How Tim Keller’s Book Helped Save Lecrae’s Life
By Movieguide® Contributor
Grammy winner and hip-hop artist Lecrae recently opened up about a dark time in his life, sharing how Tim Keller’s book helped save his life.
Lecrae told The Christian Post that for several years, Lecrae was the “darling” of evangelical Christianity. “Nothing I could do or say was wrong,” he said–until he started to speak up against racial injustice.
“There was so much backlash and people canceling me and people saying that I was no longer a Christian, and it really drove me to a place of darkness, because in my mind, where else was there to go?” he stated.
“I had kind of made my mind up that this was the only expression and iteration of Christianity that was valuable and that made sense, and if these people have turned their back on me, then maybe it wasn’t real to begin with. And that hurt. That pain kind of drove me to a place of doubt and deconstruction,” he added.
Lecrae described that time in his life as one of the “darkest seasons,” and he thought about ending it all.
But the rapper began reading Keller’s book “Prodigal Prophet.”
In it, Keller, who died from pancreatic cancer in May 2023, focuses on how the biblical story of Jonah and the whale points to Jesus.
“I am literally on the verge of wanting to end my life, being honest,” he expressed. “And I’m trying to read this book, like, ‘God, just speak to me.'”
“And as I’m reading ‘Prodigal Prophet,’ a story of Jonah and a giant fish, I see this massive whale come up out of the ocean, and come back down, and the water had been coming from its spout,” he continued. “It was almost as if God was just saying, ‘I’m here. I’m with you. I see you, and keep pushing forward.’ And that was a life-altering moment.”
Later in the interview, Lecrae talked about what interested him in Keller’s teachings.
“One of the things I admire about Tim Keller is that he was not there to teach Christians how to become pastors, but he was there to use his biblical insight and wisdom to unpack the scriptures for Christians so that they can be effective believers in society, whatever field of endeavor they functioned in,” Lecrae said.
“He had this quadrant that I use consistently that just showed me that I need to be distinct, but at the same time, I need to be transformational and do humble excellence and service,” he added.
“His work alone has probably been the single most influential for me in reaching a very skeptical, atheistic kind of space that I was entering it. He always spoke as if nonbelievers were in the room, and so it affected every aspect of what I was doing as an artist as a speaker, and everything else,” Lecrae concluded.
Keller was an inspiration to Christians around the world. His death was mourned by many people, including Movieguide® Founder and Publisher Dr. Ted Baehr.
“I love listening to Tim Keller’s sermons and talks. He said he was a fan of MOVIEGUIDE® when we visited. Some of my children made a point of visiting his church when they were in New York City. He was a brilliant cultural apologist,” Baehr said.
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