# Richard F. Lovelace

Richard F. Lovelace (1930–2020) was a theologian and professor of church history at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he served from 1969 to 1996, and continued as an emeritus professor until his death in 2020. Lovelace was known for his influence on the theological and spiritual life of the Evangelical Christian community, especially through his seminal work, Dynamics of Spiritual Life: An Evangelical Theology of Renewal.

## Early life and education

Richard Franz Lovelace was born in California in 1930 and spent his childhood in New Mexico. He migrated to the northeastern United States for his tertiary education, graduating from Yale College with a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy. Lovelace furthered his theological education at Westminster Theological Seminary, where he earned a master's degree, and Princeton Theological Seminary, where he received a doctorate in theology. His 1968 doctoral thesis at Princeton was entitled Christian Experience in the Theology of Cotton Mather.

## Career

Lovelace served on the faculty of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary from 1969 to 1996 and remained active as an emeritus professor for many years afterward. He was deeply involved in teaching, ministry, and writing. At Gordon-Conwell, he influenced a generation of ministers and leaders with his vision of an active and engaged church. He championed a postmillennial optimism, inspired by his hero Jonathan Edwards and believed in the church's role in advancing the kingdom of God on Earth. Lovelace's popular course, “Dynamics of the Spiritual Life,” was foundational for many and later became his magnum opus, Dynamics of Spiritual Life: An Evangelical Theology of Renewal, first published in 1979. It was in this book that he first coined the word disenculturation, which in his view was the ideal process for a spiritually healthy church to continually renew itself, as well as serving as a warning sign when the church is facing internal problems. He wrote several other books during his career including a widely reviewed book entitled The American Pietism of Cotton Mather: Origins of American Evangelicalism, also published in 1979.
Lovelace wrote extensively on the subject of spiritual vitality and renewal in the contemporary church, overlapping with his scholarly interest in the historical piety of the Puritans and other renewal movements. He also addressed issues surrounding homosexuality from an evangelical Christian perspective. His impact was felt by many, including notable Evangelical figures such as Charles Colson and Tim Keller. Lovelace contributed to the Peniel Bible Conference in Lake Luzerne, NY, and participated in the PCUSA General Assembly, advocating for various church policies. His column for Charisma magazine provided a historical perspective on modern revival movements.

## Personal life and death

Lovelace married Betty Lee (née Agar) in 1958, and they were married for fifty years until her death in 2009. They had three children: David, Margaret (Peg), and Jonathan. The Lovelaces were part of the Presbyterian Church USA and were involved in a church plant in Massachusetts in the late 1980s. Lovelace died on November 6, 2020.

## Publications

* Homosexuality and the Church, Fleming H. Revell Company (1978), ISBN 0800709527.
* The American Pietism of Cotton Mather: Origins of American Evangelicalism, W.B. Eerdmans Publishing (1979), ISBN 0802817505.
* Dynamics of Spiritual Life: An Evangelical Theology of Renewal, Inter-Varsity Press (1979), ISBN 0830854932.
* Homosexuality: What Should Christians Do About It?, Fleming H. Revell Company (1984), ISBN 1725202263.
* Renewal as a Way of Life: A Guidebook for Spiritual Growth, InterVarsity Press (1985), ISBN 0877845948.