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What It Means to Be Protestant: The Case for an Always-Reforming Church Kindle Edition

by Gavin Ortlund (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 187 ratings
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A Powerful Defense of The Protestant Tradition.

Winner of the 2024 Christianity Today Book of the Year Award and Popular Theology category; Winner of Credo Magazine’s Award in Theological Retrieval

There's a movement among evangelicals of exploring the more sacramental, liturgical, and historically-conscious church traditions, including Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. This hunger for historical rootedness is welcome—but unfortunately, many assume that this need can only be met outside of Protestant contexts.

In What it Means to Be Protestant, Gavin Ortlund draws from both his scholarly work in church history and his personal experience in ecumenical engagement to offer a much-needed defense of the Protestant tradition.

Retrieving classical Protestant texts and arguments, he exposes how many of the contemporary objections leveled against Protestants are rooted in caricature. He shows how historic Protestantism offers the best pathway forward and to historical rootedness for Christians today.

In his charitable style, Ortlund demonstrates that the 16th century Reformation represented a genuine renewal of the gospel. This does not entail that Protestantism is without faults. But because it is built upon the principle of semper reformanda (always reforming), Protestantism is capable of reforming itself according to Scripture as the ultimate authority.

"I find it hard to overstate the importance of this book for every pastor/minister, elder, and serious Bible student that I know. . .This book automatically becomes my new go-to resource explaining Protestantism. It is fantastic, and I thank God for it. . ." —Bobby Harrington, co-founder of RENEW.org and Discipleship.org, founding pastor Harpeth Christian Church

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  4. Publication date
    August 20, 2024
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  1. Protestantism is best understood as a renewal movement within the one true church.
    Highlighted by 280 Kindle readers
  2. The way I like to put it is that sola fide is the “what” of the Reformation; sola Scriptura, the “how.” The first is an object, the second a method. The first is a precious jewel; the second, the safe that protects it.
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  3. Protestantism was new in one sense and ancient in another: It represented a new movement of life in the church, but on the grounds of retrieval and catholicity.
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  4. In sum, I commend Protestantism as first, a renewal of the gospel in the church; second, a return to the authority of Scripture; and third, a removal of historical accretions.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

'Gavin Ortlund is one of the most effective defenders and articulators of Protestant theology at work in the world today. His YouTube defenses of Protestant perspectives are viewed by hundreds of thousands. More importantly, they're clear, fair-minded, and reliable. Protestants maintain a wide array of views on how catholic and traditional Protestants should be. But if you want a mainstream view--one that offers a good summary of Protestant distinctives from a Reformed point of view--this book is for you. I pray that God will use it to help all of us understand the gospel more clearly and follow the Lord Jesus more courageously.' -- Doug Sweeney, Dean and Professor of Divinity, Beeson Divinity School

'In posing the question what it means to be Protestant, Gavin Ortlund launches the reader into a debate in which there is little consensus and which defies easy answers. Through a combination of robust arguments, theological and historical insight, and generosity towards other traditions, Ortlund admirably captures the restless, rebellious nature of a religious movement constantly striving for renewal. The author makes a case for Protestantism that will not find universal agreement, but which inspires response, reflection, and humility. An important read for all Christians.' -- Bruce Gordon, Titus Street Professor of Ecclesiastical History, Yale Divinity School

'Gavin Ortlund presents a compelling case for mere Protestantism by showing how a Protestant faith is a recovery of the apostolic gospel and answers the abiding questions of church, authority, and tradition. It is a robust program to be both evangelical and ecumenical. An authentic church, Ortlund teaches us, should be constantly conforming itself closer to the gospel. This book provides a model for how Protestants should initiate conversations with other Christian traditions.' -- Rev. Dr. Michael F. Bird, Deputy Principal at Ridley College, Melbourne, Australia

'Much of contemporary Protestantism, conservative to liberal, has little connection to the Reformation. But Ortlund reminds us why the 'Protestant' label is worth saving. He has a real gift for distilling complex issues into something that a struggling Christian can understand. This is a well-informed but also passionate defense. Before running to Rome or the East, please read this terrific book first!' -- Michael Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics, Westminster Seminary California

'With a heart aching for Protestants to understand their own heritage, Gavin Ortlund builds a strong, historically-grounded case for the advantages of their tradition. And he makes bold claims for the potential of mere Protestantism, as a renewal movement, to serve as the best cultivator of true catholicity. The result is a vigorous and engaging apologetic for a semper reformanda approach to theology and the Christian life.' -- Gwenfair Walters Adams Professor of Church History and Spiritual Formation Chair, Division of Christian Thought, Director of Spiritual Formation Studies, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

'I find it hard to overstate the importance of this book for every pastor/minister, elder, and serious Bible student that I know. I am purchasing a copy for each elder and ministerial staff at my home church. This book automatically becomes my new go-to resource explaining Protestantism. It is fantastic, and I thank God for it....' -- Bobby Harrington, co-founder of RENEW.org and Discipleship.org, founding pastor Harpeth Christian Church

'In an age where theology is too often either angry and scornful, or mushy and hesitant, the directness, gentleness and humility of Gavin Ortlund's writing is a balm. Agree with him or not, this is as generous and wise a presentation of the case for historic Protestantism as I think you'll find.' -- Alec Ryrie, Professor of the History of Christianity, Durham

'Neither shying away from disagreements between Christian traditions nor triumphing in them, this book offers a wonderful introduction to the riches of the historic Protestant tradition. In conversation with other traditions, Ortlund's approach embodies a convicted civility, which is humble and irenic yet rooted. For anyone looking for an introduction to what it means to be Protestant that avoids common caricatures of Protestant, Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox positions, this is a great book!' -- Gayle Doornbos, Associate Professor of Theology, Dordt University

About the Author

Gavin Ortlund (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) serves as President of Truth Unites and Theologian-in-Residence at Immanuel Church. He is the author of numerous books, including 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. He and his wife, Esther, have five children.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CMQ9Q9ZR
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Zondervan (August 20, 2024)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 20, 2024
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 884 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Up to 5 simultaneous devices, per publisher limits
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 274 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 187 ratings

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Gavin Ortlund

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Gavin Ortlund (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) serves as President of Truth Unites and Theologian-in-Residence at Immanuel Church. He is the author of numerous books, including 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. He and his wife, Esther, have five children.

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Customers say

Customers find the book provides an insightful synthesis of theological and spiritual truths. They find the content great and a good place to start. The book is written for lay readers in a clear, jargon-free style that's easy to understand. Readers appreciate the practical spiritual advice and new perspectives it offers.

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28 customers mention "Information quality"27 positive1 negative

Customers find the book informative and helpful for Christians from any tradition. They appreciate the author's knowledge of church history and practical spiritual advice. The book provides insight into Protestant doctrines like Sola Scriptura and the Reformation. It covers problematic traditions and teachings in non-Protestant churches like the bodily assumption of Mary. Readers highlight the unique strengths of classical Protestantism and consider it a must-read for Protestants and those who want to understand Protestantism better.

"This is an important book for Protestants to read as well as anyone who is thinking of departing from their faith tradition...." Read more

"...Little speculation or opinion is offered, it's mostly facts and and historical/scholarly evidence that form a compelling case for protestantism...." Read more

"Ortlund provides a simple and readable primer on the distinctive of Protestant theology and advocates that the Protestant tradition is best equipped..." Read more

"Fair, balanced and in depth reasoning of the authors beliefs. We are all just men wrestling with GOD...." Read more

22 customers mention "Content"22 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's content. They find it useful and say it's a good starting point.

"The contents of this book are just phenomenal...." Read more

"...Well worth the read." Read more

"...how and why the church got where it is today, this book is a good place to start. Thank you, Dr. Ortland." Read more

"A good book that helped me with broader understanding and shipped me for pastoral conversation. I recommend this book for these reasons." Read more

13 customers mention "Readable"13 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable and easy to understand. They appreciate the author's clear writing style without sacrificing important details. The book is not overly complicated and written in a conversational tone, making it accessible to the average reader.

"...This book is jargon free and does not require advanced degrees to understand...." Read more

"...It never bogs down or gets too convoluted. The book seems to be geared towards the common reader and the serious scholar...." Read more

"Ortlund provides a simple and readable primer on the distinctive of Protestant theology and advocates that the Protestant tradition is best equipped..." Read more

"...good book that helped me with broader understanding and shipped me for pastoral conversation. I recommend this book for these reasons." Read more

10 customers mention "Help"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the book helpful. They say it helps clarify issues, provides practical spiritual advice, and offers new perspectives. The book provides counter arguments and avoids dogmatism on some important issues. Readers appreciate the clear, concise arguments that are always paired with legitimate advice.

"...being well grounded in church history and less dogmatic on some important issues...." Read more

"...Dr. Ortlund also provides counter arguments and avoids "straw man" tactics...." Read more

"...This book definitely helps. I especially appreciated the section on the Assumption of Mary and the scholarship on this topic. Highly recommended!" Read more

"A good book that helped me with broader understanding and shipped me for pastoral conversation. I recommend this book for these reasons." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Miffed
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book
    Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    This is an important book for Protestants to read as well as anyone who is thinking of departing from their faith tradition. Ortlund makes the case for Protestantism being well grounded in church history and less dogmatic on some important issues. This book is jargon free and does not require advanced degrees to understand. He takes a deep dive into one of the Marian doctrines and the veneration of icons. He sifts the evidence carefully and charitably. This was a great deal on Kindle when I bought it.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Carlos
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very well researched and written
    Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2025
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    The contents of this book are just phenomenal. Dr. Ortlund's tone is humble and apologetic at times, but appropriately stern and authoritative at other times. Little speculation or opinion is offered, it's mostly facts and and historical/scholarly evidence that form a compelling case for protestantism. Dr. Ortlund also provides counter arguments and avoids "straw man" tactics. He always "steel mans" the opposition and systematically rebuts them.

    The book is not overly complicated. It gives plenty of summarizing statements that helps the reader conclude the arguments being presented, while also giving enough detail and "meat" to back up each section. It never bogs down or gets too convoluted. The book seems to be geared towards the common reader and the serious scholar. It strikes a good middle ground between both.

    I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about the origins of protestantism and the reasons why reform was badly needed hundreds of years ago and today.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Christian Partyka
    5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Primer on Protestantism
    Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2025
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    Ortlund provides a simple and readable primer on the distinctive of Protestant theology and advocates that the Protestant tradition is best equipped to be both catholic and biblical in its commitments. Well worth the read.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!
    Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2025
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    Fair, balanced and in depth reasoning of the authors beliefs. We are all just men wrestling with GOD. Learning from the best of each tradition is great advice and will steer you clear of most of the false representations out there.
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  • M.G.
    4.0 out of 5 stars Very good but could be better
    Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2024
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    I liked Ortlund's considerable research in arriving at his conclusions. I am convinced that prayer to saints and icon veneration is a later development in the Church. This is coming someone who grew up Catholic. Same thing can be be said of the Marian dogmas as well.
    Still, I feel that he is a bit biased towards Protestantism. I really feel that they threw out "the baby with the bathwater." Protestantism has introduced too many dogmas of their own as Calvin's doctrine of predestination. It may have appeared in some of the early Church Father's but Calvin really ran away with it.
    Personally, I'm leaning towards Anglicanism because I really like tradition. I wish he had gone into how Protestants have departed from the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Also, I've never heard that the medieval church didn't always celebrate the Eucharist weekly. Maybe he does give a footnote for it so I need to corroborate that.I guess I wanted more of how these Protestant differences came to be.
    16 people found this helpful
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  • Belle Claire
    5.0 out of 5 stars Really clarifies the issues!
    Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2025
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    A lot of people are sorting through the different claims of the major branches of Christianity. This book definitely helps. I especially appreciated the section on the Assumption of Mary and the scholarship on this topic. Highly recommended!
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  • Beth Saari
    5.0 out of 5 stars A must read!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2025
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    Finally! A Protestant Author who dives deep into church history to flush out the truth about why we protest. Gavin Ortland is committed to to the truth and to exposing, in a kind and factual way, the errors and inconsistencies of the Roman and Eastern systems. His knowledge of church history is astounding! If you’ve ever wondered how and why the church got where it is today, this book is a good place to start. Thank you, Dr. Ortland.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • C. Farmer
    5.0 out of 5 stars approachable and helpful
    Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2025
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    A good book that helped me with broader understanding and shipped me for pastoral conversation. I recommend this book for these reasons.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Hernani Neto
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
    Reviewed in Brazil on February 11, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    As a Protestant this book helped me to be really confident in position while humble when interacting with others’ positions.
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  • Tim.C.McC
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Helpful Biblical, Historical, and Pastoral Defense of Protestantism as "Deep in History"
    Reviewed in Canada on August 30, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    For a time I found myself in conflict over whether the Protestant (actually, Anabaptist) tradition I was part of was as historically-rooted as Roman Catholicism, and like many in that position, became somewhat obsessed with listening to Catholic apologetics and conversion testimonies through the Coming Home Network, Catholic Answers, and other sources. And when I sought counsel from theologians in my circle or other books, I found myself frustrated that, at least on the popular level, Protestant writers could explain the difference between Catholicism and Protestantism, but often left it there, as if that was proof that RCism was wrong because it was different than us.

    Gavin Ortlund does an excellent job filling that gap. His review of the biblical evidence (or lack of evidence) and the historical evidence (or lack of evidence), drawing from scholars on both sides of the debate, demonstrates clearly that the claims of Roman Catholicism or Eastern Christianity to be more "deep in history" than Protestantism are inaccurate and misleading. He shows that Protestantism's impulse to discard or at least not make binding those things that aren't attested to in infallible Scripture promotes greater foundational unity (catholicity) than the alleged institutional unity that Roman or Eastern Christianity claims to have, with the closed-handed anathematizing that accompanies it.

    Ortlund has provided me with a lot more confidence and assurance that I am standing in the true and historic faith of the apostles as a Protestant, and that I do not need to be intimidated by the claims of Roman or Eastern churches to be the "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church." Thank you, Gavin, for your ministry, research, and writing!
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  • Secret Santa
    5.0 out of 5 stars Best Protestant Apologetics Material
    Reviewed in Singapore on January 15, 2025
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    This material is really useful in giving perspective from a Protestant standpoint. Gavin Ortlund is especially generous yet firmly truthful towards other Christian Traditions. He is one author who has inspired me to be more ecumenical and gracious towards Catholics, yet loving the truth more than ever before. Recommended read for the aspiring layman apologist.
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  • Daniel Klassen
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, and well argued
    Reviewed in Canada on September 4, 2024
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    Fantastic book for an interested layperson. Ortlund brings scholarly depth to the topics he addresses, but he writes in an accessible way. He is such a clear thinking, logical person and it really shines through in his writing. He makes a very compelling case that Protestantism is “the most catholic and the most biblical of all the major streams of Christianity” (p. 221). One thing I really appreciated about the book was how he presented the views of scholars on a topic (e.g., when did the practice of icon veneration enter the church?), and then described the evidence that led these scholars to arrive at their conclusions. The result is a compelling argument that the non-Protestant traditions have “accretions” that are not biblical and cannot plausibly be traced to the apostles. Protestantism allows for Christians to recognize the unique infallible nature of divine speech in Scripture, and to submit ourselves and our traditions to Scripture, removing accretions. This renewal movement within the church brings a clarity to the gospel message, and encourages us to find peace in trusting wholly in Jesus. It also allows us to see God at work in a variety of church institutions, acknowledging the work of the Holy Spirit which is not limited to institutional boundaries. The title of the book is apt because I think this book would be helpful for those who are in a Protestant context but have never given much thought to why they are Protestant or what it means. And of course, those in other traditions would benefit from reading a historically and biblically informed explanation of what Protestantism is all about.
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  • ا
    5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you Dr. Ortlund
    Reviewed in Canada on November 5, 2024
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    For doing God’s work
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