The Stories We Live By: Seven Cultural Myths That Fail Us and the Story That Never Will

by Timothy J. Keller, Michael Keller

Building on conversations Michael Keller had with his father, Timothy Keller, during the last years of Tim's life, The Stories We Live By unmasks the hidden cultural myths that shape our lives, often without our knowledge.

"This book is wonderful: deeply personal; irenic and pastoral; discerning and substantive, all at once. It will touch many, many people."--James Davison Hunter, author of Democracy and Solidarity and To Change the World

Every day culture tells us stories about who we are, why we are here, and what our future holds. Our current culture offers seven specific stories that shape our attitudes, our relationships, and our

Be true to yourselfLive free, just do no harmDo what makes you happyIt's all about powerBe on the right side of historyScience has all the answersMorality is relative, but justice mattersThese seven stories contain elements of truth, but they are built on flawed assumptions and internal contradictions that leave us feeling hollow, empty, anxious, and disillusioned.

But if we learn to recognize these stories when they appear, we can see the specific ways they make promises they can't keep. The Stories We Live By will give you language for conversations you've already been having. For questions you've been carrying. For tensions you've felt but couldn't name. And for the feeling that a better story exists in the face of suffering, trial, and grief.

Born from conversations between a father and son, The Stories We Live By is more than a work of cultural analysis. It is a guide rooted in personal experience to finding a truer, more beautiful, and far more satisfying story to live by.

Genres: Christian Living, Christian, Faith, Nonfiction, Theology, Christianity

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 22, 2026

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Timothy Keller was the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, which he started in 1989 with his wife, Kathy, and three young sons. For over twenty years he has led a diverse congregation of young professionals that has grown to a weekly attendance of over 5,000.

He was also Chairman of Redeemer City to City, which starts new churches in New York and other global cities, and publishes books and resources for faith in an urban culture. In over ten years they have helped to launch over 250 churches in 48 cities. More recently, Dr. Keller’s books, including the New York Times bestselling The Reason for God and The Prodigal God, have sold over 1 million copies and been translated into 15 languages.

Christianity Today has said, “Fifty years from now, if evangelical Christians are widely known for their love of cities, their commitment to mercy and justice, and their love of their neighbors, Tim Keller will be remembered as a pioneer of the new urban Christians.”

Dr. Keller was born and raised in Pennsylvania, and educated at Bucknell University, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and Westminster Theological Seminary. He previously served as the pastor of West Hopewell Presbyterian Church in Hopewell, Virginia, Associate Professor of Practical Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, and Director of Mercy Ministries for the Presbyterian Church in America.

Reviews

[Jed Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning and beautiful tribute to the life and ministry of Tim Keller. It’s neither from him or even about him, but you can hear his cultural analysis and gospel passion through his son’s own heart and words.

As a father, what could be a more lasting or powerful endorsement of his life’s work?

[Eelinh · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

A little disappointed to rate anything with Tim Keller's name on it so low but I thought this was just ok. Most of the writing is by his son, Michael, and the ideas and quotes that he shares from his father are an amalgamation of his previous works and teachings that I've read or heard before. Noticed a couple typos in the beginning. The last two chapters summarized the entire book very well. A lot of good takeaways but the writing was a little too repetitive -- not in the sense of "Oh, I'm glad he's stating this again so I can remember it." (there was some of that at the end), but more like "Why did he restate this sentence that he just wrote two sentences ago?"

I would be remiss if I didn't say that this book does well in paying tribute to Tim Keller from his son's perspective. Parts where he talks about the loss of his father had me tearing up. RIP TK

[Ryan Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good. Brings Making Sense of God down to a more popular level, and brings out of some of the things that were buried in Keller’s preaching book.

[Richard Myerscough · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly good and helpful read - one that illuminates and captivates. Something you can be helped by yourself and be confident in loaning or gifting to others.

[Trevor Atwood]

Great stuff.

Nothing new if you’ve read Tim Keller, but the perspective of his son on his Dad, is beautifully weaved in.

Love the epilogue.

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Stories We Live By" by Tim and Michael Keller is an excellent study in cultural apologetics.

They take 7 prevailing narratives of the secular West, acknowledge valid points in them, then show why they ultimately fail, then show why the Gospel is better.

[Anna Hardin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must-read book for Christians who want to live out the true story of God’s good world and our place in it. Michael, with helpful quotes from his father, turns a bright light on the seven cultural myths or worldviews that we take for granted. They are like the air we breathe, and we rarely question or even notice them.

Just turn on the television or look at social media, and you will realize that these myths have been catechizing you for much of your life. Freedom, happiness, truth, justice, and so many values we hold dear are all lacking. Keller looks at the good in each one, then shows us how it fails to satisfy.

Most everything Keller said, I already knew from other worldview studies. Many of them focused on philosophers and political leaders who took good things and made them ultimate things, creating destruction that has been well-documented. I enjoy all the cultural history, learning exactly where things went horribly wrong.

But that is not what Keller is offering. He skips over the history and philosophy and speaks directly to contemporary Christians and those who have an interest in Christianity. He shows us how to find our place in the story of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration Keller points to the God who wrote himself into the story in order to provide redemption and a new creation where we can serve and worship Him.

This would make a great book study. Hope it gets the attention it deserves.

[Peter Yock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Look, it's a good book, full of really helpful truth. But overall, there was an element of both 'weirdness' and 'disappointment' for me while reading it.

On social media, Tim Keller's profile keeps posting updates as if they're written by Tim Keller in the present, to the extent that you almost get the vibe that he's still alive and posting. I find that pretty weird, particularly since it hasn't been that long since he died. Reading this book felt a little like that - it's co-written by someone who died and their son. Many times Michael Keller would explain something, then slip into, "Dad said it this way...", followed by a long quote from his father. And the quotes from Tim were good! But it almost felt like Tim Keller was the authority, not the Bible. The quotes were from Tim's other published books, from Bible talks, and from unpublished papers. The unpublished papers are wonderful to glimpse, and I wonder if we wouldn't be better off just reading those, even in their draft form.

What I actually found most helpful about the book was Michael's own personal reflections on the passing of his father. These reflections showed up in almost every chapter. While I liked these moments, it left me wishing he hadn't tried to co-write a book with his deceased father, but had instead just written his own story of grieving the loss of his father. That would've been really helpful.

The central truths of this book are good and true and helpful. But in the end I felt like I'd read a weird conglomeration of things that didn't quite work the way they were intended.

[Kimberly]

This was so well written. I’ve always loved Tim Keller’s writing and his son Michael has a similar style and approach. The way they laid out the most prevalent stories our society lives by, analyzed and broke them down, and pointed out what those stories get right and how they fall short was really well done. I appreciated and related to the layer of grief Michael writes about as he lost his father to cancer in the midst of writing this book. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who appreciates an intellectual discussion of belief systems regardless of which system you ascribe to.

[Brad Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good! It is a melding together of Tim Keller‘s writing and thoughts and emails to his son on the topic of the cultural narratives that Americans predominantly believe and how the gospel tells a true and better story for those who follow Christ I thought the way that Michael woke together the words of his father who passed away in 2023, with his own take and writing style was really effective. This is a must read for those who want to follow Christ in a culture built on half truth and outright lies.

[Heidi Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book to make you think and rethink, to question your motivations, and if you have any understanding of what love really is. The thought process in this book is a bit complex and takes some effort to think through and digest. This book left me so peaceful, happy, and hopeful with a much deeper understanding of Jesus love. May I always keep my eyes on the cross and the love of the Son of Man and the Son of God that died for love of me.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting to read this knowing that Michael Keller completed against the backdrop of Tim Keller's passing. Michael uses his grief to illustrate the larger point of the book in its intro and conclusion with effectiveness. While a lot of the material was familiar, having consumed previous works and sermons by T. Keller, I still found the text interesting and engaging. Looking forward to the study with our class.

[Adam Kareus · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book which seeks to expose/uncover the stories modern society lives by and show how the gospel is better, a better true story. This book contains great insight into how many people think and also gives ways in which the gospel can be made real and relevant to them.

[Ben Mann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a simple, clear, and concise book. It uses the framework of beliefs and how they shape our life. It provides some heuristics to help with interrogating our beliefs. I recommend this to other thoughtful people.

[Cara Davenport · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book, but the title was the best part. It was still full of good and solid ideas, because it’s Tim Keller, but just felt like a bland exhale rather than a last burst of parting wisdom.

[Melanie Connell · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We are the stories we believe .”
Beautiful timely wisdom for our cultural narrative.

[Aaron J. Gregas · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 of 5. Very helpful.