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Gavin Ortlund | |
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Born | Scotland | June 30, 1983
Education | University of Georgia (BA) Covenant Theological Seminary (MDiv) Fuller Theological Seminary (PhD) |
Occupations |
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Spouse | Esther Ortlund |
Children | 5 |
Father | Raymond C. Ortlund Jr. |
Relatives | Ray and Anne Ortlund |
Theological work | |
Tradition or movement | Reformed Baptist |
Notable ideas | Theological triage [1] |
Website | truthunites |
Gavin Rutherford Ortlund (born June 30, 1983) is an American theologian, [2] professor, author, and Christian apologist. [3] Operating through his public ministry Truth Unites, Ortlund is known for defending theologically conservative evangelical Protestantism [4] from an irenic perspective, engaging with proponents of Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, atheism, and liberal Protestantism.
Ortlund is Theologian-in-Residence at Immanuel Nashville [5] [a] and Visiting Professor of Historical Theology at Phoenix Seminary. [6] He won Christianity Today's 2024 Book of the Year award for his work What It Means to Be Protestant: The Case for an Always-Reforming Church. [7] [4]
Ortlund was born on June 30, 1983 in Scotland to parents [8] Raymond C. Ortlund Jr., [9] and Jani Ortlund. [10] He is the youngest of 4 children.
In 2006, Ortlund earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Religion from the University of Georgia. In 2009, he earned a Master of Divinity from Covenant Theological Seminary. He went on to earn a Doctor of Philosophy from Fuller Theological Seminary in 2016, concentrating in historical theology. [11] From 2017 to 2018, Ortlund performed post-doctoral research at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School through the Carl F. H. Henry Center for Theological Understanding, where he conducted research on Augustine's doctrine of creation. [12]
This section needs expansionwith: a standard chronological, position- and achievement-focused career section based in independent, third-party sources. You can help by adding to it. (December 2024) |
Ortlund discloses in his writings that he came from and appreciated his Presbyterian background, writing
I was baptized as an infant in the Church of Scotland. After my family moved back to the United States, I was raised in various Presbyterian churches, eventually working at two Presbyterian churches during college and then attending a Presbyterian seminary. As I look back, I have nothing but gratitude for my time among Presbyterians; in fact, I often miss that world! [13]
He goes on to write that he was "propelled... out of Presbyterianism" because of the doctrine of infant baptism (paedobaptism), and that after a period of intensive study, his "convictions had solidified against [it], and I (somewhat reluctantly) changed my church affiliation and was baptized [again] (dunked in a river, to be precise)." [13] He went on to receive his ordination from the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference. [14]
This section needs expansionwith: Other career positions, with beginning- and end-dates of posts, including the editorial positions he has held. You can help by adding to it. (December 2024) |
In 2010, Ortlund began serving as the youth pastor for Sierra Madre Congregational Church (CCCC). [15] He also served there on the church board of elders beginning in 2015. [16] In 2018, he became Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Ojai (ABCUSA), in Ojai, California. [17] [18] In 2023, he announced his departure from the church and move to Nashville to focus on his Truth Unites ministry and become Theologian in Residence at Immanuel Nashville, [19] [20] an Acts 29 Network affiliated church. [21]
Ortlund has also been a fellow or member at various Christian institutions:
Ortlund has debated Trent Horn (a member of Catholic Answers) on several issues, including purgatory and baptismal regeneration. [28] [29] He has criticized John MacArthur and others for oversimplifying matters in deciding how churches in California ought to respond to governmental COVID restrictions. Gavin suggested that MacArthur had prioritiz[ed] worship over loving your neighbor, obedience to government, and maintaining a good witness. [30] [31] [32]
Ortlund has written a variety of books surrounding various biblical, theological, and ecclesiastical studies:
Ortlund is married to his wife, Esther, and they have five children. [5] He has two brothers: Dane Ortlund, author of Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers, [46] and Eric Ortlund, who serves as a Lecturer in Old Testament and Biblical Hebrew at Oak Hill College in London. [47]