There are different kinds of adjectives i.e. attributive, predicative, etc. We sometimes use some adjectives for people but some aren't used in such a way. What about the adjective 'doctrinal'? We can say:
doctrinal matters, doctrinal character, doctrinal manuals, etc.
Can we use this for people? As in:
He is a rightly doctrinal person.
meaning: he believes in/ has the right doctrine.
Websters defines 'doctrinal this way:
of, relating to, or preoccupied with doctrine
Only people can be 'preoccupied' with something, so that would mean yes, you can describe a person as 'doctrinal'.
A Google search of "he is doctrinal" turns up plenty of results:
- "More often than not, however, he is doctrinal and pastoral."
- "He is doctrinal, clear in his writing style and practical."
- “If a man be found a preacher of Christ, he is doctrinal, experimental [experiential] and practical.”
However, you would surely need to define 'doctrine' first before doing so. 'Doctrine' could refer to any number of sets of beliefs or teachings. But if you have already established what you are speaking about in the wider context, it ought to be clear what you mean.
No, we can't. Doctrinal means concerned with or relating to doctrine; it isn't used of people in that way.
