This is a remarkable and refreshing article by Kevin DeYoung and very insightful on Tim Keller’s philosophical and theological ministry emphasis. Tim Keller has had a towering influence upon my life in my ministry and also to my wife and our children as well to some extent. After reading this article by Kevin DeYoung I’m very grateful he brought out the differences he has with Tim Keller which really resonates with me. Like Kevin DeYoung what I learned so much from Tim Keller and admire his preaching and insightful gospel analysis etc, I do have some grounds which I differ from him and I’m so glad that Kevin young pointed it out in a very similar fashion I can truly resonate with.

Safeguarding against Legalism or liberalism

DeYoung is definitely right in pointing out that Tim Keller‘s emphasis of preaching is is against legalism, while his owns emphasis would be against liberalism. I could vouch for that as my own emphasis in ministry, and preaching and thinking, is against liberalism much more against legalism from Augustine to Princeton sad transition from conservative to liberalism, I am fired up to defend, conservative God centered orthodoxy , rather than anything else.

Center Left Politically & Socially

DeYoung writes, “At the same time, Keller is probably center-­left within the PCA, whereas I am center-right. As much as I give thanks for Keller, I often find myself sizing up our cultural moment and approaching ministry in a somewhat different way.”— I am center-right.

First Tim Keller is center left within the PCA whereas Kevin DeYoung is center right. I’ve always wondered where does Tim Keller land in terms of his political and social view and I’ve always suspected he’s on the center left but I could never put it down because I wasn’t sure it would be right. But now a respected well known the theologian and pastor Dr Kevin DeYoung has described him to be that way I feel relieved. As much as I respect his great preaching gospel centered theology and preaching, I differ from him in terms of my political and social viewpoint, not only within the PCA only but the evangelical world. I am definitely center right like Kevin DeYoung and I feel more assured and grateful that I found where I could land.

Kuyper/Bavinck Neo Calvinism first or Calvin first ?

Now the second thing is really interesting because Tim Keller takes more from Kuyper, Bavinck and Neo Calvinism first above taking his cues from Calvin and others in the reformed world. I’m glad that this is something I have also observed much as well.

DeYoung writes: Keller has acknowledged before that he is a culturalist first, then a pietist, then a doctrinalist. I would say that my order is just the opposite. In fact, if it’s not too doctrinalist of me, I think that sound doctrine is more than an impulse; it is foundational and indispensable for the other two emphases. While I’m at it, I might as well say that I’m not convinced that the culture-transforming agenda belongs to the Church qua Church, nor that it won’t end up being co-opted by an ever-expanding list of “social justice” causes.[1]

I find this refreshingly spot on and really helps me to think through my own ministry in terms of the balance between a doctrinalist and a culturalist with reference to Kevin DeYoung’s article in the paragraph above. For sure I believe every evangelical Christian including Reformed Christian should first and foremost be a doctrinalist before becoming a culturalist, as its important and relevant as it may be, in the modern day and age. Because without being a doctrinalist, how can you be the culturalist? How can you dissect and analyze our culture without first being grounded in our own doctrine of God? Like John Calvin says unless you know who God you is, you can never find out who you are. The center of gravitas must be God, and the doctrine of God. And that’s why we should read John Calvin first before reading Neo Calvinism for example. While Kevin DeYoung’s not convinced that the culture transforming agenda belongs to the church, I disagree with that. I believe cultural transformation is very much part of the church life in Christ in working out the glorious power of the Holy Spirit and the life of Christ to the world at large.

Kevin DeYoung wrote:

I ask­ed Hansen while he was writing the book, “Is Keller basically a dyed-in-the-wool Presbyterian who is willing to bend and nuance things because he wants to reach the lost, or is he basically a big-tent evangelical with enough Reformed sensibilities to keep him tethered to good ­theology?” Hansen replied, “Oh, definitely the second.” Hansen suggests that, for Keller, the Old ­Princeton tradition of Charles Hodge and J. Gresham Machen “emphasized the closed fist of theological orthodoxy.” I’m more appreciative of the Princeton tradition and their early Westminster successors than Tim is, and he’s more appreciative of Kuyper and neo-­Calvinism. I take my cues from ­Calvin, ­Turretin, Machen, and ­Murray first, then add twentieth-­century British evangelicals to keep me from being too narrow. I think Tim takes his cues from those British evangelicals first, but reads enough Calvin, Turretin, Machen, and Murray to keep him well grounded.[2]

So the book talked about Tim Keller being a big tent evangelical with enough reform sensibilities to keep him tethered to good theology. Kevin DeYoung writes that he is more appreciative of the Princeton tradition and they’re early Westminster successors then Tim Keller is. Tim is more appreciative of Kuyper and Neo Calvinist and I will agree with Kevin DeYoung that I will be appreciative more of John Calvin first and then the Neo Calvinism stuff. The Neo Calvinism stuff is really very cultural oriented how to be orthodox and yet modern in an effort to reach the contemporary world which is very good in itself but it is just not as orthodox and soul anchoring as John Calvin’s and Augustine’s writings.

DeYoung writes: “I’m more appreciative of the Princeton tradition and their early Westminster successors than Tim is, and he’s more appreciative of Kuyper and neo-­Calvinism. I take my cues from ­Calvin, ­Turretin, Machen, and ­Murray first, then add twentieth-­century British evangelicals to keep me from being too narrow. I think Tim takes his cues from those British evangelicals first, but reads enough Calvin, Turretin, Machen, and Murray to keep him well grounded.”

–I am more Calvin first too.

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[1] Kevin DeYoung, Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation https://www.firstthings.com/article/2023/05/an-american-evangelist?fbclid=IwAR1EgzhD3veAM35aqF7TyraWmpmO8_UpYCs8iv0L9qOyKD1RbL0Uy9_xUcI

[2] Kevin DeYoung, Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation https://www.firstthings.com/article/2023/05/an-american-evangelist?fbclid=IwAR1EgzhD3veAM35aqF7TyraWmpmO8_UpYCs8iv0L9qOyKD1RbL0Uy9_xUcI

It’s been a beautiful long week in Spain mostly in Tossa de Mar, Madrid and Barcelona. Tossa De Mar is a beautiful coastal village with stunning blue crystal clear water of the Mediterranean Sea. Imagine standing by the Mediterranean Sea, and putting your feet down the water, that’s what I did.

Now the people there are generally more friendly, casual with milder demeanor than I have seen in all of the other European nations I’ve been to, including UK friends in Italy. Coming from New York City. This is quite a cultural shock, and a very pleasant one indeed.

I thought to myself this country is not very diverse as I see the majority and absolute majority of them are Spanish whites. I don’t see any Asians at all or any blacks most time and I have seen thousands Spanish it’s just so many of them walking on the streets, I probably met less than a handful, blacks and Asians.

When I traveled by train from the outskirts of the city of Madrid, to the center of the city, the train is super clean and spacious and relatively new. The most stunning thing I found when I walk on the street of Madrid is the people’s demeanor is much more milder and easy-going and relaxed. It may be the Mediterranean seaside chilled lifestyle. In New York, you’ll be nervous to take a subway near to midnight in parts of Manhattan, or in Brooklyn, or in Queens, or Bronx. The amount of violence happening in the US is highly alarming with gun shooting somewhere almost on a daily basis over the country. Thank God that it doesn’t happen that much in New York City but you quite regularly see and hear of muggings, and some women or men pushed to death or injury on the subway track mostly by either homeless or those under the mental conditions. Talking about that I’ve seen one or two beggers in the streets in Madrid after we have seen thousands of the population. Why are there so many homeless in New York compared to Madrid? I have heard regularly like once a week women or even a man be mugged and be beaten up and then pushed on the track by this so-called mentally unstable folks in New York!

Woke Ideology in US

Woke ideology has been damaging, so much so some calls it as an iceberg ready to sink our culture. There’s no social woke thing in Spain. Now another thing that’s cooking in the US, is the gender confusion that has taken it to another level all altogether with Biden’s administration insanely issued in Title IX to overrule any states they who may try to ban transgender Athletes to compete in the sports. That is unconscionable in any country in the world and that I don’t hear at all in Spain. And that’s banned in Europe.

The calmer milder demeanor, culture of a society is highly attractive for quality lifestyle. People may take it for granted, but if you live in a country that’s war torn, this is very, very visible and standing out right in front of you. in the US, if you read the front page newspaper almost on a daily basis, there’s some shootings somewhere in the country. In Europe guns is banned. There is no guns carried openly. In Spain there’s no fear of such violence and I don’t see them here any violence of such as well. In New York, subway and nighttime, you’ll be feeling nervous, especially through some areas where it is more prone to crimes like in certain areas of Bronx and even Brooklyn and Manhattan and Queens for the matter.

The call against against this social injustice is right on! But to solve the problem with “woke” is highly damaging and detrimental to society when woke ideology takes a segment of the liberation theology of Exodus and projected itself as the entire narrative of their struggle.

To compare wokeness and Exodus is not only heretical but also using God’s name in vain.

The huge difference is the Exodus narrative in the Bible has a divine goal and purpose in mind, and that goes beyond just the liberation of slavery of the Jewish people in Egypt. [1] And that is to worship and serve the living God of Israel Yahweh. God told Moses to tell Pharaoh let his people go so that they can come and worship and serve Him.

Exodus 8: 1  Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me.”

They are not to serve Pharaoh anymore. In very much the same way God is calling us to be set apart from worshiping and craving after the idolatry in this world, like sex, power money, and to come and worship and serve the God of heavens and earth, the resurrected Christ Jesus.

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Cultural Transformation

An organic solution will be a milder society where people just generally live together in peace, and the more easy-going a walk and not so much materialistic, driven, per se. It will require a whole transformation of the culture to achieve that. Calmer and milder culture is highly desirable. Not violence, problems and hatred bigotry driven with all sorts of vocabulary of cynicism sarcasm constantly on display on the media and social media is not helpful. In the Bible in the book of proverbs, say blessed are those who do not sit with the scoffers, the scoffers of those who are cynical and sarcastic. This is the people that are not going to be blessed. Proverbs says, blessed are those people who do not sit them on the scoffers, who do not stay with the wicked, who do not walk with the evil ones, but his delight is in the Word of God, the meditation of the word of God. That will be the man or woman, who is blessed by the Word of God that bring forth multiple fruits in due season.

By delighting in the Word of God

It is impossible to stay away from the temptations of the evil one in our modern society all the all society there’s no difference, without being delighted in the holy scripture. Its the word of God, the Bible, the gifts of strength that works within us, the transforms us , the produce the artwork behavior and actions that corporate companies have tried to impose policy and training on inclusivity call my diversity and I’ll rages matter. People must not forget real unity, real peaceful society comes from knowing God.

By being Communal

The other beautiful, interactive aspect, I see in the Spanish society is the highly sociable, outgoing group, especially in the evenings, large numbers, walking on the streets, drinking coffee on the streets and dinner the restaurant on the street side it’s just such a gift, the sense of feeling of a community. The sense of communal feeling is really important which I thought is largely missing in the western society due to the individualistic drive of the mindset inherited from enlightenment or postmodernism. And the fact that they the Spanish are so sociable going out in large numbers with children or families, makes their society that almost looks like a communal Asian culture and that is very surprising, which is really a pleasant surprise. This will reduce or remove the elements of violence in a society because when you have such interaction socially with one another, you see one another, you almost get a sense that no one’s looking behind trying to rob you or do something like what’s happening in New York in some area at night. This has come out of a real blessing because I believe social communal sense breeds a sense of togetherness and inclusiveness, that none of the companies or the authority tries to inculcate artificially can ever achieve. The recent fight over having a transgender biological man walking to a female bathroom or a locker room in schools or colleges is a detestable sad grieving event that has grown out of a natural desire that’s gone public and even the administration has actually gone to support that. And that’s an incredulous, abominable act unheard of in any country or any civilization. I would argue that sociable as a community as a family of a country of a city will cut down amount of crimes in their very significant way, and one thing will lead to the end other and potentially bring in huge blessings to the country and the city.

And I would say in conclusion, there are many important social philosophy that Americans can learn from the Spanish.

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[1] Chris Watkin, Biblical Critical Theory