Review: The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith – Tim Keller

The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith
Author: Timothy Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, NYC
Publisher: Penguin Group; 160 pages; hardcover
ISBN: 0525950796

Overview

This easy-reading book explains Jesus’ famous parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15. However, instead of focusing on the wayward younger brother, Pastor Keller focuses upon the elder brother, the one who does not enter the feast. By following Jesus’ emphasis on the elder brother, Keller seeks to show that being religious (i.e. moralism) is just as sinful in God’s eyes as being rebellious (i.e. licentiousness); for both “religion” and “irreligion” are rooted in the same heart posture against God: autonomy. Thus, the climax of Jesus’ parable is a stringent rebuke to all “elder brothers” who attempt to put God in their debt through the pretext of religious obedience and service.

Reflections

This is a good book. It explains basics of the gospel and confronts common misconceptions head on. It is a quick read with short and well-organized chapters, and it is the sort of book that can easily be given as a gift. Because moralism (and all its arrogant accouterments) is rampant in the church, and because anti-church-type people see through moralism’s pretexts better than anyone (i.e. “the church is just a bunch of hypocrites”), this book would be a great conversation-starter/gift to both Christians and skeptics alike.

Constructive Criticisms

While I truly think this is a good book and well worth reading, it leaves room for improvement in the following areas:

Ostentatiousness

This small book makes too large a claim: It takes upon itself the burden of explaining all of Christianity through the lens of one simple parable and solving all the problems of religion through the categories of moralism and liberalism. Throughout the book there are multiple claims that sound as if all the ideas in Jesus’ parable are revolutionary and novel–as if the other 65 book of the Bible and the previous generations of God’s history of redemption have nothing to say about man’s relation to God and about the twin problems of moralism and licentiousness; as if in one simple parable Jesus re-defines everything we’ve ever known about the Christian life.

For example, the chief difference between Keller’s book/sermon (which, BTW, the book is simply an extended sermon) and the sermon by Ed Clowney upon which Keller’s is based, is that the latter is published simply as one sermon among many others. That’s what Keller’s book is–one good sermon; It needs a lifetime of others to go with it.

Accordingly, the book’s marketing blurbs almost make the book sound like a “secret key” to unlock a hidden meaning in Jesus’ parable and all the mysteries of the Christian life. If the book would claim less, it could accomplish its purpose–to proclaim the Gospel from one of Jesus’ parables–more powerfully.

Subjective focus

Most of Keller’s exegesis focuses on the subjective thinking, feeling, and behavior of the parable’s actors, and most of Keller’s application is aimed at the subjetive transformation of the modern reader. While we never want to lose a proper focus on the subjective, throughout the book the objective side of the Gospel is not allowed to shine as brightly as it does in Scripture.

For example:

• Resurrection life, one of the chief objective benefits of the Gospel, is not mentioned in Keller’s exegesis, even though this benefit is found in the climax of father’s joy in both Act I and Act II of the parable (v. 24 and v. 32).
• The redefinition of sin in ch. 3, which focuses on the subjective responses of moralism and licentiousness, needs to be set against the objective backdrop of God’s holiness.
• The redefinition of “lostness” in ch. 4 would have better followed Scripture by bringing the objective nature of sin and misery due to man’s Fall into view (along with the subjective results) rather than focusing almost exclusively on man’s subjective lapses into moralism or licentiousness.
• Even where the objective accomplishment of the Gospel is brought into view (most notably in ch. 5), the focus remains solely on Christ’s atonement without any focus on the other objective benefits of the duplex gratia Dei, such as the positive righteousness of Christ that is given to believers as they are brought into an estate of salvation.

Admittedly, this small book is not meant to be a whole theology–but, that’s precisely why I wish it had a less ostentatious claim and a more narrow focus.

Related Resources

Listen to Tim Keller’s sermon: The Prodigal Sons (MP3)

Download Ed Clowney’s sermon (free PDF) and/or listen to class lectures from Keller and Clowney’s joint preaching class, at Crossway’s blog.

Read Clowney’s collection of sermons, which includes “Sharing The Father’s Welcome”:

The Prodigal God Reviewed Elsewhere

• Tim Challies gives a detailed review.
• Camden Bucey gives a good summary and review.
• Phil Ryken gives a short blurb/recommendation.
• Bob Hayton, a former “elder brother,” announces the book and reflects on Clowney’s sermon. [Thanks, Bob, for the Crossway link.]
• The Westminster Bookstore Blog introduces the book and links to interviews with Keller, etc.