BOOK REVIEW: The Reason for God (Keller)

Title: The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism
Editor: Timothy Keller
Publisher: Dutton
Year: 2008
Cover: Hardcover
Pages: 320
Binding: Smyth-sewn
Reading level: 3.0
ISBN-13: 9780525950493
Price USD: $24.95 list price.

WHERE TO BUY:
Monergism Books: $14.97
Westminster Bookstore: $13.72

REVIEW: Timothy Keller is the preaching pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan. Ministering mainly to young urban intellectuals, the shape of Keller's ministry conforms to the intellectual demands and questions of his target audience. Previous to this, Keller served as pastor to a blue collar workers in Pennsylvania for several years. As a result, the sum total of Keller's pastoral work has enabled him to produce an apologetical work that probes the deepest questions of the intellect in a communication style that is engaging and simple.

The Reason for God is divided into two sections. The first ("The Leap of Doubt") gently dismantles seven arguments against the Christian faith. There is no hint of an argumentative spirit in Keller's work. Rather than challenging agnostics and atheists with his Christian presuppositions, Keller instead challenges them with their own intellectual presuppositions which are contradictory with the way they live. Far from disproving Christianity, Keller demonstrates how the arguments against Christianity do more damage for the atheist/agnostic position. Throughout the section Keller's tone is respectful and engaging. Clearly he has a heart for young intellectuals and patiently journey's with them in their discussions of Christianity. Section one offers what is the best example of applied presuppositional apologetics in print. While never mentioning terms such as 'reformed', 'presuppositional', or 'Calvinism', Keller clearly writes from such a perspective. A fine example of being reformed with being hung up on terms.

The second section ("The Reasons for Faith") is Keller's attempt to lay out a foundation of belief for the existence of God. In this later half of the book Keller also spends much time outlining the basic Christian message of the gospel. He has an innate ability to bring his readers to an understanding of the nature of 'sin' without overusing the word, and this book offers one of the clearest definitions of sin I have seen in print (chapter 10). At the end of the work, the evangelistic nature of Keller become clearly evident. The reader clearly sees that Keller is not interested in intellectual debates. Rather, he is interested in having conversations with people while pointing them towards a deep and biblical relationship with the Triune God.

This work is an amazing resource for pastors. It would be an excellent book for small group discussion and serves as a valuable resource in aiding young men and women who have questions about the faith. Furthermore, the work also serves as a model of doing ministry. Pastors are called to be scholars, but never simply scholars. Our primary focus should always be compassionate care for God's sheep, and a sacrificial willingness to go after the 'lost sheep' to bring them into the fold. Yet, as we go about this work, we are to be wise, informed, and disciplined in our own thinking. We live and work in the devil's playground, and therefore must be thoroughly equipped. Keller is a wonderful model of a church servant with the heart of a pastor, and the mind of a scholar.

Physical Copy: Dimensions are 9.25 x 6.25 inches. Appears to be a Times New Roman text type or equivalent.