Tag Archives: Paul

Love, Understanding, and Participation in the Life of God

Posted on May 23, 2023 by Mark Love

Just thinking out loud here, and trying to reverse engineer the bigger project I’ve been working on. So, you are generous to audit my raw notions. The author of 1 John insists that the deal is not that we love … Continue reading →

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The Backward Hermeneutics of Paul

Posted on February 28, 2022 by Mark Love

I’ve been reading posts from my students in their missional hermeneutics course. They are currently responding to Richard Hays’ book, Echoes of Scripture in Paul. I’ve read these posts alongside participation in a conference on hermeneutics I attended the last … Continue reading →

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They make much of you, to exclude you

Posted on August 27, 2019 by Mark Love

I’ve been thinking about biblical texts that have informed my practice of ministry. The potential list is long and most of the texts are familiar, but one of my “go-to’s” is a rarely noticed text in Galatians 4:17ff. You’ll remember … Continue reading →

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By God’s mercies: secured by the resurrection

Posted on December 16, 2014 by Mark Love

I often tell church leaders that a typical response in leadership to anxiety is to enact greater measures of control. Whatever short term gains are made through these measures, they often result in negative long-term consequences. Instead, and perhaps counter-intuitively, … Continue reading →

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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 →

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Salvation is more than a Binary

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Mark Love

In one of my favorite episodes of The West Wing, Toby is being legally deposed in relation to his ex-wife’s pregnancy. At one point, the attorney deposing him asks “how pregnant is your ex-wife?” Toby’s response is something like, “the … Continue reading →

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Grace Gets Things Done

Posted on December 5, 2013 by Mark Love

I once had an elder tell me, “I know that we’re saved by grace, but you have to run the church with a little law.” I thought of that statement again today as I told my freshman Bible class about … Continue reading →

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Your kingdom come…on earth as it is in heaven: further points on my gender-inclusive journey

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Mark Love

My mother, as a girl, was taught that Christians should not say the Lord’s Prayer. The reason? Because it was no longer needed, since the Kingdom had already come. It was a model prayer, it turns out, for only a … Continue reading →

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Not all biblical texts are created equal

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Mark Love

My first semester in grad school, I took Tom Olbricht’s course, Religious Teachings of the New Testament. (It was before we believed in theology at ACU. Apparently, we believed in religion). The first lecture changed my life. The rest of … Continue reading →

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The Divine is in the Details: Reflections on Peace, Power, and Process

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Mark Love

As Paul says, “the kingdom of God is not about talk, but power.” Indeed. I am of the opinion that there is no place where the gospel becomes more practical than in matters related to power.  I want to quickly … Continue reading →

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