Book Review: King's Cross

Contrary to easy misconception, this book review is not for a volume that provides an in depth analysis of one of London's stations. Instead, this is a review of Tim Keller's "King's Cross: The Story of the World in the Life of Jesus". Published last year, I got a copy recently as I'm a big fan of the way Keller preaches, writes, and runs his church. When my family and I visited Redeemer last year we were seriously impressed - the service pointed to Jesus and was clearly for God's Glory, and it was exciting to hear about what God is doing in New York. This book, then, is very pertinent for Keller: his life is about living out the Life of Jesus in the Stories of this world.

If you've read any Keller before - and you should - then his style will be familiar to you. He writes as one who has read a huge amount (he has) and as one with something to say (he is). Keller opens with positive surprise at the interest in Jesus and his historicity, in recent times. This is not a book about Jesus for the sake of it - this is a book about Jesus aimed at the heart of contemporary interest, contemporary culture, and contemporary churchmanship. This, then, is a survey of the life of Jesus, balancing the twin themes of King and Cross, with special reliance on Mark's Gospel.

As hinted at in the prior paragraph, Keller balances his exploration of Jesus in this book on two key words: King, and Cross. This is possibly one of the greatest strengths of his book. Christians who love Jesus are often guilty of presenting a slanted picture of the Gospel. Some over-emphasise the Cross, others over-emphasise (often starting as a perfectly valid response!) his kingship. I think Keller nails the Gospel balance between the ultimate victory and sacrifice of the Cross, and the inauguration and announcement of Jesus as King. This balance is reflected right down to the very layout of the book: it is in two parts, "The King" and "The Cross".

Keller's presentation of Jesus is very helpful. Its orthodox but intelligent. Traditional yet engaged. Relevant yet very, very deep. He closes his book with a final chapter entitled "The Beginning". And I love that fact. It is too easy to overlook Jesus, or to confine him to history. In reality, Jesus life and death on earth were the beginning of something. Something amazing. Something that, as Keller observes, you can be part of.

In closing, this is a book well worth reading. If you are frustrated by Christianity, or frustrated by portraits of Jesus, this book is for you. If you have been a Christian for a while, this book is for you. If you get frustrated at misrepresentations or shallow presentations of the Gospel, this book is for you. You can get it at Amazon, the Book Depository, or your local Christian bookshop.