A little more than two years ago I spoke with a publisher about an intriguing idea. They wanted to publish a book that was less about the influence of and more about the influences on Timothy Keller—his favorite books, his influential professors, his family origins, his first pastorate, the 9/11 attacks, and so on. To me that sounded just like the Keller I’ve known since 2007. He’s always eager to share what he’s reading and what he’s learning. Even facing pancreatic cancer, he’s still brimming with ideas. If God allows, he’ll continue writing and teaching for many years. (He has a new book on forgiveness coming this fall.)

I was honored, then, that Keller would give me free access to his personal notes and sermons, and grant me permission to interview family members and longtime friends, so I could tell his story. Early next year, Lord willing, you’ll be able to peer in on those conversations with the new book Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation, published by Zondervan Reflective.

I didn’t write this book as a Keller clone. I admire his work, even though we differ in many ways. I’m not Presbyterian. I live on the other end of America’s cultural divide in Birmingham, Alabama. I only visited Redeemer in New York a couple times when he preached. But I did, and do, write with much personal appreciation and a relationship that dates back to the early days of TGC, which Keller co-founded. TGC has never been about conformity to one person’s plans, unless that person is Jesus. We seek renewal from every source of living water. And I think you’ll see in this book what makes TGC tick, a theological vision for ministry for 21st-century mission that transcends denomination and geography.