"Timothy Keller’s recent work, Center Church (CC), is a substantive book on ecclesiology and philosophy of
ministry. It has received a lot of
attention since it was released last September.
With its graphic, glossy hardcover, and double columns throughout, the
395-page volume has the look and feel of a textbook. I believe that is what it was intended to be—a
textbook for pastors (particularly the urban ones) to maximize their
fruitfulness for the sake of the gospel.
Keller’s popularity and acceptance within mainstream evangelicalism have
positioned this book to hold significant influence on the American church for
some time to come.
After thoughtfully considering this
book and weighing it against Scripture, I have a few concerns. In spite of areas of agreement, I found the
heart and soul of the book to be biblically off-center. I fear that the theological vision of CC will cause more harm than good in
American churches. I don’t regard the
differences that I see between CC and
the Bible as minor or preferential. In
fact, I’m convinced that with nothing but the sufficient Word of God, no one
would arrive at this theological vision.
Where CC falls short of the
biblical ideal will not be of minor consequence. Regardless of what this evaluation may appear
to be, my primary reason for writing it is that I’m convinced that this vision
is unbiblical. I am sure that Keller
wrote this book with sincere motives. I
offer this critique with the sincere motive of love for Tim Keller, pastors at
large, the people of God, and the unbelievers in every community where they
serve. I desire to edify and highlight a
biblical vision that must not be lost or
else the church will suffer impotence and lose even more influence than it
already has. I write out of sincere
desire for the church of God to rest firmly on the Word of God, and think
discerningly about the way that Christ is building His church. I am convinced that we can’t improve on God’s
ways, and I consider it a step backward for the church to go in any direction,
theologically and methodologically, except that laid out in Scripture.
If you haven’t read CC, please read the synopsis of the book
below. If you have read the book, feel
free to skip ahead to the evaluation.
Synopsis of Center Church
Keller lays out what he
calls a ‘theological vision’ for doing ministry in the city.
