Can Catholics and Protestants Agree on Why Christianity Is True? (Gavin Ortlund) | Ep. 599

October 5, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Gavin Ortlund, a Protestant theologian, has written a new book, Why Christianity Makes Sense, that aims to be a genuinely ecumenical defense of the Christian faith—one that Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants can all get behind. The book is designed for the person who is curious about God but turned off by the infighting and moralizing they see online. Ortlund’s central insight is that modern people are deeply distracted from the ultimate questions of life, and so any effective apologetics must first puncture that distraction by drawing attention to what he calls "the ache"—the longing for transcendence that everyone feels but few know how to name.

The Ache, Distraction, and Re-enchantment

Ortlund draws heavily on Blaise Pascal, who argued that humanity’s fundamental problem is an inability to sit quietly in a room. We use entertainment and busyness to avoid confronting two unavoidable questions: meaning and death. Ortlund believes this diagnosis is even more acute today, when a phone is always at hand to fill any moment of silence. The result is a culture that is uniquely skilled at forgetting its own mortality, and therefore uniquely resistant to the spiritual questions that mortality naturally raises.

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What you'll learn

1 Timestamped Outline
2 (01:56) **Two Seasons of Personal Doubt** - Ortlund describes his own seasons of anguished questioning about whether Christianity is true
3 (03:10) **Why This Book is Ecumenical** - Ortlund explains his book "Why Christianity Makes Sense" and its cross-denominational endorsements
4 (08:08) **The Problem With Online Apologetics** - The conversation turns to how internet culture rewards combativeness over charity
5 (12:42) **Why Respectful Debates Don't Perform Well** - The host and Ortlund discuss why the market favors conflict over substance
6 (15:33) **The Wisdom Struggle of When to Respond** - Practical advice on deciding whether to engage with criticism online
7 (19:27) **Taking a Month Off Social Media** - Ortlund describes his sabbatical and what he learned

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Gavin Ortlund defends why Christianity is both intellectually credible and deeply compelling. His latest book, Why Christianity Makes Sense is available now: https://a.co/d/09B2sjqK

Ep. 599

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📚 Resources Mentioned:

* NEW RELEASE! Why Christianity Makes Sense - Gavin Ortlund: https://a.co/d/09B2sjqK

The Reliability of the Gospel of John: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZC3VYrzVUP4

Jesus and Divine Christology - Brant Pitre: https://a.co/d/05ORRvUA

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