The Stories We Live By: How Jesus Critiques and Completes What Our Culture Tells Us

by Timothy J. Keller, Sean Pratt (Narrator), Michael Keller

'Do what makes you happy.' 'Be true to yourself.' 'Live free.' If these slogans promise the good life, why do they so often leave us feeling hollow and empty?
Could the very stories our modern world tells us about happiness, freedom, and identity be the source of our growing anxiety and disillusionment?
The culmination of a journey Michael Keller began with his father, beloved pastor and bestselling author Timothy Keller, before his passing, The Stories We Live By unmasks the hidden cultural narratives that shape our lives, often without our knowledge.
Michael and Timothy Keller examine seven dominant narratives of modern culture - concerning identity, power, freedom, morality, truth, happiness, and progress. The authors show how these stories contain elements of truth yet are built on flawed assumptions and internal contradictions that leave us fragile, divided, and unable to cope with the realities of life.

The Stories We Live By helps
Recognise where these stories appear throughout culture
Understand why they leave us feeling hollow and unfulfilled
Decode the specific ways these stories hijack our decision-making, and learn how to critically evaluate them going forward
Understand why the Christian story offers a more satisfying answer to our deepest longings
Make sense of both the beauty and the brokenness of the world
Find a hope that can sustain us through suffering, grounded in a story that is bigger than death itself

For the sceptic, this book offers a challenge to examine the unproven beliefs that drive our lives. For the Christian, it is an essential tool for recognizing where we have unknowingly absorbed cultural narratives that conflict with our faith. And for everyone, it is an invitation to discover a story that is big enough to make sense of both the beauty and the brokenness of the world - a story of grace that has the power to carry us through life's deepest joys and sorrows.

Born from a conversation between a father and son, The Stories We Live By is more than a cultural analysis. It is a guide to finding a truer, more beautiful, and far more satisfying story to live by.

Audible Audio

Published September 24, 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.