Gary Shogren's Blog
I just visited our seminary in Costa Rica and gave an address on "Christian Leaders and LifelongLearning." I suggested that "reading" was one of the best tools for building up brain power. And that reading broadly, including books we disagree with, will help rescue us from our social media echo chambers. Just on the level... Continue Reading →
David Daniels is the spokesman for King-James-Only and Ruckmanism, in its purist form, as promulgated by Chick Publications.Fortunately, renowned textual scholar Elijah Hixson has written a detailed critical review of Daniels's strange conspiracy theory. I defer to his analysis. People who love God's inspired Word - and who elevate it above faulty human theorizing -... Continue Reading →
Some of the following material is drawn from my forthcoming book Iceberg Ahead! When God’s Servants Crash into Cold, Hard Reality; it is already available in Spanish from Kerigma. ALONG THE LENGTH OF A BASEBALL BAT, the “sweet spot” is that point from which the ball will recoil and go the farthest distance. The batter... Continue Reading →
I have argued elsewhere that amateur Bible versions - by that I mean, people using the Strong's concordance to redo the Bible through paraphrasing - is a wellspring of confusion and dishonoring to God's Word. Here is one more reason why: This Conservative Bible is so aberrant that for me to go through every chapter... Continue Reading →
I grew up with the King James Version, regularly use it and the New King James among others, and often teach and preach from the Reina Valera Revisada, all of which are based on the so-called Textus receptus. And I love and use them all; see my, “Me, a Hater of the Kdeiting James Version?... Continue Reading →
Who are we? I have been a seminary professor for many years. Every year I open a Facebook club, whose members can learn a new ancient language (we have done Aramaic, Latin) or to read Scripture in the original language (the whole Septuagint; the Hebrew Torah; the Greek New Testament). For this coming year we... Continue Reading →
I grew up with that gospel chorus (by James M. Gray, president of Moody Bible Institute) and I think I know where he was coming from. But let’s carefully unpack its repeated motif: I 'm only a sinner saved by grace or we could say - I am [present tense] only [no more than] a... Continue Reading →
May I express two opinions: ONE: I am not a hard “cessationist”, that is, there is not a single Bible verse that says the gift of prophecy ended with the apostles. Not Hebrews 2:4. Not 1 Corinthians 13:8-12. Certainly not Revelation 22:18-19. If cessationism is not explicitly taught in Scripture, I have no right to... Continue Reading →
1 Kings 12, which I am editing today for the SUN Old Testament. New king Rehoboam faces a revolt in Israel, and we know that God has planned that the rebels be successful. He consults with the older men, his father's advisors, the "elders." They advise caution. They say, be patient; be flexible with the... Continue Reading →
Graduation speeches are a mixed bag at best. But I did hear a fine one at my high school in 1977; one of his counsels for the graduates was: “Extend your education, both formal and informal, as far as is possible.” This phrase has stuck with me ever since. Your brain is not a muscle,... Continue Reading →
Open Our Eyes, Lord! 