Timothy Keller Sermons Podcast by Gospel in Life Let Them Give Up Their Violence
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May 11, 2026 A look at ancient Assyrian violence and why Jonah responds with anger. Three topics: surprising sources of violence, a wise strategy for confronting it, and the ultimate solution. Discussion touches on how paganism, relativism, and moralism fuel cruelty. Explores God's mix of firmness and mercy, and practical steps toward forgiveness and restorative justice.
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Why Worldviews Shape Violence
- Ancient polytheism and modern secular relativism both normalize a violent, power-driven worldview that erodes justice.
- Timothy Keller cites Augustine and evolution-era thinking to link lack of a single moral lawgiver with systemic oppression and cruelty.
Religious Moralism Can Fuel Violence
- Religion can be a source of violence when moralism supplies righteousness without grace, producing hatred toward sinners.
- Keller uses Jonah's anger at Nineveh to show a prophet becoming violently resentful because he feels morally superior.
Reject Vengeance And Resignation
- Avoid both vengeance and resignation when someone wrongs you; neither serves justice or the common good.
- Keller defines vengeance as hurting to heal yourself and resignation as permanently excluding the wrongdoer to avoid pain.
