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Theological Retrieval for Evangelicals: Why We Need Our Past to Have a Future
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.
224 pages, Paperback
First published October 29, 2019
110 people are currently reading
1285 people want to read
About the author
Gavin Ortlund
14 books385 followersGavin Ortlund (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is senior pastor at First Baptist Church of Ojai in Ojai, California. He was previously a research fellow for the Creation Project at the Carl F. H. Henry Center for Theological Understanding at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is the author of Finding the Right Hills to Die On, Theological Retrieval for Evangelicals, and Anselm's Pursuit of Joy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
February 18, 2021
I was a little late to the party on this book, but I’m glad I finally showed up. Ortlund gives a fairly straightforward case for why retrieval is necessary at the beginning, but my favorite parts were his case studies where he actually shows how to do retrieval the right way. Highly recommend this book!
May 12, 2020
Really good. I loved part 1 which made the case for retrieval. I struggled at first in part 2 which models retrieval because I wasn't as interested at first in the specifics as I was in the general idea. But by the end I really enjoyed the specifics too, especially in the chapters on atonement and pastoral practice.
May 24, 2022
Ortlund’s work is much a needed reminder that the gates of bell have not prevailed against the Bride of Christ. He does this by walking through pre-Reformation theologians and pointing out how they influenced the future Protestants. This is a necessary work that illumines readers to the reality that the Protestant Reformation was built upon the prior work of the early church and church in the medieval ages. By emphasizing this, Ortlund reminds readers that our only way forward, and towards a more authentic orthodox and biblical faith, we must look to our past.
September 4, 2020
2020 reads: 34/52
Rating: 4.5 stars
I simply loved this book. Theological Retrieval for Evangelicals was a wonderful introduction to an important and growing-in-popularity subject: retrieving theology from previous eras and generations.
Ortlund places the reader in the context: a trend of evangelicals drifting toward the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Church. There's said to be a restlessness, a certain rootlessness for Evangelicals. Evangelicals tend to prize Reformation history, almost wishing to exclusively suggest that this is where our theological heritage begins. The so-called "dark ages" is that time in history between the early church and Luther's 95 theses. Is this really the case, though? Ortlund suggests otherwise. In fact, he shows how such thinking is contrary to even the Reformers themselves, who, in one way, saw their own efforts as theological retrieval: retrieving orthodox Christianity as passed down the ages. In Ortlund's own words, "affirming Protestant distinctives is not the same as using them as a filter, and a principial sola Scriptura can easily slide into a practical sola reformatione.” Too often we judge theologians of previous generations through the very grid of Reformation theology. But as Ortlund states, to do so means "failing to appreciate patristic and medieval theology on its own terms and in its own context and thus of hindering our ability to learn from it.”
Hear the Reformers for yourself:
Calvin: “Our agreement with antiquity is far greater than yours, but all that we have attempted has been to renew the ancient form of the church…[that existed] in the age of Chrysostom, and Basil, among the Greeks, and of Cyprian, Ambrose, and Augustine, among the Latins.”
Luther (speaking of the then present-day Catholic church): “They have to admit that they stand in contradiction to God’s word, Christ’s ordinances, Paul’s teaching, and the usages of earlier popes and the usages of the early Roman church, and all the holy fathers and teachers.”
What do you know of Ambrose? Of Cyprian? Athanasius? Tertullian? Anselm? The Venerable Bede? Personally, I know next to nothing. But Theological Retrieval for Evangelicals has inspired me to do my own digging in the past, which is not to say that because the above mentioned ‘fathers’ were closer to Christ they are therefore more orthodox, only that we’d be cutting ourselves short if we don’t familiarise ourselves with our own past, with those who have wrestled with the very same contentions we see today: the doctrine of God, the atonement, pastoral ministry, etc.
After making the case for theological retrieval Ortlund uses these three subjects and does a bit of retrieval himself looking at Boethius, Calvin, Torrance, John of Damascus, Anselm, Irenaeus, and Gregory the Great.
Astonishingly, these brothers from history wrestled with the heavily debated subjects today and thus shed a wealth of light and insight for us today. We’d simply be fools to neglect this trough of treasure. Our own modern intuitions are exposed and we are made to nestle ourselves in the rich foundation that we stand on.
Read this to be inspired as I was.
Rating: 4.5 stars
I simply loved this book. Theological Retrieval for Evangelicals was a wonderful introduction to an important and growing-in-popularity subject: retrieving theology from previous eras and generations.
Ortlund places the reader in the context: a trend of evangelicals drifting toward the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Church. There's said to be a restlessness, a certain rootlessness for Evangelicals. Evangelicals tend to prize Reformation history, almost wishing to exclusively suggest that this is where our theological heritage begins. The so-called "dark ages" is that time in history between the early church and Luther's 95 theses. Is this really the case, though? Ortlund suggests otherwise. In fact, he shows how such thinking is contrary to even the Reformers themselves, who, in one way, saw their own efforts as theological retrieval: retrieving orthodox Christianity as passed down the ages. In Ortlund's own words, "affirming Protestant distinctives is not the same as using them as a filter, and a principial sola Scriptura can easily slide into a practical sola reformatione.” Too often we judge theologians of previous generations through the very grid of Reformation theology. But as Ortlund states, to do so means "failing to appreciate patristic and medieval theology on its own terms and in its own context and thus of hindering our ability to learn from it.”
Hear the Reformers for yourself:
Calvin: “Our agreement with antiquity is far greater than yours, but all that we have attempted has been to renew the ancient form of the church…[that existed] in the age of Chrysostom, and Basil, among the Greeks, and of Cyprian, Ambrose, and Augustine, among the Latins.”
Luther (speaking of the then present-day Catholic church): “They have to admit that they stand in contradiction to God’s word, Christ’s ordinances, Paul’s teaching, and the usages of earlier popes and the usages of the early Roman church, and all the holy fathers and teachers.”
What do you know of Ambrose? Of Cyprian? Athanasius? Tertullian? Anselm? The Venerable Bede? Personally, I know next to nothing. But Theological Retrieval for Evangelicals has inspired me to do my own digging in the past, which is not to say that because the above mentioned ‘fathers’ were closer to Christ they are therefore more orthodox, only that we’d be cutting ourselves short if we don’t familiarise ourselves with our own past, with those who have wrestled with the very same contentions we see today: the doctrine of God, the atonement, pastoral ministry, etc.
After making the case for theological retrieval Ortlund uses these three subjects and does a bit of retrieval himself looking at Boethius, Calvin, Torrance, John of Damascus, Anselm, Irenaeus, and Gregory the Great.
Astonishingly, these brothers from history wrestled with the heavily debated subjects today and thus shed a wealth of light and insight for us today. We’d simply be fools to neglect this trough of treasure. Our own modern intuitions are exposed and we are made to nestle ourselves in the rich foundation that we stand on.
Read this to be inspired as I was.
April 6, 2020
Helpfully corrects what can feel like the 'traditional' evangelical view--that there was only darkness before Martin Luther. Presents some good navigational tools for recognizing and seeing our relationship to Christians in the patristics and middle ages.
The test case section (second half of the book), was interesting, but felt too disparate in its goals. Several of the chapters were adapted from articles submitted to historical theology journals, and, well, they felt like it.
It wasn't clear to me who Ortlund's intended audience was for the book. It often felt like simply evangelical scholars. My main critique of the book is also my main critique of many of the voices calling for a retrieval of patristic and medieval theology: While we should know our history, and learn from Christians of the past, we should also be unabashed in affirming that the Protestant tradition is the best tradition. We should be humble to learn from our forefathers, and recognize that we have a share in the inheritance of Christian tradition. But the Protestant stream of Christianity is also part of the Christian tradition. Our way back to catholicity is not to re-start with the Fathers and Middle Ages--because Protestantism is already strongly connected to the catholic tradition. Yes, the earlier traditions have had important and helpful doctrinal conversations that are half-baked today in many evangelical articulations--for example, there is a classical view of God that through most of church history has been unambiguously asserted that is only in the last few decades been made murky. But the early guys have their own weaknesses too--most significant in my mind is that they are unclear on how man might be saved. That is what in my mind makes me able to confidently assert that the Protestant tradition is best out of Christianity--because it gets sola fide right, and makes it clear. The greatest danger of reading medieval scholars is not treating the past as a golden age--it's downplaying the significance and centrality of justification to faithful, biblical Christianity.
So should you read Augustine and Athanasius? For sure. But keep clear in your mind that for all the good and important things they will say about God's sovereignty or Christ's divine nature, don't expect them to help you on justification. More than that, you need to have justification clear in your own mind, so also read people who are helpful on that. Should pastors be reading Aquinas? Maybe. I'm sure he can be helpful. But he's also unclear on what should be central to any pastor's ministry. If I have to fight to get a pastor to make time in his busy schedule to read someone on doctrine of God, I'm going to tell them to read Owen or Charnock--who are a robust part of the historic Christian tradition, committed to a classical doctrine of God, *and* are clear on how man is saved.
The test case section (second half of the book), was interesting, but felt too disparate in its goals. Several of the chapters were adapted from articles submitted to historical theology journals, and, well, they felt like it.
It wasn't clear to me who Ortlund's intended audience was for the book. It often felt like simply evangelical scholars. My main critique of the book is also my main critique of many of the voices calling for a retrieval of patristic and medieval theology: While we should know our history, and learn from Christians of the past, we should also be unabashed in affirming that the Protestant tradition is the best tradition. We should be humble to learn from our forefathers, and recognize that we have a share in the inheritance of Christian tradition. But the Protestant stream of Christianity is also part of the Christian tradition. Our way back to catholicity is not to re-start with the Fathers and Middle Ages--because Protestantism is already strongly connected to the catholic tradition. Yes, the earlier traditions have had important and helpful doctrinal conversations that are half-baked today in many evangelical articulations--for example, there is a classical view of God that through most of church history has been unambiguously asserted that is only in the last few decades been made murky. But the early guys have their own weaknesses too--most significant in my mind is that they are unclear on how man might be saved. That is what in my mind makes me able to confidently assert that the Protestant tradition is best out of Christianity--because it gets sola fide right, and makes it clear. The greatest danger of reading medieval scholars is not treating the past as a golden age--it's downplaying the significance and centrality of justification to faithful, biblical Christianity.
So should you read Augustine and Athanasius? For sure. But keep clear in your mind that for all the good and important things they will say about God's sovereignty or Christ's divine nature, don't expect them to help you on justification. More than that, you need to have justification clear in your own mind, so also read people who are helpful on that. Should pastors be reading Aquinas? Maybe. I'm sure he can be helpful. But he's also unclear on what should be central to any pastor's ministry. If I have to fight to get a pastor to make time in his busy schedule to read someone on doctrine of God, I'm going to tell them to read Owen or Charnock--who are a robust part of the historic Christian tradition, committed to a classical doctrine of God, *and* are clear on how man is saved.
January 17, 2021
"The Reformation was less about starting a new church than retrieving the one and ancient true church ... The Reformers' main objection to Roman Catholicism was not its catholicity but it's narrow focus on Rome" - Kevin Vanhoozer
The whole thrust of the book is: “Guys, we certainly need to look back if we want to go forward”.
The “me and the Bible under the tree” mantra of modern evangelicals is admirably dismissed and, contrary to Cardinal Newman’s “To be deep in history is to cease to be a Protestant”, Gavin Ortlund manages to prove that, despite popular belief, Protestantism and “catholicity” go hand-in-hand. Even more, the reformers (and also a big part of the post-Reformers) sought a sort of “reformed catholicity”, opposing not the “Catholic” of Rome, but its “romanity”. Building on the “retrieval” of the Reformers and of the following protestants, the author is not only presenting the why, but also takes a further step by providing concrete examples of how this endeavour is to be put into practice (discussing "Creator/creature distinction", "divine simplicity", atonement theories and Saint Gregory the Great’s The Book of Pastoral Rule).
A very, very profitable read.
"As evangelical Protestants we must read early and medieval church history with our convictions about, say, the doctrine of salvation by grace firmly intact. We should engage in retrieval critically, with Scripture as our supreme authority at every moment. And yet, simultaneously, we may read the entirety of church history with a sense of personal identity - this is our story."
The whole thrust of the book is: “Guys, we certainly need to look back if we want to go forward”.
The “me and the Bible under the tree” mantra of modern evangelicals is admirably dismissed and, contrary to Cardinal Newman’s “To be deep in history is to cease to be a Protestant”, Gavin Ortlund manages to prove that, despite popular belief, Protestantism and “catholicity” go hand-in-hand. Even more, the reformers (and also a big part of the post-Reformers) sought a sort of “reformed catholicity”, opposing not the “Catholic” of Rome, but its “romanity”. Building on the “retrieval” of the Reformers and of the following protestants, the author is not only presenting the why, but also takes a further step by providing concrete examples of how this endeavour is to be put into practice (discussing "Creator/creature distinction", "divine simplicity", atonement theories and Saint Gregory the Great’s The Book of Pastoral Rule).
A very, very profitable read.
"As evangelical Protestants we must read early and medieval church history with our convictions about, say, the doctrine of salvation by grace firmly intact. We should engage in retrieval critically, with Scripture as our supreme authority at every moment. And yet, simultaneously, we may read the entirety of church history with a sense of personal identity - this is our story."
August 15, 2021
A really important book, and the opening chapters explain so clearly why retrieval is so needed. Middle section required some perseverance to a non theologian, but worth the effort. Especially important last section on the writings of Gregory the Great, on the balance between scholarship and practice for pastors and the attitude in which anyone should take on the role of shepherding God's people. I'd love to recommend this to all those people I know in ministry or thinking about it. I don't get the impression Gregory would have seen pastoring as anything other than a full time role.
An impressive piece of writing demonstrating a level of scholarly thinking to aspire to.
An impressive piece of writing demonstrating a level of scholarly thinking to aspire to.
August 9, 2020
Great stuff here.
January 10, 2023
4.5
'Particularly among the younger generation of evangelicals today, there seems to be a profound sense of emptiness and dislocatedness and consequent malaise. We are aching for the ancient and the august, for transcendence and tradition, for that which has stability and solidity and substance.'
This was super interesting!
- Ortlund starts by exploring an anti-historical trend in present day Protestantism (specifically in his American context) and argues that patristic and medieval theology can and should be retrieved not only to gain a richer understanding of church history, but also help clarify and resolve current theological challenges and debates.
- Unexpectedly found a lot of helpful responses to some things friends have been discussing lately, e.g. preservation of the church pre-Reformation, the appeal of Eastern and Roman church traditions, cultural context behind why modern theology debates are so bifurcated and sectarian.
- The case studies were fascinating. Took a while to digest (still haven't wrapped my head around everything), but Boethius' treatment of divine eternity made me appreciate the sheer bigness of God afresh, Torrance on the ascension and the healing of space-time was super cool, and the idea of classical theologians using (rather than avoiding) divine simplicity in discussing the Trinity was unexpected and deeply interesting. Gregory the Great also has some solid advice.
- Realistically, I won't be exploring patristic and medieval theologians any time soon (only just starting to approach the Reformers and English Puritans), but reading this gave me a greater appreciation of how 'We must engage these traditions respectfully and graciously, in a posture that recognizes the significance of our theological differences without failing to appreciate and cultivate our common ground.' (p. 53) and '... we may read the entirety of church history with a sense of personal identity—this is our story.' (p. 85)
Side note:
- Using Tolkien and Middle-earth to explore the Author/story and Creator/creation distinction was really cool, as was the discussion of atonement in Narnia!
'Particularly among the younger generation of evangelicals today, there seems to be a profound sense of emptiness and dislocatedness and consequent malaise. We are aching for the ancient and the august, for transcendence and tradition, for that which has stability and solidity and substance.'
This was super interesting!
- Ortlund starts by exploring an anti-historical trend in present day Protestantism (specifically in his American context) and argues that patristic and medieval theology can and should be retrieved not only to gain a richer understanding of church history, but also help clarify and resolve current theological challenges and debates.
- Unexpectedly found a lot of helpful responses to some things friends have been discussing lately, e.g. preservation of the church pre-Reformation, the appeal of Eastern and Roman church traditions, cultural context behind why modern theology debates are so bifurcated and sectarian.
- The case studies were fascinating. Took a while to digest (still haven't wrapped my head around everything), but Boethius' treatment of divine eternity made me appreciate the sheer bigness of God afresh, Torrance on the ascension and the healing of space-time was super cool, and the idea of classical theologians using (rather than avoiding) divine simplicity in discussing the Trinity was unexpected and deeply interesting. Gregory the Great also has some solid advice.
- Realistically, I won't be exploring patristic and medieval theologians any time soon (only just starting to approach the Reformers and English Puritans), but reading this gave me a greater appreciation of how 'We must engage these traditions respectfully and graciously, in a posture that recognizes the significance of our theological differences without failing to appreciate and cultivate our common ground.' (p. 53) and '... we may read the entirety of church history with a sense of personal identity—this is our story.' (p. 85)
Side note:
- Using Tolkien and Middle-earth to explore the Author/story and Creator/creation distinction was really cool, as was the discussion of atonement in Narnia!
July 11, 2022
I was pleasantly surprised by this little book. Part One, especially, was a great defense and encouragement to why Evangelicals should be doing Retrieval. His history is concise and winsome and a great starting place.
Part Two is also good, but I felt it could have used more application. He does this well in the unity and simplicity chapter, but overall I think he doesn’t demonstrate applying his results. When retrieving or ressourcing, it is not enough to outline a position. While helpful, it does not go the extra step to generating, integrating, and modifying theology in an effort of clarity and faithful biblical reflection. (Not speculation necessarily). We need to, as Webster puts it, listen incredibly well to the source, and integrate its historical reasoning and justification into our own. I don’t think it is enough to use historical positions as a counter-argument; we must go forward not as reactionaries but as intrepid explorers with a guideline in the past, an awareness of our day, and an eye toward the future.
91% Retrieve Retrieve Retrieve
Part Two is also good, but I felt it could have used more application. He does this well in the unity and simplicity chapter, but overall I think he doesn’t demonstrate applying his results. When retrieving or ressourcing, it is not enough to outline a position. While helpful, it does not go the extra step to generating, integrating, and modifying theology in an effort of clarity and faithful biblical reflection. (Not speculation necessarily). We need to, as Webster puts it, listen incredibly well to the source, and integrate its historical reasoning and justification into our own. I don’t think it is enough to use historical positions as a counter-argument; we must go forward not as reactionaries but as intrepid explorers with a guideline in the past, an awareness of our day, and an eye toward the future.
91% Retrieve Retrieve Retrieve
June 24, 2025
For a generation of Protestants struggling for historical rootedness, this book shines. The first part is particularly important, tackling the shared inheritance Protestants have for all of Christian history. The case studies were a bit harder for me to grasp, some were more interesting than others, but all in all, this is a timely and relevant book that I would happily recommend to my Protestant friends.
May 9, 2025
This book felt like the application of my experience at Beeson over the past few years.
March 29, 2021
This was a great read, and it is even great for someone who is already acquainted with the works Ortlund engages. In the chapter on the atonement, I had already read all of the books treated, but I still learned so much! I love how he pointed out the harmony between recapitulation theories and satisfaction theories of the atonement; I feel my understanding of the incarnation is deeply enriched:
“Creation and incarnation are the two fundamental turning points for reality: at creation, something other than God emerges (thus there are now two things); at the incarnation, God now unites himself to this second thing (thus those things become one)” (170).
Additionally, I believe divine simplicity is in dire need of retrieval among evangelicals, and I extremely appreciate Ortlund’s pursuit. I myself have only recently come to accept this doctrine as a result of (surprisingly to me) finding it to be ubiquitous in the history of the church, and now that I believe it, it is so beautiful and edifying! I also think Ortlund may have turned me on to Thomas Torrance and Boethius. I’ll have to start reading them!
“Creation and incarnation are the two fundamental turning points for reality: at creation, something other than God emerges (thus there are now two things); at the incarnation, God now unites himself to this second thing (thus those things become one)” (170).
Additionally, I believe divine simplicity is in dire need of retrieval among evangelicals, and I extremely appreciate Ortlund’s pursuit. I myself have only recently come to accept this doctrine as a result of (surprisingly to me) finding it to be ubiquitous in the history of the church, and now that I believe it, it is so beautiful and edifying! I also think Ortlund may have turned me on to Thomas Torrance and Boethius. I’ll have to start reading them!
July 13, 2023
This was a wonderful resource for someone like me, an evangelical with a general respect for historical theology but with no idea where to begin. I knew that there are valuable treasures to mine between the death of the Apostle John and the writing of the 95 Theses, but it felt a little like knowing that Brazil exists and having no idea how to navigate it.
Ortlund provides a field guide for theological retrieval in this natural successor to his other book, Finding the Right Hills To Die On. Now that we have our theological triage compass pointing true north, let's take a stroll past some theological landmarks of the past 2,000 years. Anselm, Athanasius, Augustine, Torrance, Calvin, Gregory the Great, and others feel much more like friends than strangers now.
I was personally helped by:
1. The correction to not read historical theology looking for allies for our pre-baked position in a 21st-century theological debate. Wisdom would have us let the theological crises and conclusions of the past actually reframe today's contests. If the same dead theologian can be quoted supportively by both sides in a 21st-century theological debate, let's pause and consider if we're having the right debate in the first place.
2. Chapter 4's exploration of the Incarnation, the Lord's Supper, the Ascension, and Christ's presence using the metaphor of an author. I won't give too much of it away here, but it'll suffice to say this chapter alone is worth the price of the book. I'll never think about these topics the same after having read Ortlund's connected conclusions from valuable thinkers/readers of Scripture.
Ortlund provides a field guide for theological retrieval in this natural successor to his other book, Finding the Right Hills To Die On. Now that we have our theological triage compass pointing true north, let's take a stroll past some theological landmarks of the past 2,000 years. Anselm, Athanasius, Augustine, Torrance, Calvin, Gregory the Great, and others feel much more like friends than strangers now.
I was personally helped by:
1. The correction to not read historical theology looking for allies for our pre-baked position in a 21st-century theological debate. Wisdom would have us let the theological crises and conclusions of the past actually reframe today's contests. If the same dead theologian can be quoted supportively by both sides in a 21st-century theological debate, let's pause and consider if we're having the right debate in the first place.
2. Chapter 4's exploration of the Incarnation, the Lord's Supper, the Ascension, and Christ's presence using the metaphor of an author. I won't give too much of it away here, but it'll suffice to say this chapter alone is worth the price of the book. I'll never think about these topics the same after having read Ortlund's connected conclusions from valuable thinkers/readers of Scripture.
May 31, 2023
4.0 Stars
"Theological Retrieval for Evangelicals" by Gavin Ortlund is a book proposing that the theological wisdom from the past is beneficial to help us address many of the theological concerns of the present. Ortlund argues that the past full of theological riches and that we can go farther than merely the Reformation to find those riches. Ortlund primarily focuses on the theological riches that can be found in the patristic and medieval periods citing theologians such as Irenaeus, Augustine, Boethius, Maximus the Confessor, Aquinas and Gregory the Great.
The first part of Ortlund's I found the most beneficial, as it focused on an argument for theological retrieval and how it can be beneficial to the church today. The second half of the book focused on some sample cases, with the chapter on divine simplicity being one of my favorites. Yet, I found this book to be a bit more technical than expected. Which made me think it may be a bit more inaccessible to the crowds that Ortlund is trying to reach. As well I was disappointed that the book ended without a conclusion. There was quite a few running points throughout the book that needed a satisfying conclusion & application that I did not get.
All in all this is a good and helpful resource, particularly for pastors and Bible students, as well as an encouragement to use the wisdom of the past for the issues of today. I am all on board for using theological retrieval, but I'm still hoping for a more accessible popular level book that will draw more laymen to engage in the history of Christ's church.
"Theological Retrieval for Evangelicals" by Gavin Ortlund is a book proposing that the theological wisdom from the past is beneficial to help us address many of the theological concerns of the present. Ortlund argues that the past full of theological riches and that we can go farther than merely the Reformation to find those riches. Ortlund primarily focuses on the theological riches that can be found in the patristic and medieval periods citing theologians such as Irenaeus, Augustine, Boethius, Maximus the Confessor, Aquinas and Gregory the Great.
The first part of Ortlund's I found the most beneficial, as it focused on an argument for theological retrieval and how it can be beneficial to the church today. The second half of the book focused on some sample cases, with the chapter on divine simplicity being one of my favorites. Yet, I found this book to be a bit more technical than expected. Which made me think it may be a bit more inaccessible to the crowds that Ortlund is trying to reach. As well I was disappointed that the book ended without a conclusion. There was quite a few running points throughout the book that needed a satisfying conclusion & application that I did not get.
All in all this is a good and helpful resource, particularly for pastors and Bible students, as well as an encouragement to use the wisdom of the past for the issues of today. I am all on board for using theological retrieval, but I'm still hoping for a more accessible popular level book that will draw more laymen to engage in the history of Christ's church.
May 29, 2023
Cardinal Newman said, “To be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant.” While this is functionally true for many modern Protestants, it is not necessarily true of them, nor was it true of the original Protestant reformers us evangelicals love to quote. In this book, Ortlund challenges the common Protestant framework that has little value for historic Christianity, especially the 1500 years preceding the Reformation.
The first part of this book is Ortlund’s plea for and defense of theological retrieval for evangelicals, and the second part is a number of theological case studies throughout history including the creator/creation distinction, divine simplicity, the nature of the atonement, and art of pastoring.
Perhaps it’s because I’m naturally intrigued by this type of book, but I would recommend it to anyone, especially those wanting to grow in your rootedness in Christian history and theology. Especially as many Protestants find themselves unsatisfied with the lack of historical depth in their tradition, this book might offer a timely reminder that the Protestant tradition has the same claim to historic Christianity as any other tradition.
The first part of this book is Ortlund’s plea for and defense of theological retrieval for evangelicals, and the second part is a number of theological case studies throughout history including the creator/creation distinction, divine simplicity, the nature of the atonement, and art of pastoring.
Perhaps it’s because I’m naturally intrigued by this type of book, but I would recommend it to anyone, especially those wanting to grow in your rootedness in Christian history and theology. Especially as many Protestants find themselves unsatisfied with the lack of historical depth in their tradition, this book might offer a timely reminder that the Protestant tradition has the same claim to historic Christianity as any other tradition.
January 3, 2022
Loved this book. Evangelicalism can often suffer from a lack of historical rootedness and this book is a helpful corrective. The introductory chapter on why we need retrieval was excellent. Also loved the chapter on the atonement and on Gregory the Great. This book is definitely written for folks with a higher level of theological knowledge but the basic premise is helpful for any Christian.
June 21, 2024
God bok, og viktig for alle protestanter. Vi har mye å lære av de som har vært før oss, og av andre kristne tradisjoner. Mange teologiske spørsmål som vi møter på i dag har folk møtt på i tidligere tider. Det er derfor veldig til hjelp å se hvordan folk har håndtert dem før oss. Gavin Ortlund skriver meget bra, men noen ganger kreves det litt mer teologisk kunnskap enn det jeg foreløpig har for å kunne gripe alle hans poeng.
April 5, 2021
Enjoyed it. Let us listen to our Christian past and learn from it. Prime example: debate in 2016 concerning doctrine of God and our understanding of the Trinity. We need a developed and deepened classical understanding of theology proper. Ortlund helps demonstrate this.
November 25, 2021
I found bits of this a struggle, although it rarely had my full attention. But lots of good stuff. I feel more excited about the ascension than ever before, and also totally convinced that evangelical pastors ought to read Gregory the Great, which is probably the sort of thing Ortlund was aiming at.
June 22, 2025
Such an important topic for evangelical churches today who have lost their sense of transcendence and historical roots.
December 26, 2024
4.5 ⭐️
A beautiful and much needed guide for navigating patristic and medieval theological works from an evangelical perspective. And, a well stated case for why this is absolutely necessary.
Specifically loved Ortlund’s use of Lewis’s Narnia and Tolkien’s middle earth to explore different theological retrieval topics.
A beautiful and much needed guide for navigating patristic and medieval theological works from an evangelical perspective. And, a well stated case for why this is absolutely necessary.
Specifically loved Ortlund’s use of Lewis’s Narnia and Tolkien’s middle earth to explore different theological retrieval topics.
June 5, 2025
Super grateful for Gavin's work. Love the call for evangelicals to have a more robust historical theology. Definitely will need to revisit.
Chapter 5 "God Is Not a Thing: Divine Simplicity" made me tremble in my finitude.
Chapter 7 on Gregory's "The Book of Pastoral Rule" stirred up zeal and humility
Lots of wonderful things to ponder here in our churches past
Chapter 5 "God Is Not a Thing: Divine Simplicity" made me tremble in my finitude.
Chapter 7 on Gregory's "The Book of Pastoral Rule" stirred up zeal and humility
Lots of wonderful things to ponder here in our churches past
September 11, 2021
I bought Theological Retrieval for Evangelicals: Why We Need Our Past to Have a Future by Gavin Ortlund because the title looked to be something I would find interesting.
Ortlund argues that the Protestant Church did not begin with Luther, much less in the past twenty years. To understand the Church and what we believe and why we believe it, we must look to the Patristic and Medieval Theologians – not reading them through the Reformers or anyone else, but in their original documents – we ought to read what they wrote and learn from it (30).
We do this understanding that the Church has never been wholly corrupt. That is – whatever tradition we are in – we ought not throw out all other traditions because we disagree or understanding something to be wrong in their theology. There is value in all the Christian Church – and we neglect mining it to our detriment (37).
Peter J. Leithart writes, “A Reformational Catholic knows some of his ancestors were deeply flawed but won’t delete them from the family tree” (59).
Ortlund explains some of the benefits and perils of retrieval:
The benefits include bulking up contemporary theology where it is weak, teaching us how to make formal distinctions, and learning to reframe “modern debates by providing a premodern perspective (69-72).
Some perils include distorting others’ views – not doing our homework, artificially pressing others’ views to support our own, “repristination” – presenting ancient views as the last word on an issue, and “minimalism” – reducing the variety of theological opinions into a single thought as though there was never any disagreement or nuance (73-75).
In the second half of the book, Ortlund invites the reader to consider some examples.
In chapter four, he introduces the Creator/Creation distinction as expounded in Boethius, Calvin, and Torrance.
In chapter five, he looks at “divine simplicity in Patristic and Medieval perspective.”
In chapter six, he looks at the doctrine of the Atonement in Irenaeus, Anselm, and Athanasius.
In chapter seven, he looks at “Gregory the Great on pastoral balance.”
The book includes a general index and a Scripture index.
I agree with Ortlund: the thought of the Church is the thought of the Church, and we are diminished by neglecting the thought of those who have gone before us – all of them.
It saddens me to know that most of the ministers I know never read a book that was written more than twenty to thirty years ago. C. S. Lewis called this “chronological snobbery.”
Ortlund’s book also excited me to go back to the ancient authors – people I have looked at before, but not recently – to pick them up, read where I have not read, and grow in my understanding of the faith and the Church. I wrote down several works from his footnotes that I am going to read.
This is an excellent call to the Evangelical Church – and the Church at large – to engage in theological retrieval.
[This review appears on my blog, Amazon.com, and Goodreads.com.]
Ortlund argues that the Protestant Church did not begin with Luther, much less in the past twenty years. To understand the Church and what we believe and why we believe it, we must look to the Patristic and Medieval Theologians – not reading them through the Reformers or anyone else, but in their original documents – we ought to read what they wrote and learn from it (30).
We do this understanding that the Church has never been wholly corrupt. That is – whatever tradition we are in – we ought not throw out all other traditions because we disagree or understanding something to be wrong in their theology. There is value in all the Christian Church – and we neglect mining it to our detriment (37).
Peter J. Leithart writes, “A Reformational Catholic knows some of his ancestors were deeply flawed but won’t delete them from the family tree” (59).
Ortlund explains some of the benefits and perils of retrieval:
The benefits include bulking up contemporary theology where it is weak, teaching us how to make formal distinctions, and learning to reframe “modern debates by providing a premodern perspective (69-72).
Some perils include distorting others’ views – not doing our homework, artificially pressing others’ views to support our own, “repristination” – presenting ancient views as the last word on an issue, and “minimalism” – reducing the variety of theological opinions into a single thought as though there was never any disagreement or nuance (73-75).
In the second half of the book, Ortlund invites the reader to consider some examples.
In chapter four, he introduces the Creator/Creation distinction as expounded in Boethius, Calvin, and Torrance.
In chapter five, he looks at “divine simplicity in Patristic and Medieval perspective.”
In chapter six, he looks at the doctrine of the Atonement in Irenaeus, Anselm, and Athanasius.
In chapter seven, he looks at “Gregory the Great on pastoral balance.”
The book includes a general index and a Scripture index.
I agree with Ortlund: the thought of the Church is the thought of the Church, and we are diminished by neglecting the thought of those who have gone before us – all of them.
It saddens me to know that most of the ministers I know never read a book that was written more than twenty to thirty years ago. C. S. Lewis called this “chronological snobbery.”
Ortlund’s book also excited me to go back to the ancient authors – people I have looked at before, but not recently – to pick them up, read where I have not read, and grow in my understanding of the faith and the Church. I wrote down several works from his footnotes that I am going to read.
This is an excellent call to the Evangelical Church – and the Church at large – to engage in theological retrieval.
[This review appears on my blog, Amazon.com, and Goodreads.com.]
January 19, 2021
Sometimes the best way to go forward is, paradoxically, to go backward.”
Excellent review of past church history and our need to understand what our predecessors were thinking about God and His Word.
Our present attitudes are to discount or throw out ideas that were discussed in the past. Orlund emphasizes that “one need not regard church tradition as infallible or comprehensive to recognize that every generation of the church has a unique contribution to offer all the others” including the 21st Century.
As an elder at our church, I found the references to Gregory and his writings on “The Book of Pastoral Rule” helpful in my own role as a pastor and spiritual leader—even though he embraced a different theology resulting in what we see today in Catholicism.
A must read for todays under shepherd.
Chas Morse
Excellent review of past church history and our need to understand what our predecessors were thinking about God and His Word.
Our present attitudes are to discount or throw out ideas that were discussed in the past. Orlund emphasizes that “one need not regard church tradition as infallible or comprehensive to recognize that every generation of the church has a unique contribution to offer all the others” including the 21st Century.
As an elder at our church, I found the references to Gregory and his writings on “The Book of Pastoral Rule” helpful in my own role as a pastor and spiritual leader—even though he embraced a different theology resulting in what we see today in Catholicism.
A must read for todays under shepherd.
Chas Morse
October 21, 2019
A helpful look at the value of pre-Reformation generations for modern evangelicals. There's a bit too much "Why don't other people appreciate these guys as much as I do?"--his diagnosis of the state of modern theology is perhaps too grim, at least based on the circles in which I travel (which probably isn't representative, unfortunately). And, though he says he has written autobiographically elsewhere and doesn't want to do the same here, he should have provided some explanation for why he's identified on the back cover as a Baptist pastor--a tradition that through its militant congregationalism cuts intentionally itself off from everyone else.
Despite these criticisms, I greatly appreciated the book. The first three chapters lay the groundwork for retrieval--why it's licit, why it's needed, why it's helpful--and then he actually performs the act in the final four chapters. Each of these chapters is very helpful. One discusses the creator/creature distinction (the gap's a lot wider than we realize) with help from Calvin and others. One discusses the importance of the doctrine of divine simplicity, which many modern evangelicals love to pan. A very good chapter looks at Irenaeus, Anselm, and Athanasius and their helpful (and oft-overlooked) understandings of just what was happening on the cross. And the last chapter rescues Pope Gregory the Great's excellent pastoral theology, which is just as good as Baxter's or anyone else's.
Despite these criticisms, I greatly appreciated the book. The first three chapters lay the groundwork for retrieval--why it's licit, why it's needed, why it's helpful--and then he actually performs the act in the final four chapters. Each of these chapters is very helpful. One discusses the creator/creature distinction (the gap's a lot wider than we realize) with help from Calvin and others. One discusses the importance of the doctrine of divine simplicity, which many modern evangelicals love to pan. A very good chapter looks at Irenaeus, Anselm, and Athanasius and their helpful (and oft-overlooked) understandings of just what was happening on the cross. And the last chapter rescues Pope Gregory the Great's excellent pastoral theology, which is just as good as Baxter's or anyone else's.
April 21, 2021
Church History and Historical Theology - subjects which are relatively new to me. Growing up in Church, I didn’t hear about history all too much. Moreover, never, and I mean on zero occasions, did I hear anyone in the Church convey the value that engaging with history can deliver. I didn’t hear about Athanasius, Irenaeus, or Gregory the Great. Nobody talked about John of Damascus or Anselm. It was until I was a teenager that I even remember hearing of Calvin and Luther, and not until the last several years did Augustine make his way in to the picture. How could something so intertwined with history never have any of its history ever engaged with the Church body? I don’t say this as an indictment, but rather as an observation of a glaring need which remains through the current day. That need is one of theological retrieval. I am grateful to Gavin for writing this accessible introduction to the topic, and for allowing me to participate with him in some retrieval of ancient wisdom. The interconnectedness with the ancient, medieval, and reformation Church which is available, even to Evangelical Christians like me, is not only astounding, but tremendously encouraging. The book was well-written, clearly presented, and quite frankly, fun to read. I don’t know how anyone wouldn’t benefit from diving in to this one!
May 18, 2020
Excellent. May his tribe increase!
April 9, 2023
Two summers ago I was getting ready to do a new paint job on my dad's 1987 square-body. I didn't want to waste all that time without listening to something, and I had a recent interest in learning about church history. I went on the Apple Podcast app, searched "church history" and scrolled until I saw something appealing. One caught my eye, I played it, and got working. Many hours passed and I was infatuated by the story David B. Calhoun was presenting me; Christ's never-failing love for the Church prevailing above the grinding trials of time. "The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever."
The next spring I was at T4G scanning the vendors for new ways to spend my money: books. The Crossway section looked very appetizing, and the biographies caught my eye. I stood there, trying to decide if I was going to learn about Augustin or Calvin. A kind gentleman with the vendor saw my interest in these two, and after I explained I was interested in the early church, pointed me to this book. I had never heard of Gavin Ortlund (okay, I actually read Finding the Right Hills to Die On a few years prior -- but that was like forever ago and I didn't know the author would become relevant to me again), and the topic seemed a little too general for what I was going for. In my pride I really have a hard time taking advice, but I suppose there was something that made me take a chance on this. I'm very glad I did.
I discovered this book at the right time in my life, but that takes nothing away from how good it is. There's a real beauty to kneeling down in humility to try to understand the saints who passed before us. Maybe Catholicism or context stand as barriers to entry; but don't let them be. For it is the very power of Jesus Christ which brought each believer throughout time to be sanctified and made anew. The common thread connects you to every age before us. Each martyr and saint with a unique story to uncover is just waiting with the baton outstretched, would it be wise to go and retrieve it?
The next spring I was at T4G scanning the vendors for new ways to spend my money: books. The Crossway section looked very appetizing, and the biographies caught my eye. I stood there, trying to decide if I was going to learn about Augustin or Calvin. A kind gentleman with the vendor saw my interest in these two, and after I explained I was interested in the early church, pointed me to this book. I had never heard of Gavin Ortlund (okay, I actually read Finding the Right Hills to Die On a few years prior -- but that was like forever ago and I didn't know the author would become relevant to me again), and the topic seemed a little too general for what I was going for. In my pride I really have a hard time taking advice, but I suppose there was something that made me take a chance on this. I'm very glad I did.
I discovered this book at the right time in my life, but that takes nothing away from how good it is. There's a real beauty to kneeling down in humility to try to understand the saints who passed before us. Maybe Catholicism or context stand as barriers to entry; but don't let them be. For it is the very power of Jesus Christ which brought each believer throughout time to be sanctified and made anew. The common thread connects you to every age before us. Each martyr and saint with a unique story to uncover is just waiting with the baton outstretched, would it be wise to go and retrieve it?
October 23, 2019
Going back in history to the teachers of the past is most beneficial to any layperson as myself but more so for the pastor/teacher/deacon as they tend to have more responsibility of the flock. As this text was very intense and filled with footnotes, it was difficult for me to follow. However, what I could follow was insightful. The most insightful is how in tuned these teachers were to the human heart. Motives of the heart and the pitfalls that we can have. Mostly the deceitfulness of sin. How some virtues can lead to sin and ultimately pride that our so called virtues become our glory instead of Gods. I think of Christianity today and how unfulfilling it can be because it seems so shallow, however, good teaching really takes you to the presence of God and the working of the Holy Spirit. We you are left undone and seeing the reality that God is really all we have.
A Special Thank you to Crossway Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
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