To download the entire article, click here Shogren_Strongs Concordance For Bible students who don’t use Hebrew and Greek, the Strong Concordance is a popular tool, available online. [1] But it has a serious limitation – namely: the “dictionary” in the back of Strong’s is not really a dictionary at all, and should not be... Continue Reading →
Thou Shalt Not Bully Those who use a Different Bible Translation!
There are now hundreds of versions of the Bible in English, and more come out every year. And there is great benefit from comparing version with version. Still, if I were king, I would impose a moratorium on new Bible versions for at least a decade. If I were king. But, let’s see what hand life... Continue Reading →
“Be like a child, a mom, a dad!” 1 Thess 2:7-12 [Sermon Notes on 1 Thessalonians, Week 7]
1 Thess 2:6-12 NIV 2011 - 6 We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority. 7 Instead, we were like ** young children ** among you. Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, 8 so we cared for... Continue Reading →
Does John 4:22 say that salvation is just for Jews?
[Note – this is a very live topic in Latin America, and I wrote this for the church there. I also offer it for the English-speaking church]. Every time I write that salvation is for all who believe the gospel; that Gentile believers are not obligated to be circumcised or observe the 613 laws of... Continue Reading →
“A Disciple is basically an Imitator” [Sermon Notes on 1 Thessalonians, Week 4]
In 1 Thessalonians 1:5b-7, Paul is still thanking God for the Thessalonians, and his thanksgiving sets the pace for the rest of the letter. You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with... Continue Reading →
“How do we know God is at work in us?” Part B [Sermon Notes on 1 Thessalonians, Week 3]
Paul has spoken about how he knows that the Thessalonians are genuine Christians: first of all, because they have the fruit of the Spirit. Words, yes, but also attitudes, actions, values that go beyond what we would expect from a human being, apart from Christ. You can’t see the Spirit, but you can see what... Continue Reading →
“The Paranoid Style in American Politics” has its 50th Anniversary
[One of my few blog entries on politics, and how it relates to psychology, sociology, and modern apocalyptic eschatology. Here is a full pdf version: Paranoid Style Turns 50_Shogren] Because of his ability to describe and predict American political behavior, Richard Hofstadter’s “The Paranoid Style in American Politics” should be required reading for the citizen. And... Continue Reading →
The Eclectic Text of the New Testament – a conspiracy against the Word?
God’s beloved Word – you'd better believe I study it daily. Yes, as a Bible teacher, since my ministry is teaching the New Testament in Spanish and English, and also from the Greek. But more fundamentally I read the Bible simply as a Christian, because it is through the reading, meditation, and obedience of God’s Word... Continue Reading →
Did a NASA supercomputer prove the Bible?
NASA proved the Lost Day of Joshua, using a supercomputer! This story surfaces once in a while, and the internet only serves to give it more “credibility” by making it come at the reader from a hundred directions: So, what happened is, NASA scientists fed all the data of history into a big computer program, and... Continue Reading →
“But the Greek REALLY says…” Why Greek and Hebrew are not needed in the pulpit, Part 3
In Part 1 and Part 2 I offered one individual's philosophy of Expository Preaching without Ancient Words: I use the biblical languages, virtually daily. [1] I cannot remember the last time I did not study the Hebrew or Greek when I was preparing a sermon. I cannot remember the last time I did use a... Continue Reading →