Michael and Tim Keller Examine the Stories We Live By

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Michael Keller

Michael Keller and his late father, Tim Keller, have teamed up for “The Stories We Live By: Seven Cultural Myths That Fail Us and the Story That Never Will,” released September 22 through Zondervan. The project grew out of conversations the two began before Tim’s death in 2023.

The book looks at seven cultural narratives surrounding ideas like identity, freedom, power, happiness, truth, morality and progress. Rather than simply dismissing those ideas, the Kellers consider what makes each one appealing, where it falls short and how the gospel offers a fuller story.

Michael had originally encouraged his father to make some of the ideas in “Making Sense of God” more accessible. Tim surprised him by suggesting they write the project together. While undergoing cancer treatment, Tim helped develop the outline and directed Michael toward years of notes and unpublished material.

“These are my dad’s ideas, but I sat down and put it in a narrative form,” Michael told Publishers Weekly. “The goal was to make it more accessible.”

The result is both cultural analysis and a practical look at the stories people absorb — often without realizing it — and how Christians might engage them with more understanding and less reflexive criticism.