Daily, I am gaining more and more respect for Tim Keller, who serves as pastor of Redeemer Church in New York City. Notice the vision:
Redeemer’s vision is to spread the gospel, first through ourselves and then through the city by word, deed, and community; To bring about personal changes, social healing, and cultural renewal through a movement of churches and ministries that change New York City and through it, the world.
He has an excellent article dealing with what he calls “Defeater Beliefs” which expresses and answers many of the doubts about Christianity that arise specifically in our culture. He incorporated that in a lecture he gave at Covenant Seminary not long ago about Preaching to Believers and Unbelievers (this is an mp3). I listened to this as I traveled to see my dad in North Carolina on Thursday — and I felt it was one of the most revolutionary sermons I’d heard dealing with preaching. But the article will be helpful — a bit technical but worth the read for preacher and layperson alike.
Steve McCoy at Reformissionary has a host of resources from Tim Keller (click here). . More and more, I’m becoming convinced how important it is for a visible presence to be made in the community and how we are to be missionaries where we are.
3 responses so far ↓
John Divito // October 30, 2006 at 9:06 am
Matt,
It is odd how our paths are crossing here–I also became deeply interested in Tim Keller since hearing his Covenant Seminary messages (I have now listened to “Preaching to Believers and Unbelievers” four times).
I now lap up anything I can get from him! Unfortunately, it costs money to subscribe to his weekly sermons. I’d love to hear more of him applying his principles. Maybe I’ll actually come up with the money to subscribe one of these days!
Matthew R. Perry // October 30, 2006 at 4:51 pm
John:
This sermon really changed my thinking, especially considering I pastor a 221-year-old church where everyone assumes everyone else’s spiritual condition. I like in an area where many have been “innoculated to Jesus” to the west of us, and hold to the “defeater beliefs” as we head toward downtown Lexington. I’m here at Boone’s Creek for the long haul, so I’m praying as to how we may reach these divergent groups.
Keller has been a big help.
Matt
Book Review: “The Reason for God” by Tim Keller (Part I) « Bro. Matt’s Blog // February 28, 2008 at 2:54 pm
[...] “The Leap of Doubt.” In this section, Keller fleshes out what he calls “defeater beliefs” that many secular folks levy toward Christians to apparently show why Christianity is not [...]
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