I don’t plan on doing too many book reviews. However, this one felt inescapable. I was given a copy of “Gentle and Lowly” by Dane Ortlund by my church. I have no idea if the intention is to work through it, but I will definitely not be participating. I have found the book to be so unhelpful I stopped reading after 2 chapters. If I am later encouraged to finish the book, I may update this review. But for now, these are my thoughts.
Introduction
At the start of the introduction, Ortlund makes clear that this book is about the heart of Christ. He then clarifies here and a little later that questions about the heart of Christ are questions about identifying: “What is most natural to him?” This is honestly a very strange question in it’s own right. What is most natural to an unchanging, eternal God? This is a decent question, but any question about the nature of God should probably be followed by about one thousand definitions for clarity. But definitions are not what immediately follows. Instead, the author chooses to identify the readers of the book.
“This book is written for the discouraged, the frustrated, the weary, the disenchanted, the cynical, the empty. Those running on fumes. Those whose Christian lives feel like constantly running up a descending escalator….. It is written, in other words, for normal Christians.”
Dane Ortlund, “Gentle and Lowly”
I had not felt particularly discouraged, frustrated, cynical or empty at the time, but I am definitely a normal Christian. I definitely have struggles in my Christian walk, but the previous list of adjectives are not the first ones that spring to mind. Despite my initial hesitation, I kept reading.
Chapter One
“In the four Gospel accounts given to us in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – eighty-nine chapters of biblical text – there’s only one place where Jesus tells us about his own heart.”
Gentle and Lowly
The author then gives us this particular location: Matthew 11:28-30. This is a very interesting verse to focus an entire book on. This would have been a fantastic time for pastor Ortlund to describe what the “heart of Christ” even is. Normally I wouldn’t be this much of a stickler, but it seems to be a rather large focal point for the rest of the book. Is the heart of Christ different than the heart of the Lord? How does the heart of Christ relate to the rest of the trinity? When Genesis 6:6 says the Lord regretted making man, and it grieved him to his heart, is this the same heart of Christ? At the very least, even the casual reader is owed some better definitions. I enjoy more scholarly books, but this clear omittance of helpful definitions was a significant distraction.
Moving on, the author then describes the heart of Christ as gentle and lowly from the initial verse (Matt:11:29). This is an excellent, straight from Scripture understanding. Jesus makes clear that the gentle/meek will inherit the earth (Matt 5:5). Ortlund then makes the case that Jesus’ lowly heart indicates his accessibility. Just because someone is of lowly state does not necessarily indicate they are approachable. This feel likes the right answer using the wrong solution. I have known many poor and proud people in my life. The state of lowliness does not necessitate openness. However, the Bible is clear that God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). There is no partiality shown in God’s gift.
The reason this is a strange verse to focus on, is due to Ortlund’s next statement.
“If we are asked to say only one thing about who Jesus is, we would be honoring Jesus’ own teaching if our answer is, gentle and lowly.”
Gentle and Lowly
This is such a strange claim to make. It appears to brush aside a verse like John 14:6, or Peter’s response to Jesus in Mark 8:27-30. Maybe John 6:22, or John 8:12 would be equally valuable tools for analyzing Jesus identity?
Chapter 2
This is the last chapter I read before deciding to discontinue reading. Ortlund starts off the chapter by assuring his readers that he is trying to paint an accurate depiction of Christ. This is done by evaluating different approaches to the gospel. This is an admirable goal and one that I try to do every day. Bad theology can easily arise from a narrow view of God, or cherry picking scripture.
“…how do we ensure that we are growing in a healthy understanding of the whole counsel of God and a comprehensive and therefore proportionate vision of who Christ is?”
Gentle and Lowly
Within that context, the author makes a few points: (1) wrath and mercy are better understood together, (2) the heart of Christ is not on the wrath/mercy spectrum, and (3) our sense of “balance” should always be biblical, and not based on our version of proportionate. Ortlund summarizes the comments with a sentence.
“In short: it is impossible for the affectionate heart of Christ to be overcelebrated, made too much of, exaggerated.”
Gentle and Lowly
This summary of the attributes of Christ appears to contradict his previous points in every possible way. If we are attempting to gain a “comprehensive and proportionate” vision of the person of Christ, why is the “affectionate heart of Christ” given a pass for any amount of exaggeration?
This was where I was unable to continue reading the book. I have not been able to follow the logic of Dane Ortlund’s key arguments, and found the rest of the material frustrating because of it. It may be possible that there are nuggets of truth in this book that some Christians may find valuable. However, it is unclear if the book surrounding these nuggets have enough value to justify reading the book as a whole.
Conclusion
The biggest reason I have for not recommending this book is due to the author’s inability to clarify doctrinal details. Apparently, the heart of Christ is a central aspect of his person and character, this aspect is chiefly comprised of meekness and lowliness, and that this aspect is so important that it can never be made second to Jesus’s other characteristics. If this bold statement is true, it definitely explains why the world has come to understand Jesus as a pushover. Which is a better phrase to enter a sinner’s mind when describing Jesus Christ: “gentle and lowly”, or “The way, the truth, and the life?” If you constantly proclaim an accommodating and understanding god to yourselves, do you honestly expect the world to keep Christ “in perspective” when they are called to repentance? The power of the gospel does not lie in it’s accessibility. The call to follow Jesus does not start or end with an understanding of his meekness.
Apparently, I am not the only one to be critical of this book. Supposedly, Phil Johnson also had some issue with the direction it took.1https://relevantmagazine.com/culture/books/why-is-everyone-talking-about-dane-ortlunds-gentle-and-lowly/ Regardless, I hope that you will find this review helpful in some way. I am in the habit of avoiding people that associate with the big evangelical crowd, as the time it takes to understand a nuanced position is usually not helpful. Christianity must have a very real application. It is often much more efficient to avoid pastors that associate with proponents of the social gospel, than it is for the layman to interact with that potentially false doctrine in the hopes of rebuttal. Essentially, that mega-church pastor is not worth your time. Leave him to God, and build something new.
Sources:
- 1https://relevantmagazine.com/culture/books/why-is-everyone-talking-about-dane-ortlunds-gentle-and-lowly/
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