Hodder Faith celebrates ten years of publishing books by Timothy Keller.
From his first break-out hit in 2008 with The Reason for God (ISBN 9780310330479) – a rigorous look at why the Christian faith still makes sense in these sceptical times – Timothy Keller has become an established author not only with his trenchant works of apologetics, but also due to his insight on specialist subjects ranging from preaching to marriage. Some of his books are bought as gifts, like the recently published Hidden Christmas (ISBN 9781473642584) – which many of the trade displayed in their windows with panache – or his recent themed devotionals like the award-winning My Rock; My Refuge or last autumn’s set of meditations on Proverbs, The Way of Wisdom.
Timothy Keller’s readers value his faithful treatment of the Bible alongside his deep, nuanced thinking about culture, bringing the two together to write books that are both authoritative in their teaching yet warm and non-judgemental in tone. It’s this warmth and relatability that draws the reader in and holds their interest, whether they are already Christian or struggle with the idea of faith. ‘Perhaps the biggest deterrent to Christianity for the average person today’, says Keller in The Reason for God, ‘is not so much violence and warfare but the shadow of fanaticism. Many non-believers have friends or relatives who have become “born again” and seem to have gone off the deep end… Think of people you consider fanatical. They’re overbearing, self-righteous, opinionated, insensitive and harsh. Why? It’s not because they are too Christian but because they are not Christian enough… Extremism and fanaticism, which lead to injustice and oppression, are a constant danger within any body of religious believers. For Christians, however, the antidote is not to tone down and moderate their faith, but rather to grasp a fuller and truer faith in Christ.’
Christians and non-Christians alike will find themselves drawn closer to truth in Keller’s writings and their lives changed through this encounter. His ministry has always had a strong focus on those who are outside the Church, those who are ‘sceptics’.
Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Timothy Keller founded Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York nearly thirty years ago with his wife Kathy. In his weekly Sunday sermons, Bible-based teaching began to resonate with a large, if unlikely, crowd of hip New Yorkers usually attuned to a more liberal rhetoric. But something in the pastor’s tone and delivery held the attention of his diverse twenty-something crowd, and they kept coming back to this conservative evangelical church – and they brought their friends. At Redeemer, they not only heard the Bible expounded in ways they’d never before realised were relevant, but were also pointed towards something larger than themselves, something which promised to fi ll the void left by all the false idols of money, power, fame and fortune which tend to prowl around metropolitan centres like New York and London. Keller’s sermons, as well as his books that followed (he was nearly 60 years of age when he wrote his fi rst), focused in on the issues which spoke directly to young New Yorkers. Counterfeit Gods is just such a book, and Hodder has re-issued it this month. It speaks to a generation for whom personal achievement and wealth is often the barometer of success. It’s gentle and understanding, but points the reader back towards Christ:
‘More than other idols,’ says Keller, ‘personal success and achievement lead to a sense that we ourselves are god, that our security and value rest in our own wisdom, strength and performance… the false sense of security comes from deifying our achievement and expecting it to keep us safe from the troubles of life in a way that only God can… Idolatry is not just a failure to obey God, it is a setting of the whole heart on something besides God… Jesus must become more beautiful to your imagination, more attractive to your heart, than your idol.’ People often liken Keller to C.S. Lewis, a comparison he is known to shy away from. But like Lewis, he is certainly on course to being prolific in his literary oeuvre. We are delighted to announce that in the autumn of this year Hodder will publish Timothy Keller’s brand new book, The Prodigal Prophet. It is a provocative read about God’s perspective on class, race, nationalism and the role of religion in a modern pluralistic society. As ever, it’s a timely subject speaking directly to the questions we’re currently faced with in society and shows how, as Christians, we can become a part of the solution rather than part of the problem. It’s available in October, and we can’t wait to share it with you.
Christians and non-Christians alike will find themselves drawn closer to truth in Keller’s writings and their lives changed through this encounter
*Article courtesy of Andrew Lyon, Publishing Director, Hodder Faith
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