One of my greatest hopes in writing the book Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation is to add to our understanding of evangelical history in the second half of the 20th century and into the early 21st century. Keller’s life spans and intersects with many of the most significant people, events, and trends within Christianity during the last 75 years.
The same can be said of John Piper, who along with Keller is a founding Council member of The Gospel Coalition. Piper is nearly five years older than Keller. Between them, they’ve studied in many of the most influential institutions of the post-war “new evangelicalism,” such as Wheaton College, Fuller Theological Seminary, and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. They’ve also built several of the most influential institutions of the “new Calvinism,” such as Bethlehem College and Seminary, Desiring God, and The Gospel Coalition—not to mention their own significant work as pastors.
They share something else in common: both list Jonathan Edwards and C. S. Lewis among their top influences. In this special season of Gospelbound, we’re exploring, in depth, several key influences that appear in my book Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation. John Piper joined me on this episode of Gospelbound to discuss Edwards, Lewis, evangelical feminism, and the reception to his own expansive writing and teaching.
The Gospel Coalition