What It Means To Be Protestant — Book review

Posted on May 26, 2025 
Filed under Apologetics, Resources, Theology

“Gavin Ortlund, not to be confused with his brother Dane Ortlund who wrote Gentle and Lowly (Crossway, 2020), is one of Protestantism’s foremost ‘accidental’ apologists. This is because, as Ortlund himself says in the introduction, he didn’t set out to become this but instead responded to a need he identified on social media.

Ortlund’s YouTube channel Truth Unites has become immensely popular and he is known for discussing various Biblical topics in a clear, historically insightful but most irenic way. This is also the case with What It Means To Be Protestant (Crossway, 2024) which I think is something of a model for how inter-faith dialogue – especially with Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox – should be done.

Due to the nature of the topic, this could easily become abrasive or overly hostile. However, Ortlund does a masterful job at maintaining a respectful and engaging tone.…”

– At AP, the Australian Presbyterian journal, Mark Powell reviews What It Means To Be Protestant.