Timothy Keller invites hope in a new book on the theme of the resurrection

“Death, pandemic, war, injustice, social isolation, so many reasons to give in to despair… How can the resurrection of Jesus bring us hope and transform our daily lives? ". This is the question Pastor Timothy Keller answers in his new book, "A Hope in Troubled Times", published by Clé. 

Suffering from thyroid cancer in 2002, Timothy Keller reports having been encouraged by reading a book which reminded him that death had been conquered in Jesus and that it was also going to be so for him. Almost twenty years later, when he was faced with a new diagnosis, pancreatic cancer much more serious than his previous illness, he in turn published a book on the theme of the resurrection entitled “Hope in troubled times”.

The writing of this book also comes at the heart of a troubled period for the world in general, since he is writing it in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. A health crisis that has rekindled the fear of death among many and has led to its share of problems, in particular social ones, beyond the disease. In addition, as he recalls in the preface, shortly before the Covid, the United States witnessed a massive mobilization against racism, a fight revived, among other things, by the tragic death of George Floyd.

"Death, pandemics, social injustices, we desperately need a stone of hope", writes the pastor referring to the famous speech of Martin Luther King, "I Have a Dream", which declared in front of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963, that with faith "we will be able to carve out of the mountains of despair a stone of hope".

“And there is no greater hope than believing that Jesus has risen from the dead,” continues Timothy Keller. With this new work, he thus invites the reader to live the power of the resurrection on a daily basis, to understand the impact of the Cross on our life and finally, to grasp the hope to come and present that the victory of Jesus gives us. on death.

"The resurrection of Jesus brings a hope of change that will shape all aspects of our lives: our relationships, our relationship to ethics, to money, to success, to justice, to suffering, our perspective on the future, etc. It redirects our gaze towards the only reliable and lasting source of hope since we live in expectation of our own resurrection and the coming of the kingdom of God. »

As usual, the author delivers throughout the pages a relevant analysis based on the Bible which encourages us not to let ourselves be guided by fear, but rather by the promises of God.

This book is a real breath of fresh air in an increasingly scary world, which rightly reminds us that whatever we are going through, there is nothing that the resurrection “cannot cure”!

Timothy Keller is the founding pastor of New York-based Redeemer Presbyterian Church. He is also the author of several popular Christian books, including “Reason is for God”, “A Church Centered on the Gospel” and “The Marriage”.

Camille Westphal Perrier