Timothy J. Keller was an American pastor, theologian, and Christian apologist. He founded Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City and, later, co-founded Redeemer City to City, a resource for urban pastors and ministry leaders seeking to love their cities through the gospel. He was one of the greatest teachers of our generation, and I was honored to work with him.
Native New Yorkers, like myself, typically insist on a bloodline if you want to be called a New Yorker. Tim was a New Yorker! But he and his wife, Kathy, earned the designation. Tim loved the city and, more importantly, its people. He “got” us. And he got cities and their unique influence on culture.
When people discover that I worked with Tim, the most common thing they used to ask is, “May I have his email address?” My quick, “No,” is usually followed by another question: “Is he really the same in private as he is in public?”
That’s perhaps the best reflection I can share about Tim. In public and private, he was the same – a man who understood he was a sinner saved by the grace of God. Even in dying, he was the same man, using every day to share the gospel so the world might know “we’re more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.”
“[Knowing] you are really are going to die changes the way you look at your time, the way you look at God, the way you look at your spouse. Everything just changes when you actually realize time is limited and I’m mortal.”
– Tim Keller
Tim impacted not only our generation but will impact generations to come. His impact is felt in cities, homes, seminaries, schools, churches, marriages, marginalized communities, and corporate board rooms. But his true impact will live in the hearts of the redeemed.
Among the greatest comforts during this loss are the mountains of teachings he left behind. So, this week, I’ve asked NCF’s editorial team to gather some sermons and other resources to help you learn from Tim Keller, too:
- Money versus treasure
- Tim Keller’s most popular sermons
- The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics
- Counterfeit Gods
- Generosity: How God’s Radical Grace Makes Us Givers
Photo by Nathan Troester, courtesy of Tim Keller, 2012
