Announcement! The English version of my 1 Corinthians commentary is now available from Logos.com; it is fully integrated with the Logos system. Only $19.95. Or you can download a pdf version for free from this blog! (https://openoureyeslord.com/2012/05/21/free-commentary-on-1-corinthians-2/) What does agape mean? What are the spiritual gifts? Should women wear veils to church? Or remain absolutely... Continue Reading →
Jesus? Yeshua? Yahushua? Which is the ‘real’ pronunciation?
From my ministry in Central America, I understand how names change from language to language: the English form of my name “Gary Shogren” is difficult for the Spanish-speaker – the “a” and the “e” don’t have exact counterparts in Spanish; nor does “sh”. I say my name one way if I’m speaking English and another... Continue Reading →
Why you’ve never heard of the Second Corinthian Church [Studies in 1 Corinthians]
Paul was a traveling apostle, not the local pastor of Corinth. Nevertheless, he had to deal with the members of this flock in a pastoral way, teaching, encouraging and rebuking them. I’ve spend some years studying 1 Corinthians, and I must admit honestly, that if I had been Paul, I would have been heavily tempted... Continue Reading →
Is Bible memorization a good use of our time?
I just wrote a post in which I gave advice to a younger Christian, and I urged him to memorize Scripture. A reader questions the value of Bible memorization compared with other Bible activities. He says: I would say focus on reading comprehension and understanding what you are reading and ask questions whenever possible -... Continue Reading →
Text criticism in the not too distant future!
I have used Logos for 20 years now. And speaking of futuristic software, I'm a fan of science fiction and occasionally write stories for my own amusement. For those with lots of imagination, enjoy a short story about the future of Bible study! This should be considered "hard" science fiction, since all the texts and technology... Continue Reading →
May Christians create holidays such as Christmas?
May Christians create holidays? The Bible gives us precedent to say Yes. First, God’s people have always celebrated holidays that are not mandated in the Bible. To name three, the feast of Purim was established in the 400s BC, when Esther and Mordecai saved the Jews from slaughter. The name Purim is the Hebrew form... Continue Reading →
How to write a commentary when your library is 2000 miles away
[I wrote this post at the very end of 2012. In 2021 we relocated to the States, since all of my teaching at Seminario ESEPA is now done online. A lot has changed since I wrote this, especially in the possibility of accessing older printed works online. And when I visit the Westminster Seminary library,... Continue Reading →
Early Frost: A tale of Christmas in Rhode Island
A special story for the season! It is a scientific fact: the winters of one’s child years are much colder, darker, snowier and more perilous than the winters served to these same people as adults. Nor is this natural law any respecter of generation. Old-timer, post-war, boomer, post-boomer: each child in every era survives to... Continue Reading →
Who dares to command God?
Who dares to issue demands to God? Who dares command God to do a miracle? Not I, mister, I know my place: God is my King: he gives orders, I’m supposed to follow them. And God is my Father: when I need something, even a miracle, I ask him for help, sometimes over and over... Continue Reading →
Was Jesus Married? Eight Days in September, 2012
UPDATE. On April 10, 2014, scientists announced their finding that this document is not a fake, that is, it's not a modern forgery. It is a centuries-old copy of an earlier book, but not from as early as the time of Jesus. That doesn't mean Jesus was married, but as Dr. King originally said, it may... Continue Reading →
Open Our Eyes, Lord! 