Tim Keller: Our Cultural Tension

Pastor and theologian Tim Keller surveys the historical and sociological context that has bred a philosophical tension between the individual and community.

[paulpimentel]

Fast forward 5 years, and this sermon lecture could have been given last week and it would be more urgent, than even before.

[jackjones]

Dr. Keller does a wonderful job of relating to the unbelieving world as a Christian, without being condescending or self righteous. He offers Truth in love without compromising sound biblical doctrine. False doctrine and capitulations for selfish ends are all too common today.

[_joshwalter_]

Keller is astounding. I wish I could adopt him as my grandpa.

[davidhawley]

Great stuff. I love seeing Keller showing the strategies he talks about in his book on preaching - looking deeply at our culture and how Jesus addresses those deepest needs.

[mikedavid]

This is such a good speech, and one of the prime reasons that there is such cultural tension in relation to historical judeo-christian roots and its application today is that for a long time the Church and Christian community has interpreted their personal beliefs and convictions and doctrinal and even 'Word-based' dictates through and INTO society and culture. There is a duality or dichotomy that actually should not exist if Christians and the true Church simply lived their convictions within the bounds of the Church and the providence of God, stuck with those convictions in the face of 'evolving culture' and then allowed the contrast to speak for itself.

[cfkurtz]

This is SUCH a timely TOPIC! There’s SUCH cultural ambivalence about our political situation. I know Pastor Keller does not SHARE his political views, and I underSTAND that. But NOW, I am speaking more OPENly about how I’m LEAVING the Democratic Party, who have done MORE to reach out to the poor, I beLIEVE, than the Republican Party. But in toDAY’S political pandemic of anger and animosity, I’m finding there are more and MORE men and women who are part of a different, GROWING group of ‘Me Too’, and THIS Me Too refers to former Democrats. One of SEVERAL reasons was when I shared with a pastor friend that I was listening to Rush Limbaugh on the radio, I can’t reMEMber anything else, because one of my pastor friends yelled out, “Charlie!!! SHAME on you!!!” I was SO astonished, I can’t remember what else that had been disCUSSED!!!” This pastor friend is a registered Democrat, and so am I, but now it’s so WAS I!!! I haven’t made it official YET, but I felt July 4, 2020 was a good day to LEAVE the Democratic Party. I’ve lost a lot of memory and ability after a nearly FATAL brain aneurism had me in a coma for 4 weeks. My MOM called both of my brothers and told them to hurry down to CA if they want to say ‘Goodbye’ to me beFORE I die. Well, obviously, I did NOT die, but for the rest of my LIFE, I’ll be quoted for what I SAID when Dr. Vespa and the medical staff DID manage to save my life, and I woke up after 4 weeks. When the staff asked if I recognized the weeping woman at my bedside, my wife of 17 years, I said, “I’m not sure who she is, but I think I like her a lot.” (Of course I had to be TOLD I said this, because I can’t remember saying anything!!!). To hear my story go to YouTube and run a search for “Charles Frank Kurtz”, then spread word that miracles still happen to this very day my being alive to even say this is a miracle!!! (I now know WHO my wife IS, just FYI ☺️)

[daynehaworth]

Brilliant philosophical, theological, psychological, social commentary on the tension between individualism and collectivism. I also agree that biblical Christianity (not modern Christianity) is the perfect antidote to the desire to have imbalance in our approach to the individualism vs collectivism debate. The same could be said of capitalism vs socialism.

When you are a Christian with Gods heart neither capitalism or socialism are necessary because of healthy biblical individualism and healthy biblical collectivism being held in tension:

1) Healthy Biblical Individualism:
1.1) you take individual responsibility for your sin by submitting your life to God knowing He will judge you according to your individual sins.
1.2) You are also aware that God has granted and predestined each of his individual children with different natural abilities, gifts, dreams and passions to fulfil in order to build and grow His Kingdom.
2) Healthy Biblical Collectivism:
2.1) You are not swayed by cultural, tribal collectivism or identity politics. You realise that the body of Christ transcends race, ethnicity, gender, age, culture or class. Therefore we set aside some previously held cultural norms as we embrace Christ and kingdom culture.
2.2) You realise that the way you love God is by how you love others. Loving our family/friends/tribe/race is worldly collectivism. Godly collectivism is loving people of other tribes, languages, social class. Even loving our enemy.
2.3) Thirdly we are part of the local and global body of Christ. We share our homes, possessions, energy serving and caring for members of the body whether they are in India, our local church or a downtown version of our denomination.

Thank you Tim for this brilliant perspective. May we choose the balance well. In all areas of our lives.

[simoncollins]

I wish he was my grandpa also. He deals with subects in a simple, yet profound efficient way. This is the Holy Spirit, talking through him.

[josephflahiff]

I love Tim Keller's preaching. The only critique I have is, he seldom if ever gets to HOW. He ends with the SHOULD. I'd really like more HOW.

[rjminns]

Although Keller doesn't recommend reading Taylor's "A Secular Age", I recommend reading James K.A.Smith's ' "How Not To Be Secular". It is a wonderful, chapter by chapter presentation of the ideas in "A Secular Age", growing out of an in depth seminar on the book. After reading Smith's book I confidently feel I've had the thoughts of "A Secular Age" communicated to me so well, I feel as though I've read it.

[cellasedui]

"Not for a moment did the sexual liberators stop to consider the effects
upon the poor of the destruction of the strong family ties that alone
made emergence from poverty possible for large numbers of people. They
were concerned only with the petty dramas of their own lives and
dissatisfactions. But by obstinately overlooking the most obvious
features of reality, (...) their efforts contributed in no small part to
the intractability of poverty in modern cities, despise vast increases
in the general wealth: for the sexual revolution has turned the poor
from a class into a caste, from which escape is barred so long as that
revolution continues." (Dalrymple, Life at the Bottom, 1999).

[jackjones]

Modern individualism fails because freedom without boundaries quickly becomes self-imposed slavery. He is not saying that strong commitment to individuality and uniqueness, which Christianity affirms, is a bad thing.

[mawuliamedofu]

Really thought racking!! Thinking how African's are approaching these ideas!!

[johnmarshall]

great and truthful message! Keller called it "The New Cultural Narrative" which in the end is sick sexual selfish individualism out of the gutter of the 1960s.

[hnozima]

Would it be possible to list, in the description of the video, the names of the books quoted by Keller?

[caydab]

Somewhat simple assessment? Martin Luther said that sin turns man in upon himself. This entire lecture-and I enjoyed it-could be brought down to Luther's statement.

[caydab]

Ah another Luther triumph! He is responsible for the place of VOCATION as one of the primary avenues for love of God and neighbor. Thanks Marty.

[mackdmara]

I know many people who identify by their sexual choices. They tend to hate those they think do not share their preferences (outside the tribe), & are defensive about their choices (distrust people who are outside the tribe). I do not judge them for their choices, I just know they are wrong. I am not the author of that law. When they want to address it I will, but it is only to save the person. I have no need for hate. You never reach someone by telling them how evil they are.

It has adversely affected their lives. It is such an identity that, if you have a need that interferes with their interest (like a dying relative) they are genuinely put out & all over you to see to their desire. Your needs are subservient to theirs. Now, this is a specific case, but it is also in line with the larger trend he was expounding upon. One of these people is normally a very kind & generous person, except in this area. I hesitate to say this, but it reminds me of a drug addict.

If something you do is who you are, what happens when you can no longer do it? If you are hanging on something like that, let is go. Your identity is in God. I can get behind that.

[zach]

Every person has dignity and rights, and yet every person is born with an inherited sinful nature and worthy of hell.? So the story goes. Who thinks it’s OK to punish a child for what their parent did? As if what a non existent “first” woman did was wrong anyway. If anything she was framed.

[jude]

What does this have to do with the fact that man is "wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked" (REV 3:17)?? What does this have to do with the fact that man has been separated from God by his hatred and rebellion of God's Holy law and must fall on his face prostrate in a grievous state of repentance?? (ROM 6:23, REV 2:5, LUK 13:3) The only mention of repentance was when he said the church needs to repent of not solving the world's social problems! Outrageous. The Great Commission has NOTHING to do with social change.
This man-centered, self esteem oriented marxism explains nothing with regard to man's desperate condition in light of the Holiness of the one true God! The problem is sin...the answer is the gospel. You don't get Jesus because he is "everything you are looking for to correct your self esteem issues"....yikes! You bow to Christ, DIE TO SELF and become a slave. What a travesty that people are soaking in these false therapeutic messages.