Pastor Tim Keller Finds 'Hope and Strength' in God as Pancreatic Cancer Reaches Stage IV

Prominent pastor and Christian author Tim Keller shared a heartwarming message Friday about his continued faithfulness to our Lord and Savior as he battles pancreatic cancer.

"I have Stage IV pancreatic cancer. But it is endlessly comforting to have a God who is both infinitely more wise and more loving than I am. He has plenty of good reasons for everything He does and allows that I cannot know, and therein is my hope and strength," he wrote.

I have Stage IV pancreatic cancer. But it is endlessly comforting to have a God who is both infinitely more wise and more loving than I am. He has plenty of good reasons for everything he does and allows that I cannot know, and therein is my hope and strength.

— Timothy Keller (@timkellernyc) December 3, 2021

Keller, who is the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, first made public his prognosis in June 2020. He indicated that he wasn't worried because God is with him throughout this journey.

In a second tweet, the pastor wrote that he was grateful for the prayers and kind comments left by so many.

"I deeply appreciate prayer for my situation! But my main purpose in the last post was to show that having a God who in some ways is beyond our comprehension (esp regarding evil and suffering) is more of a spiritual strength than it is an intellectual problem."

Several fellow Christian leaders responded to Keller's tweets:

Ed Litton, president of Southern Baptist Convention wrote, "Our brother Tim, this glorifies God! Stand firm in the Lord and the power of His might. Fight on our brother."

President of Global Action, Dr. Rick Thompson shared, "Your impact on my life and ministry has been immense. Perhaps now more than ever."

Pastor Andy Stager wrote, "You've taught me so much in the last 15 years. And you've helped show me how delightful it is to believe. Prayers!"

As CBN's Faithwire reported, Keller previously battled thyroid cancer. In a 2008 interview with First Things, he said that experience helped him eliminate doubts he had about God — uncertainties he didn't even realize were there.

In fact, that experience is part of what inspired his 2009 book, The Reason for God, a primer for anyone seeking to understand how belief in God is a logical and rational hope.

"It was a wonderful experience," Keller said at the time. "It was both an intellectual and emotional experience: You're facing death, you're not sure you're going to get over the cancer. And the rigorous intellectual process of going through all the alternative explanations for how the Christian Church started. Except the resurrection, none of them are even tenable. It was quite an experience." 

"So in a way, I was working on a doubt and it was a wonderful experience, and I took it down," he continued. "Maybe there is a deeper level of doubt that I don't even know is there yet. So it's for you and your ability to be a good apologist." 

Please continue to pray for Tim Keller and his family. 

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