Category Archives: theology

Waiting and the Shape of the Kingdom of God

Posted on November 19, 2020 by Mark Love

The gospel texts for the last two Sundays have been parables from Matthew that have to do with waiting. The first is the parable of the ten virgins who are waiting with their lamps for the arrival of the bridegroom. … Continue reading →

Posted in missional theology, theology | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Jesus’ baptism and ours: the Jordan River runs through Romans

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Mark Love

Before my baptism, I memorized Romans 6:1-14. A seminal text for sure. “What shall we say then, shall we persist in sin that grace may abound? By no means! … Do you not know that all of us who were … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian practice, missional theology, theology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Miami Dolphins and Female Preachers

Posted on November 19, 2013 by Mark Love

Maybe you’re been following the saga of Jonathan Martin, Richie Incognito and the Miami Dolphins. Martin walked away from the team because he was being “bullied” by Incognito, apparently by the use of racial epitaphs and threats of violence. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian practice, missional leadership, Scripture, theology, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Beyond Numbers and Dollars: new metrics for a post-Christendom church

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Mark Love

It’s tougher to know these days if your church is doing well. It used to be easier to evaluate. Numbers were the key: members and dollars. And in a setting where going or belonging to a church was a cultural … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian practice, culture, missional leadership, missional theology, theology | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Dear freshman, a little good news

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Mark Love

I realized when making out my final for my freshman Bible class that I hadn’t adequately prepared them to write an essay on Paul for the final exam. So, I wrote one for them and asked for their reaction (haven’t … Continue reading →

Posted in theology | Tagged | 4 Comments

Repent and Believe the Good News: A Meditation on News of Decline

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Mark Love

I wrote this piece at the request of Jason Locke, who has been hosting a series of posts on the problems/hopes related to decline among Churches of Christ on the west coast. A lot of thoughtful stuff there that you … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian practice, missional leadership, missional theology, theology | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

Discerning and Joining: Movements in Leading God’s People in Power

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Mark Love

I’ve been thinking a lot about the tasks related to leading in congregations lately. More to the point, I’ve been thinking about how to create a culture within congregations in which they can act, or express their life powerfully (I … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian practice, missional leadership, missional theology, theology, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

What I Wanted to Hear this Easter, But Didn’t

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Mark Love

I’m trying not to make this a grumpy old theologian post. I had a great holy week. In my tradition, we haven’t typically made a big fuss about Easter. That’s something other people did. Every Sunday was Easter for us. … Continue reading →

Posted in missional theology, theology | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments

God is Love, Not Control

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Mark Love

I’ve had a regrettable gap between my last posts. It’s regrettable because I promised one more post in the last “series” I’ve been doing on God’s activity in the world–or better, on our ability to speak of God’s activity in … Continue reading →

Posted in theology | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

In Every Circumstance: God’s loving presence

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Mark Love

In my last few posts, I’ve been trying to drive some kinks into a simplistic bit of straight-line reasoning that too easily implicates God in the cause of events like hurricanes or mass shootings or even finding jobs, etc. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian practice, theology | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments