Casting Doubt: The Legacy of Tim Keller, Part 1

INTRODUCTION

The blurring of clarity is the compromising of truth.
—Pastor Jeff Kliewer—

Key point: Tim Keller was a pastor and spiritual leader who is revered and respected by many. Even so, his reputation as an evangelical conservative is inconsistent with his track record of casting doubt on God’s Word through ambiguous and manipulative statements and conversational slight-of-hand. Don’t allow him or his teachings to mislead you or to cause you to question what God’s Word clearly teaches!

All of the articles in this series are accessible from this page.

Carey Nieuwhof is the author of a fascinating article titled “5 Reasons People Have Stopped Attending Your Church (Especially Millennials).” Of the five reasons cited, the third arrested my attention:

3. Legitimate Doubt Is Prohibited.

Nieuwhof writes,

Honestly, I simply agree with this criticism. It is very difficult to have an honest conversation in many churches today.

In many conservative churches, legitimate questions get dismissed with pat—and often trite—answers. In many liberal churches, there is often so much ambiguity that questions that actually can be answered are left unresolved—as if leaders were taking people nowhere.

Without question, conservative churches — churches that uphold God’s Word as absolute truth — can and must do a better job of helping congregants and seekers, including members of younger generations, grapple honestly with their questions and doubts. I believe churches’ strategies must involve using, and equipping believers to use, apologetics to point questioners to reasonable answers. Approaches also must include worldview education for believers so they come to understand the differences between holding various individual Christian beliefs and holding an entire comprehensive and biblical belief system that makes sense of reality in the world as we know it. Important as well will be training in the validity of absolute truth and an examination of the flaws and failure of relativism as a belief system.

Further, churches’ strategies must include an examination of the incompatibility of the social justice movement with biblical Christianity. (For resources to help with these tasks, see footnote #1.)¹

How the Social Justice Narrative Weakens Biblical Authority

But wait! someone may say. What if a pastor or spiritual leader genuinely (even if mistakenly) believes the social justice movement is biblical? Because of the actual incompatibility² of social justice and biblical teachings, that leader will, whether intentionally or unintentionally, cultivate doubt in people’s minds.

Church leaders who believe the social justice movement is biblical actually will cultivate doubt in their congregants’ minds — even if they sincerely believe the social justice movement is biblical, and even if they do not intend to sow seeds of doubt regarding God’s Word. This is true because the social justice movement and Christianity are incompatible and irreconcilable.

Now, let’s consider carefully this reality against the backdrop of the third reason Carey Nieuwhof gives that people (especially millennials) have stopped attending your church —

Legitimate Doubt Is Prohibited.

Wouldn’t the congregants and seekers in a church led by a pastor who actually cultivates doubt feel their questions are being recognized, understood, and validated? I believe that, unfortunately, this is part of the real legacy Tim Keller leaves behind.

The influence of evangelical leader Tim Keller, who founded Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City and saw it grow to 5,000 in weekly attendance, is difficult to overstate. An article about Keller that carried news of his death observed,

Since his death from pancreatic cancer Friday, May 19, social media and traditional print media outlets have been overflowing with effusive words of praise for the Presbyterian pastor and author. By Sunday evening, the No. 1 trending hashtag on Twitter was #ThankYouTimKeller.

Few pastors in America will trend on Twitter because of their death. Tim Keller was not an ordinary pastor. He was one of the most influential evangelical pastors of the past 25 years — so influential, yet quiet, that even churchgoers who never knew his name likely were influenced by his writing through their pastors.

Widespread Damage: The Power of Influencing Influencers with Wrong Ideas

So, Keller’s influence hasn’t and doesn’t come merely from the ways he has affected others directly, but also from the many times and ways he left his mark on other influencers. This is a dynamic that, obviously, multiplies one’s impact — whether for good or ill. This is important to remember as we move ahead to consider what Keller believed and taught — and how he communicated what he believed.

Tim Keller was enamored with Marxism and saw it as a tool Christians could use to promote biblical justice. Cultural Marxism is an ideology upheld by the social justice movement and critical race theory (CRT). As we already have said, the teachings of the social justice movement (including the social justice “gospel”³) and biblical Christianity are incompatible.

Because these two can’t be reconciled, attempts to merge them, or even to “hitch” the social justice narrative to Christianity so that its “woke” message is presented and understood in a Christian context, fail completely. In fact, such attempts wind up polluting, distorting, and misrepresenting the authentic gospel of Christ. In this Conversations That Matter (CTM) podcast (posted on You Tube on September 17, 2020), Jon Harris observes,

What we are witnessing before our eyes is not simply secular social justice being imported into Christianity while Christianity is being cast aside. We have actually a fusion — people who want to keep Christianity and import social justice and marry them. And the theological word for this is syncretism.⁴ This is what the children of Israel did worshipping Yahweh and worshipping the gods of the nations around them. And this has been a problem for as long as humans have been around. And for 2,000 years of church history we’ve seen false teachers and those misled by them — and those are two different categories — and they’ve come into the church and oftentimes they add to the gospel. And they don’t tell you they’re false teachers. They don’t even probably think of themselves as false teachers, intentionally. But what they’re promoting are lies. And they destroy the core teachings of Christianity, including the gospel.

When erroneous teachings are introduced and incorporated into what otherwise are truths and orthodox ideas and principles, half-truths and lies result. What once was crystal clear becomes clouded and unclear.

The rhetoric may sound good, but the underlying concepts being promoted are false and therefore harmful. This is how Christians as well as non-Christians become deceived.

Because of his connection to the social justice movement, his work in establishing The Gospel Coalition, and his role as an evangelical pastor of a large church in New York City (a church he himself was instrumental in founding), Tim Keller (Sept. 23, 1950 – May 19, 2023) became a prominent promoter of the social justice movement in Christian circles. Yet Keller, who clearly was trying to “marry” social justice and Christianity, actually “muddied the water” on many occasions when the Christian message otherwise would have, and should have, remained unambiguous.

In the following two-and-a-half-minute clip, CTM podcaster Jon Harris provides an excellent example of Keller’s ambiguity. Harris had recently had a cordial Twitter exchange with Dr. Keller, and he commended Keller for being gracious. Even so, Keller demonstrated that he was an expert at playing “dodgeball.” This clip comes from this CTM podcast (posted on You Tube on August 21, 2020). Both the clip and the text of what Jon said are available on this page.

In the podcast, Mr. Harris goes on to describe his Twitter exchange with Keller in some detail. Yes, Keller denies espousing Marxism, and Harris certainly is correct when he emphasizes that Keller and Marx have contrasting beliefs about the existence of God. Significantly, Keller went on to emphasize the obligation believers have to the poor — a theme that, generally speaking, resonates with both social justice crusaders and committed Christians.

Mr. Harris knew that if Keller would elaborate on his statements about believers’ obligation to the poor, this would help to clarify his — Keller’s — posture on social justice. What is the nature of this duty? What is its source? How is it to be fulfilled? Since the social justice perspective and the biblical perspective on this matter differ significantly, Jon sought to get Dr. Keller to clarify that this “obligation” is to be fulfilled voluntarily, and not coerced by the state. In his podcast and in several of his tweets to Keller, Harris emphasized the contrast between

- the social justice narrative that says that having more than others is unjust, so those who have less (or have nothing or next to nothing) are entitled, “as a matter of justice,” to the wealth of those who presently have more, and
- the Bible’s affirmation of property rights (including the truth that it isn’t sinful in and of itself to own more than others) and the Bible’s admonitions to practice charity and exercise compassion for the poor. Because charity, by definition, is not coerced, it is voluntary.

Did Tim Keller affirm these realities? Did he acknowledge these contrasts exist? Not explicitly in his Twitter conversation with Jon — but he didn’t reject them, either. Instead, he appeared to remain enamored with Marxism, even though he denied being a Marxist himself. Remember that (as we have acknowledged) Jon already had affirmed on his podcast,

I don’t think anyone seriously thinks Tim Keller is a classical Marxist. I think when people say he’s a Marxist, they’re saying that he uses Marxist ideas. They’re not saying he is just like Karl Marx.

Yet Keller appeared to continue to be drawn to Marxist teachings while “throwing in” his affirmation of a duty Christians have to obey God and be generous to the poor. Yet these two, as we’ve indicated, are mutually exclusive: Government redistribution is coerced and therefore can’t be voluntary; and charity, which is by definition voluntary, can’t be coerced! If “charity” is coerced, it isn’t charity at all!

Government redistribution is coerced and therefore can’t be voluntary; and charity, which is by definition voluntary, can’t be coerced! If “charity” is coerced, it isn’t charity at all!

Jon sought to challenge Dr. Keller on some statements he knew he’d made in the past that are indeed compatible with Marxism. Mr. Harris found Keller impossible to pin down. Watch the entire video when you have time, but until then, listen to a portion of what Jon said about the complete exchange. Both the clip and the text of Jon Harris’s statements are available here.

Mr. Harris found Keller impossible to pin down.

For Many, Keller’s Playing “Dodgeball” Has Had the Effect of Casting Doubt on Orthodox Biblical Teachings

Jon Harris, and probably the vast majority of his followers as well, readily can see that although Keller was gracious, he still evaded the main point — so much so that Jon said, “I don’t think we’re getting at the crux of the matter here.” Remember how Jon’s exchange with Keller got started. Mr. Harris simply tweeted out this quote from Keller:

The people I read who were the disciples of Marx were not villains. They were not fools. They cared about people. . . there are vast populations . . . where there’s no upward mobility. See, the people who read Marx said, ‘We have to do something about this.’

and Keller responded,

Talking about oppression, justice, etc doesn’t make one a Marxist. It makes one a student of the Bible.

I’ll agree with Jon that, overall, Tim Keller was gracious, but so was Jon — nor did Jon compromise. It is noteworthy that at least two others pushed back forcefully against Keller’s contention that

Talking about oppression, justice, etc doesn’t make one a Marxist. It makes one a student of the Bible.

Although they weren’t caustic, they were forthright and direct, and I believe appropriately so. Conservative activist Allie Beth Stuckey tweeted, “This is the dishonesty I’m talking about *No one* is calling biblical justice Marxism. We are calling Marxism, Marxism.” Christian blogger Samuel Sey tweeted, “Sir, a Marxist premise and a Marxist solution on oppression and justice with some-out-of-context Bible verses is still Marxism.”

Sir, a Marxist premise and a Marxist solution on oppression and justice with some-out-of-context Bible verses is still Marxism.
—Christian blogger Samuel Sey, in response to Tim Keller’s assertion that “Talking about oppression, justice, etc doesn’t make one a Marxist. It makes one a student of the Bible.”—

Likewise, Jon’s assessment was spot on: “So, to me this just muddies the water. It’s not clear at all.” It’s a tactic I called “dodgeball,” and Keller used it on numerous occasions. Russell Moore uses it frequently as well. It’s a maneuver common among false teachers, many of whom are leftists, or are attracted to leftist ideology, including the social justice narrative.

Gaslighting!

Another term for this is gaslighting. An often-repeated example is that of the husband who is asked, “Have you stopped beating your wife?” Now, this man loves his wife and never would mistreat her in any way — but before he can respond by denying he ever mistreated her, the questioner asks, “Tell me, what kind of club have you used?”

This tactic is fairly obvious in Jon Harris’s Twitter exchange with Tim Keller, but it is less obvious in other remarks by Keller. Even so, make no mistake. Keller frequently used it. In some instances he likely used it unintentionally, but it appears he used it intentionally in many other situations. It’s harmful, and it’s manipulative! It is disingenuous. I fear that for many it has had the effect of casting doubt on orthodox teachings. In fact, as I’ve indicated, I believe that this is one of the undeniable marks of Keller’s legacy.

Tim Keller’s legacy includes using manipulative tactics in conversations and casting doubt on biblical orthodox teachings.

While many may initially feel I’m being unfair to Tim Keller, please hear me out. I have no animosity toward Keller personally. My concern is the damage he caused by casting doubt on God’s Word in people’s minds. This is no small matter; but extremely serious — so serious I am compelled to call Keller out, even after his death. His influence still is strong and will remain strong for many years to come.

In subsequent posts, we will explore specific ways Dr. Keller did indeed cast doubt on otherwise clear biblical teachings — including

- the nature of God’s Law,
- the meaning of obedience to God,
- civic duty and voting — including whether or not a Christian will support and promote evil,
- the authority of God’s Word, beginning with Genesis,
- homosexuality, and
- salvation.

Again, these are not peripheral issues, but vitally important. They are at the heart of Christianity and what it means to be an authentic follower of Christ.

Stay tuned! I’ll release Part 2 in a few days.

This article is available for publication and distribution by Exposing enemies within the church, LLC.

top image credit: You Tube / Gospel in Life

Notes:

¹I intentionally presented these two paragraphs without hyperlinks to avoid distracting readers from the main point, but here I present them with links to resources churches can use to help people genuinely grapple with issues — even as they consistently point to the Bible as the infallible and authoritative Word of God.

Further, churches’ strategies must include an examination of the incompatibility of the social justice movement with biblical Christianity.

In addition, these realities are important:

We must realize that at the end of the day, Christianity is either true or false; God either is trustworthy, or He isn’t. Churches and church leaders absolutely must help people grapple with hard questions and doubts — but when they do, and as they do, they will either be encouraging faith, further doubt, or even outright disbelief. Consider the positive influence Henrietta Mears had on Billy Graham during his crisis of belief just weeks before the 1949 Los Angeles Crusade that thrust Graham onto the national stage, where he would remain the rest of his life.

No, trite answers won’t cut it — but neither will validating a questioner’s doubts (even if it makes the seeker or skeptic feel good). Conservative leaders must learn how to acknowledge a questioner’s doubts without affirming them or shaming the one asking questions, and how to genuinely assist questioners in finding the best answers available.

It’s also true that Christian leaders and questioners alike need to realize that since we are talking about God, we will not understand everything, nor will we likely understand everything we want to know. While God requires that people approach Him in faith and that they trust Him, He does not ask anyone to exercise a blind leap of faith. Even though the Christian faith is so counterintuitive and never could have originated in human imaginations, it is reasonable and makes sense.

²These two Thanksgiving-themed articles explore the incompatibility of the social justice narrative and biblical Christianity:

- Spitting in God’s Face: Making Believers Feel Guilty when they Ought to Be Thankful, Part 1
- Spitting in God’s Face: Making Believers Feel Guilty when they Ought to Be Thankful, Part 2

³Social justice is a religion, after all. Go here, here, here, and here.

Millard J. Erickson, The Concise Dictionary of Christian Theology, 194

⁴According to Millard J. Erickson in his Concise Dictionary of Christian Theology ([Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1994], 194) syncretism is “The bringing together of differing beliefs; particularly, the assimilating of the views of one religion into those of another.”

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2 Comments

Michael Miller

I am in the process of reading and rereading this article. I am aware of the problem of those who are done, and also of the younger generation and their questions.
This is an article which should be examined beyond its surface read it re-read it consider its contents, consider its contents in light of scripture and make decisions and changes based on the outcome of your investigation

# June 3, 2023 Reply
- B. Nathaniel Sullivan
  
  Thank you for your comment. Test every truth claim against Scripture. In future posts in this series, that is exactly what we will do. — B. Nathaniel Sullivan
  
  # June 3, 2023 Reply