The Reason for God/The Prodigal God/Counterfeit Gods
by Timothy Keller
New York: Dutton, 2008, 2008, 2009.
Book Reviewed by
Darold Morgan
Richardson, TX
Timothy Keller, pastor for more than twenty years of the Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, has written three books, all of which are evidence of superb, relevant, and powerful preaching in an area not known today for responsiveness to evangelical truth. More than five thousand people, many young and single, gather for worship each week in this remarkable congregation. In addition to this graphic statistic, this congregation has established numerous other churches in this region and beyond.
Keller’s inaugural book, The Reason for God, is perhaps the strongest of the three. He hits head-on some of the surging issues confronting not only New Yorkers but people in all directions. doubt, agnosticism, the emptiness of a materialistic culture, the clash of evangelical truth with a dominant technocracy, and the theological issue of suffering and evil versus biblical supernaturalism.
Though the jury may still be out (since we are so close to this Manhattan phenomenon), it appears that Keller is moving alongside some of the legendary New York preachers of another generation. Harry Emerson Fosdick (a Baptist) at the famous Riverside Church, George Buttrick at the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church, and Ralph Sockman, pastor of the Christ (Methodist) Church. Time will ultimately tell.
In The Reason for God, one can sense a blending of basic Christian orthodoxy and theology. The text evidences a wide reading of various authors, past and present. Add personal illustrations from the author’s experiences as a caring and sensitive pastor, and one immediately discovers full bodies, intellectual, warm, convincing, and solidly biblical material. There is a beautiful reaffirmation that one can be a genuine follower of Jesus Christ in this brittle age of skepticism, doubt, and pessimism.
Keller’s second book, The Prodigal God, is a refreshing insight into Jesus’ Parable of the Prodigal Son. He continues to strengthen his original premise that in this age when technology has become so dominant, God had dynamically revealed himself in Jesus. Imagine nine sermons coming from this one parable, delivered in time at this New York pulpit–sermons with fresh insights built around his sub-title ”Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith.” Indeed this is a good read!
The most recent of Keller’s books is Counterfeit Gods–the subtitle is ”The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, Power, and the only Hope that Matters.” The ethical overtones of this volume are not only obvious, with multiple applications that are publicized daily in television news-casts, but Keller’s approach is compellingly persuasive as he confronts these ancient/modern idolatries of money, sex, and power in a contemporary way. Again his book is solidly grounded in familiar biblical theology, and again he has multiple literary allusions and shared pastoral experiences.
This is a hard-hitting book that confronts these savage demands in the society where Keller ministers. He has remarkable skills for probing ancient biblical stories which have surprising and succinct applications in a complex and modern day with multiple lifestyles. Each of these books is relatively brief. They lead quickly to helpful applications, not only in megaplex cities but wherever people are found who need reminding that biblical truth is relevant, timeless, and applicable to personal needs everywhere. Consider not only discovering this New York pastor, but also sharing his books with someone who is challenged by the searing problems of suffering, doubt, sin, and theological confusion.
