by Kevin Bauder | Dec 22, 2023 | In the Nick of Time
[This essay was originally published on December 21, 2007.] If Jesus Christ were not truly and perfectly God, He could not be our mediator. If Jesus Christ were not truly and perfectly human, He could not be our mediator. This much, Scripture makes clear. Our problem...
by Kevin Bauder | Dec 15, 2023 | In the Nick of Time
The book Finding the Right Hills to Die On is Gavin Ortlund’s theory of doctrinal triage. According to his theory, primary doctrines are essential to the gospel and to Christian fellowship. Secondary doctrines are not essential to the gospel, but they are...
by Kevin Bauder | Dec 8, 2023 | In the Nick of Time
In Finding the Right Hills to Die On, Gavin Ortlund develops a theory of doctrinal triage. In this theory, second-rank doctrines are not fundamental to the gospel, but they are important to some level of Christian fellowship. To illustrate how second-rank doctrines...
by Kevin Bauder | Dec 1, 2023 | In the Nick of Time
Through the fourth chapter of Finding the Right Hills to Die On, Gavin Ortlund has been discussing primary or first-rank doctrines—the doctrines that are traditionally known as fundamentals or essentials. His thesis thus far has been that when these doctrines are...
by Kevin Bauder | Nov 17, 2023 | In the Nick of Time
[This essay was originally published In the Nick of Time on August 12, 2005.] The doctrinal core of all biblical religion—the most fundamental of all fundamentals—is the shema. It affirms the existence of one and only one true and living God, Yahweh. Since any object...