New book charts Billy Graham’s cultural legacy and looks to Timothy Keller as evangelical successor
On October 10, 2026, a new book titled The Stories We Live By was released, co‑authored by the late evangelist Timothy Keller and his son Michael, to examine the cultural story of Billy Graham and to consider who might follow him as the leading figure of U.S. evangelical Protestantism.
The book leans on data from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, noting that Graham’s revival meetings reached roughly 215 million people in 185 countries between 1947 and 2005. That monumental reach frames the discussion of Graham’s enduring influence and the search for a successor who can match his global scope.
Timothy Keller, founder of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, emerges as a strategic candidate. Keller’s career began in a small Virginia town before he was sent to plant a congregation in Manhattan in 1989. Within a year the fledgling church grew to 250 members and later expanded to multiple services serving thousands. His Redeemer City to City initiative, a $25 million‑a‑year urban outreach program, has trained over 219 000 leaders and helped plant or replant more than 2 800 congregations worldwide.
The book’s subtitle, “Seven Cultural Myths That Fail Us and the Story That Never Will,” outlines a series of contemporary narratives—self‑discovery, power redistribution, liberty, moral relativism, scientific authority, personal happiness, and historical progress—that the authors argue are seductive but incomplete. Each myth is examined through a biblical lens, with the Kellers proposing that the Christian faith offers a more sustainable answer to modern loneliness, anxiety, and social fragmentation.
Publishers Weekly called Keller’s earlier work, The Reason for God, “intellectually compelling,” and The Washington Post described it as a “tight, accessible case for reasoned religious belief.” Those accolades underscore why the Kellers believe Keller’s measured, culturally aware approach could serve as a viable next step for evangelical leadership, especially as the label “evangelical” has become increasingly entangled with partisan politics.
Beyond the biographical sketch, the new volume delves into Keller’s theological stance. Baptized Catholic, raised Lutheran, educated at Gordon‑Conwell and Westminster Theological Seminaries, and ordained in the Presbyterian Church in America, Keller blends Reformation roots with a willingness to cooperate across denominational lines. His preaching style avoids high‑decibel emotionalism, favoring biblical immersion and cultural analysis that speaks to young urban professionals.
While the book does not claim Keller will directly inherit Graham’s mantle, it supplies a fresh perspective on how evangelical influence might evolve in an era of declining institutional trust and shifting cultural narratives. The authors suggest that a leader who can address both spiritual truth and contemporary cultural anxieties is essential for the next chapter of American evangelicalism.
The publication arrives amid ongoing conversations in religious circles about the future direction of U.S. evangelical Protestantism, and it may shape how scholars, pastors, and laypeople envision the next generation of faith leaders.
