Dr. Keller passed away a few days ago. Apparently he had thyroid cancer in 2002, and survived that. But in 2020 he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which finally took his life.
As a Christian, I was trained to frame people like the person I am now as the enemy. And I would have assumed that someone like the new me felt the same animosity towards believers in return. That past me would have expected the new me, therefore, to be joyful to hear about Tim’s passing, as I’m sure some of my skeptical readers are expecting. But this is far from the truth.
This is not to say that I wouldn’t welcome the passing of some human beings. There are some people who are so toxic, either to our society, their family, their workplace, etc, such that their passing would be a net positive, not only for me but for, in some cases, a vast number of people. There are some people whom the world is simply better without.
Tim Keller is not one of those people. There’s plenty I don’t know about him. But part of what attracted me to him decades ago and made me respect him was that he was kind, and intelligent, and thoughtful, and eloquent, and sensible, and reasonable. These qualities are in short supply in modern American society. The fact that I now challenge the theology and logic of Keller’s teachings does not abate any of these virtues. On the contrary, it makes evaluating and considering his claims all the more worthwhile.
He was kind, and intelligent, and thoughtful, and eloquent, and sensible, and reasonable. These qualities are in short supply in modern American society.
I wish he could have stuck around long enough for me to sit down and discuss some of these issues with him one on one. Fortunately, we have enough of his thoughts recorded in print and audio that there shouldn’t be much question about how he would respond to particular topics. Still, I would have really enjoyed the exchange with such a brilliant and kind man.
Tim was heavily influenced by CS Lewis who argued confidently and convincingly for the faith. Unlike some more pop apologists like Josh McDowell, Hugh Ross, or Michael Behe, Keller didn’t bend facts to fit a narrative. He largely steered clear of science and focused more on philosophy and epistemological arguments.
And like Lewis, Keller’s arguments typically emanated a certain profundity — a powerful sense of truth that seemed to defy conventional logic. These claims would leave listeners with a sense of awe and fascination and confidence. The problem with these “deepities” is that the gaps in their logical basis were only apparent when the thick smoke of awe cleared and if the listener cared enough to ask tough questions.
The problem is, many believers, like myself, were looking for a defense of our faith, not a truly honest investigation into reality. The latter was much too terrifying. We wanted a hero to give us talking points when our faith was challenged out in the “real world”. Keller provided that.
The problem is, many believers, like myself, were looking for a defense of our faith, not a truly honest investigation into reality.
But I’ve gotten a bit wiser over the years. I’ve learned about confirmation bias. And I’ve gotten more courageous about challenging cherished beliefs. This has offered me the freedom to poke at the holes in Keller’s logic, in ways I never could before. The result is the content of this blog.
I’m sad Tim is gone. I’m angry that cancer took a kind and brilliant thinker. I’m sad that so many faithful would spend countless hours in prayer that had no chance of being effectual towards healing him. I’m sad about how much hope and time and money in general is wasted on such endeavors at the opportunity cost of applying our resources towards better science and medicine that can actually effect those desired changes. And I’m hopeful for a future where people can align their understanding with reality in a way that optimizes all our precious, limited lifespans on this rock orbiting the sun.
I dedicate this blog to Tim, who taught me to think critically.