The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller (Review)

Tim Keller is a Presbyterian minister in New York City and has been a sensation in the PCA for bringing attention to his denomination, and has also been admired among church plants for his success in growing Redeemer Church in New York City (A city where the church has struggled to thrive), and his evangelism methods have been widely influential to multiple denominations throughout the country. The Reason for God was #7 on the New York Times Non-Fiction Best Seller's list in March 2008.

The Prodigal God is a half-sized book (like the Treasure Principle that I previously reviewed) and I read all 133 pages in under two hours. Keller devotes the first third of the book to commentary on Jesus' parable of The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-31) with extra emphasis on the "Elder-brother". Keller wrote that he was inspired by Edmund Clowney's expositions of the Prodigal Son, so Keller uses this parable as a foundation for the whole book. Tim Keller is an excellent orator and incorporates famous literature, people and historical events in his sermons, and the last half of this book riffles through several of the best ones I had heard him use in his sermons.  It is common for Keller to incorporate Caesar's Gallic wars, the Lord of the Rings, and Jonathan Edwards in a single sermon. Keller's frequent references to Jonathan Edwards interests me the most but his intellectual and informed style has been very appealing to New Yorkers and has contributed to the successful growth of his Redeemer Church to over 4,000 members.

My only criticism of the book is that it is too expensive for its small size: $20 new at borders and $15 on amazon. I eventually obtained a copy through the inter-Library loan system.

So, I highly recommend this book if you're unfamiliar with Tim Keller, but I still think he is a much better speaker than a writer. Many pastors assemble their sermon notes into a book after doing a long sermon series. If you enjoy those kinds of books, then you will enjoy this book as well. Overall, the book was easy and fun to read, and I recommend it for a light, easy and rewarding read. Keller's goal was to write a book that would rekindle conversation between the lost and the Christian faith, and I believe he has succeeded. So read the book and give it to your non-Christian friend and then have a conversation!

By: Wyatt Houtz