Theological Retrieval for Evangelicals: Why We Need Our Past to Have a Future

by Gavin Ortlund

Overview

Restless for rootedness, many Christians are abandoning Protestantism altogether.

Many evangelicals today are aching for theological rootedness often found in other Christian traditions. Modern evangelicalism is not known for drawing from church history to inform views on the Christian life, which can lead to a "me and my Bible" approach to theology. But this book aims to show how Protestantism offers the theological depth so many desire without the need for abandoning a distinctly evangelical identity. 

By focusing on particular doctrines and neglected theologians, this book shows how evangelicals can draw from the past to meet the challenges of the present. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781433565298
Publisher:	Crossway
Publication date:	11/05/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Gavin Ortlund (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) runs the popular YouTube channel Truth Unites and is the author of several books, including Humility; Finding the Right Hills to Die On; and Theological Retrieval for Evangelicals. Gavin and his wife, Esther, have five children. 

Gavin Ortlund (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) runs the popular YouTube channel Truth Unites and is the author of several books, including Humility; Finding the Right Hills to Die On; and Theological Retrieval for Evangelicals. Gavin and his wife, Esther, have five children. 

Table of Contents

Preface 11

Part 1 A Manifesto for Theological Retrieval

1 Can Evangelicals Retrieve Patristic and Medieval Theology? 23

2 Why Evangelicals Need Theological Retrieval 45

3 Benefits and Perils of Theological Retrieval 67

Part 2 Case Studies in Theological Retrieval

4 Explorations in a Theological Metaphor: Boethius, Calvin, and Torrance on the Creator/Creation Distinction 89

5 God Is Not a Thing: Divine Simplicity in Patristic and Medieval Perspective 117

6 Substitution as Both Satisfaction and Recapitulation: Atonement Themes in Convergence in Irenaeus, Anselm, and Athanasius 141

7 Cultivating Skill in the "Art of Arts": Gregory the Great on Pastoral Balance 185

General Index 207

Scripture Index 217

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“In an age of head-spinning change, Gavin Ortlund rightly calls evangelicals to stand their ground and recover the theological ground already plowed by earlier generations. When the very foundations are being shaken, it is vital that churches recover their center of gravity by retrieving the past—what Bernard Ramm once called ‘the evangelical heritage.’ Evangelicals are not the first generation to have received the gospel. Accordingly, Ortlund here issues a manifesto about the importance of retrieving theological tradition. He then practices what he preaches in a series of astute case studies that mine the past to fund the present.”
—Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Research Professor of Systematic Theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

“Anyone convinced that evangelical and ancient are opposites should read this book. Gavin Ortlund provides a compelling case for retrieving patristic and medieval theology. Mining the premodern tradition, Ortlund reminds us of neglected and forgotten insights on the creator-creature distinction, divine simplicity, and atonement theology. An excellent contribution to Protestant retrieval theology!”
—Hans Boersma, Chair, Order of St. Benedict Servants of Christ Endowed Professorship in Ascetical Theology, Nashotah House Theological Seminary

“Ortlund argues compellingly that evangelicals can and should claim the classic theological heritage as their own. And then he actually does it, opening up the treasury of the great Christian tradition and dispensing theological wisdom with both hands. To look into this book is to look through a doorway into a world where there is such a thing as evangelical theology that is richly resourced, deeply informed, and ready for action.”
—Fred Sanders, Professor of Theology, Torrey Honors College, Biola University; author, The Deep Things of God

“Gavin Ortlund, a committed evangelical, calls for a robust engagement with the first fifteen hundred years of the Christian tradition, patristic and medieval, East and West. Retrieval, not repristination, is the goal, and Ortlund shows here how this can be done—to the glory of God and the upbuilding of the church. An exciting and important book!”
—Timothy George, Distinguished Professor of Divinity, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University

“For those who struggle with whether, how, and why to appropriate the church fathers and medieval doctors within their own theology, piety, and ministry, this book is a welcome resource. Leading us by the hand through a wide range of instructive examples, Gavin Ortlund demonstrates a principled Protestant approach to drawing upon the pastors and theologians of the past for the sake of the church’s renewal in the present.”
—Scott R. Swain, President and Professor of Systematic Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando