Reformed Presbyterian (PCA) · Late 20th–Early 21st Century

Timothy James Keller

September 23, 1950 – May 19, 2023

Founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan (1989–2017). Best known for thoughtfully engaging skeptics and reframing the gospel for secular urban professionals.

Tradition

Reformed Presbyterian (PCA)

Era

Late 20th–Early 21st Century

Preserved Sermons

1,500+

Biography

Timothy James Keller was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, raised Lutheran, converted in college through InterVarsity, and earned degrees from Bucknell, Gordon-Conwell, and Westminster Theological Seminary. After nine years pastoring a small PCA church in Hopewell, Virginia, Keller and his wife Kathy moved to Manhattan in 1989 to plant Redeemer Presbyterian Church — at the time considered an unlikely project in one of the most secular zip codes in America. Redeemer grew from a 15-person Bible study to a five-thousand-member congregation worshipping across multiple Manhattan sites, and in the process became the model for the urban-church-planting movement that became Redeemer City to City (now operating in 75+ global cities). Keller's preaching combined Reformed theology with literary citation, cultural exegesis, and a relentless emphasis on the gospel as the answer to both moralism and license. His 2008 book The Reason for God became a New York Times bestseller. After being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2020, Keller continued writing and recording until his death in 2023.

Legacy

Keller's urban-church-planting model, his apologetic style aimed at skeptical secular readers, and his focus on the gospel as 'the way Christianity grows people' have shaped a generation of pastors well beyond his Reformed Presbyterian tradition. Gospel in Life, the ministry he founded with Kathy, continues to publish his sermons free of charge, and Redeemer City to City continues training church planters globally.

Notable Sermons

Hidden Christmas: The Surprising Truth Behind the Birth of Christ

Various

Matthew 1-2

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Copyright & Usage

All sermons by Tim Keller remain copyrighted by Gospel in Life / Redeemer Presbyterian Church. The archive below links to the official Gospel in Life site where sermons, transcripts, and Q&A sessions are freely accessible for personal study but not redistribution. Please do not republish full sermon text without permission.

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