This cultural exegesis explains exactly why the “deep demon” is viewed as an angel of light, a refusal to be victimised any longer. This approach allows us to sit in the emotional space, rather than leap to give a solution. Not by minimizing abuse, but by maximising it beyond even what secular justice seekers advocate. He took the very issue of abuse, that critics claim is Christianity’s weak point in the forgiveness debate, turning it on its head in the process. No spoilers here, but his unpacking of the story of Rachel Denhollander, the US gymnast – and Christian – who was abused by her coach along with hundreds of other young girls, is confronting. He was not afraid to sit and let us stew a little. That was Keller’s great strength in a post-Christian age. He had a pastoral heart that went to the 90 per cent of the iceberg under the tip. Forgive and forget right? That’s been the church’s schtick for centuries and we’re not gonna take it anymore! Keller totally got that tension. In the #MeToo age, the church’s message of forgiveness is viewed as both a mask for power, and a convenient “get-out-of-jail-free” card” waved by abusers. He reminded us that the “should” of forgiveness is now often seen as an impediment to mental, social and spiritual health in individuals and in society more widely. While many of us dabble around the edges, he plunges into the depths of the problem. It’s his cut-through that many of us are going to miss the most. “Keller had a pastoral heart that went to the 90 per cent of the iceberg under the tip.”Īs a cultural exegete par excellence, Keller deftly, and in a manner that is accessible to the layperson, unpacked why the “should” of forgiveness has drained away. The air we breathe, as Glen Scrivener’s wonderful book so vividly reminds us, is still Christian, but that air is getting thin. He could see how deeply ingrained the secular demon was. Perhaps it’s possible, but is it palatable? And he proffered good reason why this assumption no longer stands. Keller no longer assumed that people thought they should. It was this: “We all know we should forgive.” To which Keller’s riposte, in a more urbane, baritone, and yes – winsome – manner, was “Hold my beer!” One observation caught my eye in what was an otherwise solid piece of writing. In preparation for an evangelistic talk at a high school recently (I’d decided to speak on the same parable of Jesus’ that is the launchpad of the book, that of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18:21-35), I googled some blogs on the topic. The subtitle of this book is the giveaway. Now they are non-Christian in a different way altogether a post-Christian way.Ī World That Sees Forgiveness as Unhealthy Previously they had been non-Christian in a decidedly “Christian” way. Or in other words, a world in which non-Christians are non-Christian in a different way to the way they used to be. Keller crafted a ministry in New York and around the world, on this premise, seeking to navigate a culture in which the demon is in even deeper than it was in the 1950s. This new-fangled cultural demon was in too deep to be drawn out by surface level engagement. The post-Christian setting already in London in the 1950s was such that the ordinary methods of Christian evangelism and apologetics were no longer as effective. Keller showed how Lloyd-Jones equated the depth of the problem with the equally abyss-like situation facing the church in the West. “The demon was in too deep,” says Lloyd-Jones. But first, Jesus shows that this is no ordinary demon. The good doctor, speaking in London in the 1950s preached about the demon-possessed child who had stymied the disciples’ exorcism attempts, and who Jesus ends up being the answer for. A Message for a Post-Christian WorldĪ well-known sermon by Keller, based on an equally well-known Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ sermon – The Demon Is In Too Deep – was his attempt to show how much things have changed in our culture. I am sure there is a rush on Keller’s books now that he has died, with people buying up a collection or two. In an era in which secular thinkers such as historian Tom Holland, and cultural commentator, Douglas Murray, worry about the loss of Christian virtues once taken for granted, this book seems a fitting final rejoinder to where we are going culturally.Īnd it does exactly what Tim Keller did for the bulk of his ministry: it infuses a deep gracious call for spiritual transformation in the midst of a confused and harsh culture. Perhaps it’s fitting that Tim Keller’s last book was Forgive: How Should I and How Can I?
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