgive myself," they mean that they have failed an idol, whose approval is more important than God's.”  Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters
 * “We modern people think of miracles as the suspension of the natural order, but Jesus meant them to be the restoration of the natural order. The Bible tells us that God did not originally make the world to have disease, hunger, and death in it. Jesus has come to redeem where it is wrong and heal the world where it is broken. His miracles are not just proofs that he has power but also wonderful foretastes of what he is going to do with that power. Jesus' miracles are not just a challenge to our minds, but a promise to our hearts, that the world we all want is coming.”  The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism
 * “Fear-based repentance makes us hate ourselves. Joy-based repentance makes us hate the sin.”  Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters
 * “Reason can get you to probability, but only commitment can get you to certainty.”
 * “Love without truth is sentimentality; it supports and affirms us but keeps us in denial about our flaws. Truth without love is harshness; it gives us information but in such a way that we cannot really hear it.” The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God

Prayers

 * “Lord Jesus Christ, I admit that I am weaker and more sinful than I ever before believed, but, through you, I am more loved and accepted than I ever dared hope. I thank you for paying my debt, bearing my punishment and offering forgiveness. I turn from my sin and receive you as Savior. Amen.”

Books

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Articles

 * Preaching Hell in a Tolerant Age: Brimstone for the broad-minded (Timothy J. Keller 1988;Leadership Journal)
 * Puritan Resources for Biblical Counseling (Timothy J. Keller 1988;The Journal of Pastoral Practice, Vol 9 No. 3, pages 11-44.)
 * Preaching to the Secular Mind (Timothy J. Keller 1995;The Journal of Biblical Counseling, Vol 14 No. 1, pages 54-62.)
 * Religion-less Spirituality: How do you reach people who think church is the problem, not the answer? l  (Timothy J. Keller 1999;Leadership Journal)
 * Post-Everythings: Reformed theology engages the emerging culture. Why don’t we? (Timothy J. Keller July 2003;PCA News)
 * A New Kind of Urban Christian: As the city goes, so goes the culture. (Timothy J. Keller May 1, 2006; Christianity Today)
 * The Gospel and the Poor  (Timothy J. Keller December 2008; Themelios journal- 33:3)
 * The Gospel in All its Forms: Like God, the gospel is both one and more than that.  (Timothy J. Keller 2008; Leadership Journal)
 * The Advent of Humility: Jesus is the reason to stop concentrating on ourselves. (Timothy J. Keller December 22, 2008; Christianity Today)
 * Creation, Evolution, and Christian Laypeople (Timothy J. Keller November, 2009; The BioLogos Foundation)

Video
The Centrality of the Gospel – Timothy Keller [Sermon] p8i0Y8qoi44