I hear people describe themselves as Christians. Sometimes I hear people describe themselves as evangelicals. But I don’t hear many people describe themselves any longer as Protestants.
Enter Gavin Ortlund, the prolific YouTube apologist, president of Truth Unites, and theologian-in-residence at Immanuel Nashville in Tennessee. His new book is What It Means to Be Protestant: The Case for an Always-Reforming Church (Zondervan Reflective).
Gavin commends Protestantism as a renewal of the gospel in the church, a return to the authority of Scripture, and a removal of historical accretions. You might wonder if it’s possible to commend Protestantism without inducing great anger and, historically speaking, even violence. Have no fear, as Gavin is an apologist known for his clarity and charity, his willingness to learn from critics even as he offers direct arguments against them.
Just like we hope for our fellows with The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics, Gavin reaches for the head as well as the heart. In the book, he writes, “This is the single greatest contribution of Protestantism to the Christian church: its insight into the gracious heart of God revealed in the gospel, by which God offers to us as a free gift the righteousness we cannot attain through our own efforts.”
Gavin joined me on Gospelbound to discuss the best arguments for and against Protestantism as well as indulgences, persecution, and more.
