The Tim Keller Wiki

Keller fans have banded together to compile a full listing of audio, video and written resources that are available online.

Muslim Priest and Buddhist Bishop-Elect Are Raising Questions About Syncretism

Jesus saves, the Episcopal Church teaches, but a growing number of its clergy and leaders believe other faiths may lead to salvation as well. Long divided and distracted by questions of sexual ethics, the Episcopal Church (along with most mainline Protestant communities) are facing a cultural and theological shift towards religious pluralism—the belief that there are diverse paths to God.

Facebook Faceoff

I couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking as he pulled out his iPhone and took advantage of a new Facebook application — right in the middle of the sermon.

It was then that I realized the narcissistic machine that is Facebook.

Sharing Compassion

If you haven’t already watched Selamawit & Nahu’s story, visit sharingcompassion.ca. If you’ve ever considered sponsoring a child, go to compassion.ca.

Thanks to the Body of Christ and a Prayer Request

Emily and I have greatly appreciated the amazing outpouring of love we’ve received from our friends and family over the last few days. We are honestly overwhelmed by it. For those of you who are inclined, please continue to pray for Emily in particular as she recovers from her recent miscarriage. Thanks very much in advance.

Debates—particularly those centered around beliefs you affirm—are always tricky to watch; it is incredibly difficult (at least it is for me) to try to listen to an opposing idea without a desire to start picking it apart before it’s even come out of the speaker’s mouth.

The Nightline Face-Off between Mark Driscoll, Annie Lobert, Carlton Pearson & Deepak Chopra was, honestly, no different in that way. But, here are my thoughts, for better or worse: Continue Reading…

This week has been extremely difficult at the Armstrong home.

It started off well, with Emily and I completing the announcement of her pregnancy to our family, then to our network. This was great. Emily and I love being parents and having more children is a great privilege and blessing for us.

Then, there was Tuesday.

“The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job 1:21

Emily was concerned because she was experiencing some difficulties related to the pregnancy, so we went to the emergency room. After several hours of compassionate assistance, we learned that our baby had died, and had apparently done so at least  a couple weeks prior. Emily and I went home, with mixed emotions; grieved, yet at peace with it, because God is good.

Wednesday we had a visit from one of our pastors, and we greatly appreciated his time and his prayers. Emily and I had a pretty nice afternoon, talking together, drinking a mocha and praising God for His goodness. As we reflected on Scripture, we prayed that this would ultimately be a testimony to His glory.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4

Wednesday night, Emily became wracked with pain and was experiencing complications with the miscarriage. She had lost a lot of blood, and she was again off to the emergency room, this time in an ambulance. Our friends John and Meghan arrived to stay with Abigail (our two-year-old daughter), and I quickly followed, praying that I not be tempted to forget that God has ordained all things for good “for all who are called, according to his purposes.” Romans 8:28b

“… we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:2b-5

After being separated from Emily for 40 minutes, I was allowed to join her in the treatment area. I watched as she groaned in pain, pale and cooler to the touch than she’s ever been, while the doctor worked to take care of her. At that moment, I was no longer afraid. I simply did my best to comfort Emily and trusted that God would do what would bring Him glory.

The doctor removed an obstruction that was causing Emily’s excessive bleeding… and Emily was calm. Her breathing became more relaxed. Her skin started to become slightly warmer. I’m not sure how to explain it exactly. Over the next several hours, her color improved and her body temperature increased, although she was still very weak. At three-ish in the morning I was released to go home and get a bit of sleep.

Thursday morning I returned to the hospital while Emily was in the process of getting two ultrasounds to diagnose her health. When she had finished her tests, we returned to her station in the emergency room to await the results and our options for further care. Emily slept lightly while I read a book beside her. At two in the afternoon, the doctor provided us with some medication and the okay to return home. And home we went.

After having something to eat, and returning some phone calls, we talked some more.

We mourned the loss of our baby.

We thanked Jesus for the outpouring of love we’ve received from our friends, their prayers, and the several meals they’ve made for us. And we thanked Jesus that He knows exactly what we’re going through.

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses…” Heb. 4:15a

“For Christ also suffered…” 1 Pet. 3:18

What am I learning from this truly tragic set of events? I am learning to find joy in suffering.

In a bizarre way, Emily and I have received a great gift through all of this. We have seen that we do not need to hide the difficulties in our lives and pretend like nothing’s going on. We have seen that we can turn to our friends for help and support whenever we need it, because they actually do love us. We are learning to see what the body of Christ looks like when it functions as it should. We are being conformed into the image and likeness of Christ, who suffered as we have, but in His suffering did not sin.

And this is a wonderful gift.

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Romans 8:18

You can watch the entire debate between Mark Driscoll, Annie Lobert, Carlton Pearson & Deepak Chopra here.

After you’ve watched, come back and share your thoughts.

UPDATE: My comments on the entire debate can be found in our final Nightline Face-Off post.

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

More tomorrow.

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed some odd jumps in my blog traffic, and two referral sites with massive numbers attached, Alpha Inventions and Condron.us. Naturally, I was curious what exactly these were; after visiting the sites, I saw that they were “blog surfing” websites; that is, websites that essentially channel surf through blogs  to give viewers a snapshot of any blogs they’ve picked up.

And while I’ve found the concept interesting, I find myself wondering about the ethical implications:

Are these sites a way to genuinely generate readership?

Do they artificially inflate the views on our blogs so we can feel better about ourselves?

How many folks have stumbled onto a blog they like through sites like AI and Condron?

I’m curious what you think; let me know your thoughts in the comments section.

This article was originally written for and published by Small Group Exchange. I have republished the article here with permission.

It was our first night with our Bible Study, and I was nervous. I had facilitated discussion a couple of times at other groups I’d been a part of over the previous year, but this was different. This was the group that I started. This was my “really big show,” as they say (can you sense the pride?). I presented the vision that I had in mind for the group – I was excited, the group was excited (or at least polite enough to not say otherwise), and we were off to the races.

Over the next several weeks, we limped along, with so-so discussion and content, but everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves (so, that was a win, right?). We struggled to figure out how we were going to run our study… while running our study. At the same time, my gifts were just beginning to emerge, which center around teaching. And as I grew in this area, and began to figure out a style of teaching that encouraged discussion, our group really took off. People were learning, new people were joining, people were repenting of sin; it was awesome.

Then I began to wonder: Should I go to seminary? If I’m teaching the Bible, shouldn’t I have a degree of some sort?

Continue Reading…

I am finally getting to the end of Jerry Bridges’ The Pursuit of Holiness, after setting it down for about three months. It is a great book—both profound and extremely convicting. I think the most convicting chapter has been related to holiness in the body (chapter 11).

I am a guy who really struggles with his weight. I have a horrible sweet tooth—an unrelenting desire for tasty things made of sugar.

And I hate it.

Back in 2004, I was 310 pounds and decided enough was enough. I started eating rigidly according to the GI diet, and even started eating on a regular schedule (going from one meal to six smaller meals per day). I worked out religiously… and the weight I’d carried most of my life came off.

I dropped 120 pounds in a little over a year. When I got married in 2006, I was just north of 190 pounds, had muscle tone for the first time in my life, and had the start of what might have become a six-pack. It was really cool.

So what happened?

Honestly, I got lazy. I became undisciplined.

I started thinking, “Oh, a sweet here and there can’t hurt. I can handle it.” Only, I couldn’t.

Working out became more difficult when our daughter was born and I cancelled my gym membership; I couldn’t make it out enough to actually get the value I needed from it. I had the skills to exercise at home. Only I didn’t.

Today, I’m somewhere north of 230 pounds. Because I became undisciplined and lazy. Because I have indulged in something which I can honestly say is a sin for me.

Here is what I am learning in the pursuit of holiness: Do not become undisciplined and lazy. When I feel conviction, I must listen to my conviction and not give in to temptation. I must remember that it is the Holy Spirit who will give me the strength to resist temptation whenever it comes, if only I will be obedient.

This morning, I’m going out for a run before anyone in the house wakes up. It might not be long, but it’ll be good. And by God’s grace, I’ll do it again the next day. And the next. I will not succumb to the temptation to indulge my sweet tooth. And while I run, and while I eat, I will remember Paul’s words in 1 Cor. 9:27: No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Alternative Lifestyles.

Typically defined as any socially-unconventional lifestyle, especially (but not limited to) in terms of sexuality, we all know (or are) someone who lives what is considered an “alternative lifestyle.”

Homosexuality. Bisexuality. Polyamory. Alternative medicine. New Age Spirituality. Veganism. Radical environmentalism. These are a few of the things considered “alternative” by Western society’s standards.

But here’s the thing: Most of these aren’t “alternative” at all. Formerly taboo sexual habits are generally widely accepted. Canada, for example, legally endorses same-sex marriage, with polygamy potentially waiting in the wings. Alternative health treatments are available to the masses and even covered by many health plans. Spiritual plurality is the norm, and continues to move forward thanks to the great prophet of our time, Oprah. Environmentalism is the new hot religion of our age, with most Canadians living in fear of David Suzuki’s haunting visage popping through a hole in our walls. Even London is joining in by committing to Earth Hour (where we all turn off our lights for an hour and sing songs to “mother earth” by candlelight…or something).

This is not alternative. This is the world in which we live.

Have you ever wondered about what a real alternative lifestyle looks like?

This week we’re beginning a new series called A Real Alternative Lifestyle. We’ll be presenting stories from people who are striving to live a lifestyle that’s truly alternative: A biblical one.

Hope you enjoy.

How to be a Reader when You Can’t Afford Books

Trevin Wax at Kingdom People offers helpful and practical advice on reading a lot without spending a fortune doing it.

Mark Driscoll interviews Matt Chandler

From The Resurgence.com:

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Reflections on the Word “Unchurched”

Josh Harris provides an excerpt from a chapter on the church from his next book. From the original post:

I think that one of the oddest words in the Christian lexicon is the word unchurched. Have you heard someone use this word? Usually it’s spoken by pastors or church leaders talking about the people they want to save. At some point in the 1980s somebody decided that terms like unsaved, unbeliever, non-Christian, sinner and hell-bound pagan were offensive to the people they described. So they came up with the term unchurched in order to have a nice way of talking about people who are not Christians.

This fascinates me. Who decides when new words get to be made up? It seems like a pretty big deal. Was it a group effort? How long did they brainstorm? Did they have a whiteboard? And what were the other options? They could have chosen unchristianed or unjesused.

Looks like it’ll be an interesting read.

The Poll Continues

There’s still time to register a vote in our “What is your church known for” poll—I’m curious to see the results at the end.

On a personal note…

My wife and I are very excited that we’ll be second-time parents at the end of September. Prayers are always appreciated that everything goes smoothly and that (perhaps) God will bless us with a boy to help even out the hormones in our little home.