Making Sense of God by Timothy Keller
Week 8: Chapter 7 — The Problem of Meaning
Read Chapter 7 of Making Sense of God by Timothy Keller.
Previewing Week 8 of Making Sense of God
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 14-week guide when you’re ready.
Keller moves from clearing objections to making a positive case, beginning with one of the most fundamental human needs: the need for a life that actually means something.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Keller argues that the need for meaning is not optional or culturally conditioned — it is a structural feature of human consciousness. What evidence does he offer for this claim? Do you agree that meaning is a genuine need, not just a desire?
2.He surveys the ways secular culture attempts to supply meaning — through work, romantic love, family, moral causes, and personal achievement — and suggests each of these is insufficient on its own. Which of these meaning-sources feels most powerful in your own experience? What are its limitations?
3.Keller engages existentialist thinkers like Sartre who argue that meaning must be self-created since there is no God to supply it. What are the psychological and practical problems with self-created meaning? Why does Keller find it ultimately unconvincing?
a.If meaning is entirely self-created, on what basis could you say one person's meaning (dedicating their life to art) is better or more real than another's (dedicating theirs to cruelty)?
b.Have you ever felt the fragility of self-created meaning — the moment when the story you were telling yourself about your own significance seemed thin? What was that like?