Gary Shogren's Blog
Paul was in a terrible fix: he had been forced to leave his new disciples in Macedonia, and he was particularly uneasy about the new Christians in the second church, planted in Thessalonica. After all, hadn’t Jesus taught that sometimes the gospel mission ends in disaster? (Matthew 13:20-21) The seed falling on rocky ground refers to... Continue Reading →
Note: this sermon outline is based on my volume in the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary of the New Testament; readers might want to acquire that commentary if they wish to see the exegetical work behind these talks. These posts are Sermon Notes, not polished messages. Introduction A few years ago I went to a reunion; there were people I hadn’t... Continue Reading →
You go down town to the park where there are always people begging for money; selling something; preaching some message. So you circulate around to see what new doctrines are in the air. Over there is a new guy, talking earnestly to a small group. You pick up a few words of his discourse: “Now... Continue Reading →
[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 →
I was as fresh in ministry as could be, still a bit amazed that grown-ups had actually voted me to be their full-time pastor. And it was my first Sunday, my first sermon, with us still fuzzy from memorizing all the names of all the members even as we unpacked our boxes: “Who is the... Continue Reading →
[Note: I spent a number of years writing a commentary on 1 Corinthians for a Latin American audience (you can get it free in English HERE). 20 pages contain the full exegesis of the passage; in this blog I will mainly spell out my conclusions]. Part of Bible study is not just understanding what the... Continue Reading →
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 →
They have just published a pair if my essays in Strangers to Fire: When Tradition Trumps Scripture. It's now available on Amazon. You might recognize the title as a response to John MacArthur's book, Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship. The contributors of these 35 essays are not the sort... Continue Reading →
Shogren_1 Cor 13 Perfect in Patristic Exegesis This article is a technical study of how the Church Fathers interpreted Paul´s prediction that tongues, prophecy, and knowledge would pass away when "the perfect" comes. My conclusion is that nearly all orthodox fathers believed it referred to the age to come, whereas Marcion, Mani, the Gnostics and... Continue Reading →
This morning I attended a service in Costa Rica. It’s not our church, but one I sometimes visit. The congregation is English-speaking, Afro-Caribbean. They have a strong island accent. I was one of a few white people in the congregation.As usual, they greeted me warmly.Our home church is Latin American and Spanish-speaking. We go to... Continue Reading →
Open Our Eyes, Lord! 