Thank you to everyone who supports Truth Unites. I truly appreciate how so many folks share the videos, give feedback, etc. And my patron community is such an encouragement! If you’d like to become a patron, you can do so here. I do patron only updates + patron only zooms now and again, so it’s a great way to stay in touch and get to know each other and be a part of the ministry.
This post is just a brief update on my plans going into the fall.
I will be traveling a fair amount. Please pray for me as I speak at the following events:
- Duane Litfin Symposium, Wheaton College (October 19-20)
- Center for Pastor Theologians Conference (October 24-26)
- Palm Beach Atlantic University Apologetics Conference (October 28-29)
- Beeson Divinity School Alumni Conference (November 7-8)
I will also be speaking in chapel at PBA and Beeson in addition to the conferences there, and then preaching at Brookwood Baptist Church in Birmingham the Sunday before the Alumni Conference at Beeson begins. These are some of the institutions that I most admire in American evangelicalism, so I am honored to be able to speak at these events. But it is a lot in a short span of time, so again, I deeply covet your prayers for God’s help and empowerment. Also pray for my family while I’m gone (we will have friends visiting to help!)
Truth Unites videos “in the queue;” keep your eyes peeled:
- The Forgotten Story of Scandinavia’s Christianization (What History Books Don’t Tell You)
- Law and Grace in Les Mis
- Theological Interpretation of Scripture: An Assessment
- How Not to Help a Sufferer (What Not to Say)
- Shia LaBeouf’s Conversion: What Protestants Can Learn
- Complementarianism and Egalitarianism in Theological Triage
- Spiritual Gifts in Theological Triage
- Interview with Josh Schooping on his new book, Disillusioned: Why I Left the Eastern Orthodox Priesthood and Church
Finally, some big news is that Matt Fradd is inviting me to fly out to Ohio to debate Trent Horn on sola Scriptura sometime this winter (December/January). I really like those guys and am excited to participate in what I believe will be a significant debate on a significant topic. Again, I covet your prayers that I would honor Christ and represent my tradition effectively.
I continue to hear from a regular stream of people that my work is helping them navigate through questions of ecclesial identity and become more familiar with church history. I am deeply grateful to the Lord and ask you to pray that my ministry would continue to be honoring to Him, and animated by the Spirit of Christ.
Looking into the spring, my main goal is to try to finish my current book project, tentatively titled Why Protestantism Makes Sense: The Case For a Reforming Church. It’s currently under review.
Thanks again everyone! Soli Deo gloria.
5 Responses
God Bless you Gavin! I’ll be praying for you the next few months that the Lord uses you mightily and sustains you in your ministry. You are a blessing to so many!
Thanks so much Bo!
Dear Brother Ortlund,
On these issues of the papacy this eliakim argument seems to be powerful for some which is a bit mind boggling to me.
Anyway whatever the argument it has this form
IF the ROCK, THEN the KEYS.
YHVHJESUS himself CLEARLY explains this in a parable:
Two men built houses, one on the ROCK and one on sand, when the storm came the one on ROCK remained and the one on sand collapsed.
NEXT he defines the ROCK as his COMMANDS and the builder is ANYONE who hears them.
The KEYS are then obviously the commands.
The apostles were obviously the ones who knew what he had commanded and could either bind and loose in telling or not telling what he had commanded. What they hid or revealed, bound or loose is precisely what determines if sins are retained or forgiven because once you have heard that CHRIST is the rock and heard his commands you either build on the ROCK or your building on sand.
Now if you look at Peter says in his epistle, this is why Peter calls Christ the ROCK and the people of Christ LIVING STONES.
ALSO, have you read ARCHBISHOP KENDRICK’S dissent at Vatican 1 to affirming infallibility? He shows that Peter being the rock was seldom used by the church fathers but instead they affirmed the confession of Peter as the ROCK. It’s bizarre that a declaration of infallibility had to be voted on.
Dear Brother Ortlund,
Concerning the PRESENCE in the eucharist.
I like your argument for spiritual presence, I paraphrase with LEGAL presence because in law and political philosophy SPIRIT is used in this same way. What is the SPIRIT OF LAW? Justice, equity, fairness etc.
The Hebrew and apostolic use of the term is the same but discussing the spirit as a PERSON in the modern sense of word have distorted the SUB(UNDER) STANCE (STANDING), substance, hypostasis and understanding are all synonyms which theologians and philosophers have redefined out of any proportion to the original.
The SPIRIT of the equity we have in the law is the equity we have in the KING right standing before him to be heard at the throne where we obtain pardon.
The Hebrew statement of a binding syllogism is THE ROOT IS IN THE FRUIT IN THE SEED. The spirit is the wind/movement/growth/process, and it creates equations of WIND/BREATH/SPIRIT and FRUIT, the fruit and the seed are IDENTICAL.
Notice how Paul says the fruit of the spirit is love peace joy etc and John says God is love and goes on to define love not according to our normal emotions but according to the definition from the cross (not our love for God, but his for us in giving his son, 1 John). Paul and John are saying EXACTLY THE SAME THING.
Now in the same way, the eucharist by the spirit in us to recognize this legally binding ceremony an LEGAL INSTITUTION of KING YHVHJESUS are legally=spiritually bound to recognize THEREIN what he accomplished on the cross. But it’s not only us because the ceremony in the SPIRIT is recognized by MALACIM angels who are present to enforce it as the death angel did at the Passover, for this reason many are sick and dead for trivializing the institution which is an affront the SPIRIT OF THE INSTITUTION which is the SACRED (Holy) SPIRIT at work in us in the same way the HOLY SPIRIT was at work in the house of Israel in the first Passover the SPIRIT of the recognition of the BLOOD.
This is why Paul moves SPIRITUALLY between head COVERING the presence of MALACIM angels and the proper submission in there presence BECAUSE they WITNESS in the Court room/throne room our recognition of the SPIRIT OF/IN THE INSTITUTION THE EUCHARIST.
This is why the CHURCH FATHERS were also particular who may officiate in the ceremony to insure there was no ABUSE OF OFFICE IN THE ADMINISTRATION UNDER THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW IN EQUITY IN THE INSTITUTION. Was the bishop obviously BUILDING on the ROCK of the COMMANDS rather than shifting sands, and THIS is how they understood the SPIRIT of apostolic succession, while the physical succession by the laying on of hands was NOT the SPIRIT but the WITNESS that the institution was not an invention of men but could be traced historically by the patristic line to the original witnesses at the INSTITUTION e.g. those in the upper room, and the patristic line as a matter of historical fact CONFIRMS that the INSTITUTION is legally/spiritually BINDING up to the present and until the YHVHJESUS returns. This DOESN’T affirm catholicism nor the other churches with apostolic succession and doesn’t necessarily exclude those church which may not be able to trace unbroken lineage WHOEVER IS NOT AGAINST US IS FOR US but SUCCESSION even though those who build on sand is a testimony to the matter of historical fact of the original INSTITUTION.
THIS IS WHY I KEEP RECOMMENDING THAT SOMEONE REVISE AND REPUBLISH
DEISM REFUTED BY CHARLES LESLIE, that apologetic answers a lot of questions, it’s not perfect but it’s powerful.
Gavin, please pray for me. I’m very hurt and disturbed by some painful things that have impacted my life because of Catholicism/Orthodoxy and even the way I was treated by fellow Protestants. Pray that I’ll be healed from this confusion and hurt. I can’t go into details about anything, just keep me in your prayers. Thanks.