Keller’s Formation: Richard Lints on Theological Vision

The Gospel Coalition’s Foundation Documents include a “theological vision for ministry,” originally drafted by Tim Keller. I had never heard of theological vision before I read this statement in 2007. Soon I learned that the concept originated by Richard Lints in his book The Fabric of Theology. Theological vision is the space between your doctrinal beliefs and your ministry programs. Theological vision helps you adapt your ministry to changing conditions while keeping centered on the unchanging gospel.

Richard Lints has published a new book, Uncommon Unity: Wisdom for the Church in an Age of Division, which includes a foreword from Keller. In this book Lints exposes problems with the inclusion narrative of democracy and offers a better way forward to find unity amid unprecedented cultural diversity in our day.

He writes, “The main thing I want to do in this book is to view the gospel story as the interpretive lens through which we best understand the telos of creation as a rich, deep, and complex unity-in-difference.”

In this special season of Gospelbound, we’re exploring in depth several key influences that appear in my book Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation. Lints is himself one of those influences. He is senior consulting theologian at Redeemer City to City in New York City. Previously, he served as Andrew Mutch Distinguished Professor of Theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts, alma mater of Tim and Kathy Keller. I was grateful for this chance on Gospelbound to talk with him about unity, diversity, theological vision, and much more.