Defending Timothy Keller and the "Third Way"

No More "Dunking" on pastor Keller, please.

During my seminary days, I had the opportunity to take a class with Terry Gieger and guest lecturer Dr. Tim Keller. The class was on church planting, and I realize now that sitting in that class learning from Keller was like learning how to shoot a sky hook from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. From that day, Keller has been an inspiration and model for me—one of the first people I thought about when considering a “Pastor/Theologian/Scholar.”

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I was really excited when Colin Hansen announced he was working on a kind of biography on Keller that was more about the influences “on” him versus his influence on others. In a way, we get insight into what formed Keller and shaped his life, ministry, and theology. Sadly, Pastor Keller passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer in 2023 at the age of 72. His death has been particularly difficult for me in these last few years, as I’ve often found myself thinking: what would Tim Keller say about this?

You see, his books on God and humanity—rooted…