In the past two years during COVID, I’ve read a number of helpful books ranging in categories from understanding culture, to Biblical and theological studies. I’d like to preview and recommend a few of them to you.
Speaker/Author: Tim Keller
The Decline and Renewal of the American Church: Part 3 – The Path to Renewal
Christians must recognize that they do have things to do to prepare for renewal, but that ultimately it is God’s wise sovereignty that will determine whether and how the church is renewed. Many see a metaphor for this concept of renewal in Elijah’s confrontation with the priests of Baal on Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18. The prophet builds an altar, but it is only God whose fire can ignite it. Christians looking for revival, then, are “building the altar,” praying that God will use their efforts to bring a fire of revival with a movement of his Spirit.
The Decline and Renewal of the American Church: Part 2 – The Decline of Evangelicalism
Since 2007, evangelicalism has begun its own decline. All indications are that in the coming years an unprecedented number of younger Americans will be leaving churches and institutional religion of all kinds behind. But why?
The Decline and Renewal of the American Church: Part 1 – The Decline of the Mainline
Virtually everyone agrees that something is radically wrong with the church. Inside there is more polarization and conflict than ever, with all factions agreeing (for different reasons) that the church is in deep trouble.
Video: Loving Our Neighbors And Walking With Them Through Their Valleys
In this video, Tim Keller looks at how the Good Samaritan points us to Christ and the story compels us to live with radical, transformative love for our neighbors no matter what they believe or how different they may be from us.
Social Media, Identity, and the Church
Tim Keller reviews Chris Bail’s book, Breaking the Social Media Prism: How to Make Our Platforms Less Polarizing (Princeton, 2021)
Tim Keller’s series from KL2020 conference in Kuala Lumpur
In the face of suffering, a deep understanding of the Christian’s heavenly citizenship is necessary. The gospel speaks directly to oppressed and suffering believers, showing them the way to live and act in a culture that is increasingly hostile to the gospel.
A Book Review on the Topic of Christian Nationalism
During the January 6 storming of the Capitol, rioters exhibited Christian symbols and offered public prayer. Since then the working assumption of the mainstream media is that evangelicalism has now been revealed to be a white American supremacist insurrectionist force, committed to keeping power even if it means overturning democratic processes. The term “Christian nationalist” is now being used to describe white evangelicals. Is that accurate? Are the two terms essentially two ways to describe the same people?
God, Freedom, and Love
Today, many Christian believers—who often share virtually identical doctrinal beliefs—are just as divided as Christians in Corinth over how to relate to our increasingly pagan culture even though the issues are often presented as political.
Tom Holland’s Dominion – A Review
Tom Holland has written a book that is not so much a history of Christianity, but a history of the complex role Christianity has had in the formation of modern western culture. Here’s Tim Keller’s review.
