Welcome to Some, uh, Theologica, the blog of Mark Schaefer, preacher, attorney, and author, containing articles, sermons, and reflections on faith, theology, and language. Most of the posts here are sermons preached over the years reflecting on a number of different topics, but you’ll also find essays, articles, reflections, and an occasional translation. You can also find information on Mark’s books The Good News according to Mark and The Certainty of Uncertainty.

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Recent Posts

Yhwh v Israel
Biblical ExegesisTheology

Yhwh v Israel

Feb 7, 2026 319 11 min read
Plaintiff, Yhwh, brings this action for breach of contract. Defendant, Children of Israel (“Israel”), has responded with an answer containing a number of affirmative defenses, but which did not deny any of the substantive allegations of fact made in the complaint,
Bishop Marianned Enger Budde preaches at the National Cathedral.
CultureReflectionTheology

Bishop Budde’s Plea for Mercy, Annotated

Jan 26, 2025 1311 1 min read
When we look at, listen to, and read the words of Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde’s plea to the president of the United States of America, we find the example par excellence of what Christian witness is and ought to be
Jesus and the disciples in the upper room
Sermons

Disbelieving and Still Wondering

Apr 14, 2024 1202 10 min read
No matter how profound the religious experience, no matter how seemingly convincing the proof, doubt is unexpungeable. Doubt is inescapable. It is a fact of faithful living. We Christians aren’t always comfortable with that idea. We’re not comfortable with the idea that doubt is okay or that doubt can be tolerated. We don’t know what to do with it because we’re afraid that admitting doubt is tantamount to admitting weakness in faith or admitting that we’re not faithful enough.
Cover of Delivering the Commonwealth
Book Information

Something Otherworldly, and not in the Usual Way

Nov 18, 2023 1315 2 min read
November is National Novel Writing Month (#NaNoWriMo) in which thousands of aspiring novelists commit to writing 50,000 words of their attempt at the next Great American Novel. I am one of those aspiring thousands.
Video: A Religious Argument Against the Flat Earth
Video

Video: A Religious Argument Against the Flat Earth

Jul 10, 2023 2199 1 min read
In a way, there is a religious fundamentalist quality to this globe-denialism, and it occurred to me that there is a quasi-religious foundation for people’s stubborn belief in a flat earth. I’m no scientist, but I do know religion, and so into the fray I jumped with a video entitled “A Religious Argument Against the Flat Earth.”
Image of St. Mark from an Armenian edition of the gospels
Book Information

At Long Last: The Good News according to Mark

Mar 18, 2023 3289 7 min read
My primary aim in this book was to put before the reader a presentation of different levels of translation for this sacred text. In so doing, I hoped to allow the reader to see the fundamental strangeness of the text and its familiarity at the same time, and come to see just what it is that I have come to love about Mark’s gospel.
Billboard reading: "Where are you going, Heaven or Hell?"
CultureReflectionTheology

The Shitty Theology Along I-95

Mar 9, 2023 2828 1 min read
On a recent road trip to through the South, I saw a series of billboards with religious message. These billboards were clearly part of a single theological viewpoint. And that theological viewpoint is terrible.
Icon of the Nativity
Sermons

God With Us

Dec 18, 2022 1363 10 min read
So you don’t meet a lot of people with good old-fashioned biblical names anymore. I mean, there are a bunch of Matthews and Marks, Johns and Pauls, and Peters, Joshuas and Josephs, and Marys, but there are not a lot of Isaiahs, Jeremiahs, Ezekiels, or Zechariahs, and certainly not a lot of Zerubbabels, Jehoiakins, Jedediahs,…
King Arthur and his knights from Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Sermons

A King Like No Other

Nov 20, 2022 2226 3 min read
There is some embarrassment in the modern church about Christ the King Sunday. It’s viewed as patriarchal, monarchist, and imperialist: all the things that a good modern-day Christian should oppose. And we should. But there’s something missing from that understanding, and that’s that proclaiming Christ as King has always been a subversive act. 

Browse this Blog

There’s a lot of content on this blog, which you can explore by visiting the posts page or by exploring the different types of content below.

Sermons

The most recent sermons can be found above. If you like, you can also browse the complete list of sermons by subject, date, title or scripture passage.

Reflections

In addition to sermons, I have written essays and reflections on culture and current issues. The most recent essays are above or you can browse the full list.

Biblical Exegesis

From time to time, I do an in-depth analysis of a biblical text. As a result, there are explorations of particular passages and even entire Psalms. These tend to be a little more academic, but if you are interested you can browse the exegetical essays.

Language

I have a life-long fascination with language. In addition, I have come to understand that language reveals our deep assumptions and our thoughts. Because of that, I enjoy exploring the implications of our language, especially in matters of faith and culture. Above are some of the most recent language essays. To browse the rest, check out the language collection.

Theology

Everything here has some theology. That is, because I’m a pastor, I tend to see things through a particular lens no matter what I’m writing about. However, sometimes I like to explore a particular religious idea more fully, especially if it’s been in the news or is relevant to recent events. From the rapture to our attitudes about death and more, you can find these topics in the theology posts.

Thank you for coming by and enjoy your visit!

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Mark Schaefer

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