Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation

by Collin Hansen

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

This is the definitive biography of Timothy Keller, truly one of the must trusted church leaders of the last decades. It's perfect for fans of Keller's own works who want to know more about the man behind the sermons and books.

Timothy Keller takes readers behind the scenes to meet the people and understand the events that formed Keller's spiritual life and ministry priorities.

Millions have read books and listened to sermons by Timothy Keller. But which people and what events shaped his own thinking and spiritual growth? With unfettered access to Keller's personal notes and sermons—as well as exclusive interviews with family members and longtime friends—Collin Hansen gives you unprecedented understanding of one of the 21st century's most influential church leaders.

Spend any time around Timothy Keller and you'll learn what he's reading, what he's learning, what he's seeing. The story of Timothy Keller is the story of his spiritual and intellectual influences, from the woman who taught him how to read the Bible to the professor who taught him to preach Jesus from every text to the philosopher who taught him to see beneath society's surface.

For the first time, Hansen introduces readers to Keller's early years: the home where he learned to tell stories from the trees, the church where he learned to care for souls, and the city that lifted him to the international fame he never wanted.

You'll discover how to:

• Understand the principles and practices that allowed Keller to synthesize so many different influences in a coherent ministry.
• Take the best of Keller's preaching and teaching to meet emerging challenges in the 21st century.
• Develop your own historical, theological, and cultural perspectives to shape your leadership.

This is the untold story of the people, the books, the lectures, and ultimately the God who formed and shaped the life of Timothy Keller.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780310128687
Publisher:	Zondervan
Publication date:	02/07/2023
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	71,312
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Collin Hansen serves as vice president of content and editor in chief for The Gospel Coalition. He hosts the Gospelbound podcast and has written and edited many books. He earned an MDiv at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and an undergraduate degree in journalism and history from Northwestern University. He is an adjunct professor of apologetics and co-chair of the advisory board at Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama.

Table of Contents

Preface xi

Part 1 Honest to God (1950 to 1972)

1 Mom Competition Allentown, Pennsylvania 3

2 The Absurd Man Bucknell University 11

3 The Woman Who Taught Him to Study the Bible InterVarsity Christian Fellowship 29

4 Kathy the Valiant Kathy Kristy 41

5 True Myth The Inklings 52

6 Doubters Welcome R. C. Sproul and Ligonier Valley Study Center 59

Part 2 Professors and Peers (1972 to 1975)

7 Theological Smorgasbord Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary 69

8 Table Talk Elisabeth Elliot and the Robins 75

9 Disagree without Being Disagreeable Roger Nicole and Neo-Calvinism 88

10 Pneumodynamics Richard Lovelace and Jonathan Edwards 93

Part 3 Trial by Fire (1975 to 1989)

11 Chemical Capital of the South Hopewell, Virginia 107

12 Unfolding Drama Edmund P. Clowney 128

13 "Moulded by the Gospel" Westminster Theological Seminary 147

Part 4 From Gotham to Globe (1989 to Present)

14 Masters of the Universe New York City 179

15 Land of Yes Redeemer Presbyterian Church 196

16 Everybody Worships September 11 and The Reason for God 221

17 Making Sense of God Dogwood Fellowship 237

18 Rings on a Tree Conclusion 263

Epilogue 267

Postscript 269

Acknowledgments 271

Index 273

Notes 283

Editorial Reviews

11/14/2022

This edifying intellectual biography by Hansen (The New City Catechism), editor-in-chief for the Gospel Coalition, explores the theology of the cofounder of the Coalition, Reformed pastor Timothy Keller. The author details the threads of piety and dogma that typify Keller’s intellectual formation, including French theologian John Calvin’s sermons on suffering, American revivalist Jonathan Edwards’s “desire for mystical experiences of God,” and C.S. Lewis’s wide-ranging curiosity. Two institutions, Hansen posits, played a crucial role in shaping Keller’s theology: the Reformed-leaning Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, which Keller graduated from in 1975, and the Westminster Theological Seminary, where he studied and taught in the early 1980s. The author’s careful analysis of Keller’s work unpacks the nuances and vicissitudes of larger debates within evangelicalism, as when Hansen dissects a polemical article Keller wrote in seminary rebuking the “ancient heresy” that contends Jesus was manifested in two persons, one human and one divine. Those looking for a traditional narrative account of Keller’s life will want to look elsewhere, but readers hoping to find a deep dive into the ideas of this influential figure in recent Protestant history will be well rewarded. This meticulous account of Keller’s ideas and faith enlightens. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

'Tim Keller is a spiritual father to me and to so many through his teachings. No one has shaped my view of God and Scripture more, so what a treasure to be able to read all that has shaped his! This is the story of a faithful, imperfect man and the God he so loves and has given his life to serving.'

author of Get Out of Your Head and founder and vis Jennie Allen

'Tim Keller's sermons and books have influenced me greatly, but I believe his curiosity has influenced me most. To now have insight into the people and places that cultivated his brilliance—a dramatic yet suitable word—feels like a gift I didn't know I needed.'

Bible teacher and author of Holier Than Thou Jackie Hill Perry

'Tim Keller has done the hard work of being a faithful servant in our fractured world. His love of neighbor and consistent witness to the gospel are both inspiring and humbling. Even those of us who've earmarked his many books and listened to scores of his sermons will learn a lot about the ideas, people, and events—from the tumult of the 1960s counterculture to the terrorist attacks of 9/11 to the polarized times in which we live today—that shaped Tim's life and ministry. Collin Hansen's book is a special treat.'

US senator from Nebraska Ben Sasse

'Like millions of others, I have been deeply impacted by Tim and Kathy Keller's ministry. In recent years, as I've gotten to know them, I have an even deeper appreciation for their abiding faith in Jesus. I think all of us who have benefited from their ministry will be intrigued to learn more about the events and decisions that have shaped their lives.'

forty-ninth governor of Tennessee Bill Haslam

'Collin Hansen's informative study of Tim Keller explains how this traditional Calvinist became so effective as a minister in New York City despite that city's reputation for ignoring anything traditionally Christian. Especially important have been diverse influences that included well-known authors and preachers, but also lesser-known Bible teachers and pastoral exemplars as well as fellow Presbyterians who combined cultural, biblical, and pietistic emphases with the doctrinal. Under God, this mixture has not only worked, but also shown others the staying power, even in a hypermodern world, of what might be called soft-shell Calvinism.'

Mark Noll

'I'm so grateful for this well-written and expertly researched work. Collin Hansen reveals things that many of us never knew about Keller. This is a book about Tim Keller of course, but in the end, it is a book about Jesus Christ. I'm fairly sure this was intentional, or at least instinctive, and as a result it is a delight.'

member of the British Parliament and former leader Tim Farron

'Collin Hansen brilliantly examines the story behind one of the greatest thinkers, teachers, and writers of our time. If you've been as blessed as I have by Tim Keller's work and ministry, you must read this book.'

US senator from South Dakota John Thune

'As a Tim Keller admirer I was eager to read this biography, and Collin Hansen did not disappoint. In his marvelously written narrative, we learn much about the people, experiences, and struggles that have shaped Tim's amazing ministry. I can add that I found this book inspiring—but with the awareness that saying so does not do justice to the profound ways it also spoke to my soul!'

Richard J. Mouw

'Here is the story of a man possessed of unusual native gifts of analysis and synthesis, of the home and family life that has shaped him, of people both long dead and contemporary whose insights he has taken hold of in the interests of communicating the gospel, and also of the twists and turns of God's providence in his life. These pages may well have been titled Becoming Tim Keller. That 'becoming' has been neither a quick nor an easy road. But Collin Hansen's account of it will be as challenging to readers as it is instructive.'

author of The Whole Christ Sinclair Ferguson

'My faith in God was challenged daily in front of millions while cohosting The View. That same decade, my pastor, Tim Keller, taught the facts of the Bible to unbelievers without judgment. His teaching deepened my understanding of shedding shame and prepared me to live out the truth and grace of the gospel while sharing the gospel. This book will illuminate the 'why' behind the 'who' of Tim Keller.'

Emmy Award–winning daytime cohost of The Vie Elisabeth Hasselbeck

'Tim Keller has been an immensely wise mentor for many of us. This book is a rich account of the sources of his spiritual formation, of the people who helped lead him to them, and of the dynamics contributing to the successes of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City.'

author of Jonathan Edwards: A Life George Marsden

'In our time, few Christian leaders have a vision of the faith that is as recognizable—and as globally influential—as Tim Keller. In this engaging book, Collin Hansen charts the fascinating range of figures whose writings and examples influenced that vision and guides the reader through a life spent exploring and distilling the best of the Christian tradition. By humanizing a towering figure, Hansen challenges his own audience to learn from the deliberateness that marks Keller's own journey in the faith. Quite simply, I could not put this book down.'

James Eglinton