06/08/2026
Tim Keller helped shape a generation of evangelical pastors and leaders. His influence on apologetics, church planting, and cultural engagement cannot be denied.
But what happens when ministry strategies built for a neutral culture are carried into a culture that is no longer neutral?
We are living in what many have called a “negative world,” where biblical convictions are not merely questioned but increasingly viewed as harmful. In that environment, does a posture of perpetual nuance, careful distance, and “third way” engagement still work?
Or has the church become so concerned with avoiding controversy that it has lost clarity on moral issues that Scripture speaks plainly about?
The challenge facing Christian leaders today is not whether we can be gracious. We must be.
The challenge is whether we can be gracious without becoming vague, engaging without surrendering, and loving without softening the truth.
The men of Issachar “had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do” (1 Chronicles 12:32).
Do we?
My latest article explores why third wayism may have been effective in a neutral world, but why it increasingly struggles in a negative one.
The room has changed.
Has the church recognized it?
The darker the age becomes, the more obvious the light ought to be.
