An Interview with Gavin Ortlund, Author of What It Means to Be Protestant

GAVIN ORTLUND (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is president of Truth Unites and theologianin-in-residence at Immanuel Nashville Church in Tennessee. He’s a highly sought-after speaker and apologist, and his books include Anselm’s Pursuit of Joy, Retrieving Augustine’s Doctrine of Creation, Why God Makes Sense in a World That Doesn’t, and Theological Retrieval for Evangelicals.
 
ZA: Your book offers a powerful defense of “mere” Protestantism. What makes this conversation especially important in this day and age?

Ortlund: One thing I’ve observed in my YouTube ministry is the amount of ecclesial angst in the world—a sense of fear and apprehension about being in the wrong church. In some cases, people are genuinely scared of not being saved. Ultimately, I think Protestantism offers the clearest pathway to the gospel. So a lot of my defense of Protestantism is designed to help people feel assurance in the gospel. I want people to rest securely in the promises of Christ. 

ZA: What are some of the biggest misconceptions you’ve encountered about Protestantism?

Ortlund: I’ll mention two that I see most commonly. The first is that Protestants have no depth historically and that the doctrine of sola Scriptura means we don’t place any value in tradition or the role of the church in theological controversy. The reality is that historically, Protestants have been deeply immersed in the study of church history. A lot of the great Protestant scholastic theologians of the 17th century were pioneering leaders in the study of the Church Fathers. Some of the finest scholars of church history, like Philip Schaff, were leading Protestant voices. It’s true that a lot of evangelicals today have fallen away from interest in church history, but that’s not representative of historic Protestantism. And one of my deep burdens in this book is to rehabilitate historic Protestant attitudes about the church and tradition and history.

A second caricature I see is “easy believe-ism.” A lot of people misconstrue the Protestant doctrine of sola fide, justification by faith alone, to mean there is no sense in which works are necessary. But historically Protestants affirmed that good works are necessary to confirm salvation and as the outworking of our justification; they simply denied that those good works play an instrumental role in our actually being made right in the sight of a holy God. This is another area where sometimes contemporary Protestant practice facilitates these caricatures. As much as I hope my book is a defense of Protestantism, I also hope it’s a summons to Protestants to return to our roots.

ZA: Your public engagement on this topic is often characterized by a commitment to charity and irenicism. How can people maintain these values in such emotionally charged conversations?

Ortlund: This is very challenging to do. It helps to take breaks from conversations if we find ourselves getting agitated or to avoid certain people if they are overly antagonistic. Ultimately, what is most helpful is the prayer of Jesus in John 17. If the world does not see us treating each other with love and with an awareness of what we have in common, this a ects the credibility of the gospel. When we remember that, it’s easier to go into the conversations with a determination to remain charitable because we remember what is at stake.

ZA: You conclude the book with a pastoral message to those considering ecclesial changes. Why do you think caution is needed here?

Ortlund: My observation has been that many people leave Protestantism too quickly. They haven’t studied the best of historic Protestant resources. Sometimes people evaluate all of Protestantism by their own anecdotal experiences at a particular church. I’m deeply burdened for people who are wrestling with these issues to take their time and work through the best arguments on all the different sides. Wherever a person ultimately lands, they will find much more peace and assurance if they’ve done a thorough job studying the issues at stake. Prayer and our own walk with the Lord are paramount in all these decisions.

This interview was originally published in the Fall 2024 Zondervan Academic Catalog. View our most recent catalog at ZondervanAcademic.com/ZACatalog.