I ran across Tim Keller today!
OK, so actually I hit a blog site of a friend of a friend of a friend. One of the links took me to a session he gave at The Gathering in 2005. Not often will I listen to an hour long session “on tape” (or is that MP3 or podcast??). This one captured me.
So I found a site that carries an “online bibliography” (actually a bunch of links) to a number of Tim Keller’s articles, sermons, etc. I wandered around a bit on the web and was impressed by his approach to the gospel.
Keller speaks of irreligious people (including secular and postmodern), of religious people (who sit beside me at church), and of those who have truly caught the gospel (they actually believe that we are saved by grace through Jesus Christ). Religious people obey God’s law to be accepted — Gospel people are accepted by God through Jesus and thus obey. Religious people obey so they will not be rejected by God, Gospel people obey because they would not want to bring harm to the one they love.
The thoughts go on and on. The more I read, the more I see that he is touching on our world — the context in which I live.
When I read the beatitudes, I wonder if Jesus didn’t have a good idea. Start off the sermon on the mount by telling people they are accepted! The poor in spirit, the mourners, the ones who are hard on themselves and others, the ones who are perfectionists. Let them all know they are accepted and blessed by God. Then let them know what it means to be true followers as they seek to obey what God would want them to do (the “law”).
Accepted first, then obey because!