Will Gerrald

The obsession with Keller from the “negative world” espousing and “shepherds for sale” fans would be fascinating if it weren’t grotesque. Why does this man who devoted his life to preaching the gospel in a hostile place make you so angry? Do you hate the idea that grace is wide enough for New York liberals? Do you hate his message that your sins surpass your best deeds and you’re desperate for mercy? I attended a service around 2008 where Keller did a Q&A for the audience after the service. Attendees could ask anything. So of course, one of the first was about homosexuality. Keller said (I am paraphrasing): “In order to get on the same page, I need to know if we agree that Jesus rose from the dead. If not, let’s sort that out first. If so…” and then he went on to make an argument for the biblical sexual ethic. It was a teleological argument — the body has a purpose, tells a story, both in pursuit of the family and in representation of the gospel. It was a complementarian argument, now that I think about it. He did this in Hunter College Auditorium, on front of hundreds of people. But not in front of a denominational jury, or for social media, and certainly not to impress right wing ghouls who build their platform crapping on him from great heights. He was pastoring. And it was profound and beautifully stated.