Tim Keller

Though I have only known about Tim Keller for a few years now, he has had a huge impact on my life. A mega-church pastor in the heart of New York City, he is equal parts super-intellectual, superlative teacher, and "he can talk to anyone" pastor. His grasp of the culture and how Christians fit into it is astounding. But I think it's his communication style that is so impressive. He preaches as though he's having a conversation with himself, coming upon, as if by happenstance, magisterial truth after magisterial truth. Though his style makes it seem as if he has nothing to say, you go away as though he has taught something you wish you had known your whole life. Check out the recent Newsweek article on him here.

Interestingly, he has only one book (written some time ago) and a new one forthcoming. Though I haven't read it, I know it will be good. It is based on a series of sermons I listened to a while back called "The Trouble With Christianity: Why It's So Hard to Believe it." The way he tackles issues like the authority of Scripture, the exclusivity of Christianity, and suffering doesn't feel defensive at all. It's not an "I'm right, you're wrong" apologetic. It's an "I am only right because of the grace of God and if you would only see it, you would be changed and so would the world." It's called The Reason For God: Belief in the Age of Skepticism. I commend both the sermons and the book to you.