"How to Reach the West Again" by Tim Keller
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How to Reach the West Again: Six Essential Elements of a Missionary Encounter. Timothy Keller. Redeemer City to City: New York, NY, 2020.
Tim Keller's 58-page booklet, How to Reach the West Again, is a mission strategy with a clear prognosis of a problem and a discussion of how to solve said problem. As is typically the case with Keller, the dilemma is convincingly written. Keller's solution is a big-city plan as well thought out as any New Yorker serving in big-city challenges could develop. But there's a bigger problem. The presence, working, and power of God are assumed, almost right out of Keller's solution.
As is typical with many books on mission strategy, dependence upon God is taken for granted so much so that it's nearly forgotten. In the discussion of the problem, there's no mention of the possibility that God is hardening a culture before he judges that culture. Keller argues that the Church is not sharing the gospel in a relevant way, and he recommends we repackage the message better so that people will want to hear, but there's little dependence on the power of the message itself (p 18-25). Keller wrote a book titled Prayer, but prayer is not a part of his suggested solution. Arguing that the answer for the Church is to return to the methods and practices of the First through Fourth Century Christians, he fails to mention the appearance of weakness held by the early Church. There was no mention of persecution and martyrdom. The book contained no discussion of the hard-fought battles for correct theology within the Church. The early councils and confessions were absent from the pages. And his theology does not match that of the Early Church, who were desperately dependent upon God over cultural engagement and Christian presence in the big cities of worldly influence.
I wanted to like this little book, and I did, at first. The words sounded though out and right until I reached the end and felt something lacking.
It's the same worldly song and dance. To summarize Keller, the Church today needs to focus on being multi-racial and multi-ethnic, highly committed to caring for the poor and marginalized, forgiving, non-political, against abortion, and teaching an entirely different sex ethic. These things are the byproducts of the transformation of salvation, the cross, and Christ crucified. The Church needs to be about the message of reconciliation of man to God, and then Christians will be capable of such things. Keller's goals are among many evidence of a radically changed soul, a regenerated heart, and a not conformed to this world mind, yet they are not the gospel's chief goals or primary destination. They are good, but they are not first.
Keller's tips are helpful but should come second to a charge that we should be telling the truth about God, boldly and often. We must trust that the power of salvation is found in God's Word (Romans 1:16), and people get saved by hearing the gospel (Romans 10:14-21). Christians should set themselves to God's plan and strategy for reaching God's Kingdom people, not plan God out and pat ourselves on the back for our perceived limited success, if any.
How to Reach the West Again lacks solid biblical teaching in favor of cultural and man-strategy. The tips may be helpful for the missionary and the Church, but they are not first from God and his Word, and then a look at potential best practices. The only mention of Christ is found in the section on repackaging the gospel, and even then, Jesus is shared like an add-on or afterthought.
I am disappointed with this book. If I did everything suggested and if all the Church in the West did this plan flawlessly, we'd still be right where we are today, or maybe even worse off. Not because Keller's advice itself is wrong, but because the starting place is with man. Twenty more pages may have made all the difference. Starting with God in a book about being an ambassador of God makes sense. Maybe the conclusions would have been different, maybe not, but it would have held more biblical authority in a world that's lacking God. Sadly, this is not a book I can recommend to others.