Timothy Keller: the most recommended book of the year.
I love top 10 lists. I especially love top 10 lists about books. I especially like the month of December when it seems that everyone is creating these sorts of lists. I find that some of my favorite books were discovered because of someone else’s year-end book reviews and recommendations. I hope this review propels you to read this book. It is well worth the read!
As a vocational minister with aspirations of being a pastor, I try to read widely throughout the year. Which makes it surprising that I have not read many of Tim Keller’s books. Honestly, before reading this book, I really could not have told you very much about the influential Timothy Keller. While this book resembles a biography, it is hardly the prototypical style of biographical writing. I applaud Collin Hansen for his presentation of the “people and events that shaped” Tim Keller. As the subtitle states, this book walks through Tim’s spiritual and intellectual formation with a special emphasis on his mentors, his reading, and the events that molded Tim Keller into who we’ve come to know and love him as.
His mentors. Often I read with a pen and a highlighter. I write down thoughts that I have concerning a book either in the margin or in a little black Moleskine cahier book. While reading this book a thought struck me: “Many of the great preachers and ministry leaders that I admire and respect were mentored intentionally and deeply by others around them.”
I found that Tim Keller’s mentors sought him out to mentor him. From R.C. Sproul to Ed Clowney, many hands influenced the molding of the man Tim Keller. From college classes to late-night questionnaires, Tim sought out the wisdom of his mentors. This fact alone attests that a man is not self-made but a compilation of his closest influences. I admire the humility of Tim Keller.
His reading. I kept a list of books that repeatedly came up throughout the book. Here they are:
- any C.S. Lewis Book
- Mere Christianity — C.S. Lewis
- Knowing God — J.I. Packer
- The Cross and the Switchblade — David Wilkerson
- The Reformed Pastor — Richard Baxter
- Preaching and Preachers — Martin Llyod-Jones
- The Glory of Christ — John Owens
Tim Keller claimed that he was only the sum of the people and books that he read. Those who knew him best recognized the influences of C.S. Lewis and the Puritans throughout his preaching and writing.
You can hardly read a page without finding a book mentioned. I am always interested in the books that influenced popular writers today. After finishing this book I promptly ordered several of the books from the above list.
His events. I am an anxious, angsty, over-zealous gen-Zer (I think I just made that word up). All I’m going to say concerning the events of Tim Keller’s life can be summed up in one word: wait. It seems life before Redeemer in NYC is hardly remembered. Yet Keller spent many years in college, in seminary, in Hopewell, VA, and teaching before Redeemer.
This book screamed PATIENCE! Jeremiah, just be faithful. It was an encouragement to watch how Tim Keller was faithful wherever he was and opportunities were always brought to him. He never sought out opportunities.
In conclusion, this fantastic book on Tim Keller was encouraging, challenging, spiritually enriching, and comforting. It would be a great read for Tim Keller fans, aspiring pastors, and Christians of any level. In short, anyone and everyone should read this beautiful book.
If you’re planning your 2024 reads, this book should be on your list. Here is a link to purchase Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation by Collin Hansen.
