Gary Shogren's Blog
What exactly is a father supposed to do? Ask a dozen people and you’ll get two dozen answers. As a Christian, I believe that God wants me to walk a certain path that the rest of the world doesn’t follow, and that includes how I should live as a father (or a husband, or teacher,... Continue Reading →
I offered to teach my hairdresser how to study the Bible. Her counteroffer: every Thursday she’d close up shop and I’d teach her entire staff! “Now, we’re all from different backgrounds,” she said. “But you’re going to teach about us how to study the Bible for ourselves, not promote a specific denomination, right?” Next Stop:... Continue Reading →
Click here to read Part I, which is necessary to understand this Part II. Some take issue with the 2011 update of the New International Version. For example, here’s the official statement from the Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: As the evangelical community turns to CBMW for trusted counsel on contemporary Bible translations that... Continue Reading →
Search for comments on the new NIV by Google, and you will find bloggers talking about its “feminist agenda”, “Satan’s lies”, “end-time deception” and that “the homosexual community is excited about the new perversion of the Bible.” (They provided no statements from gay groups, expressing their glee). At its annual convention last year, the Southern Baptist... Continue Reading →
An important debate between Bart Ehrman, who wrote that the New Testament is not reliable. He speaks with Daniel Wallace, who is perhaps the leading authority when it comes to collating manuscripts of the Greek Testament and digitizing them so that people world-wide have access to the oldest copies of the New Testament. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg-dJA3SnTA&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Part of my traditional New England upbringing was to learn to maintain boundaries between private issues, family matters, and public information. When I asked my parents what they were talking about, at times I heard, “Well, it doesn’t concern you.” Nothing gruff, like “it’s none of your business,” no “you wouldn’t understand.” Just, “if you needed to... Continue Reading →
"When you're deciding which commentary to add to your library, what are the most important things to consider?" So asked Logos Bible Software on Facebook? To summarize my response: 1. Careful attention to the text, not an "agenda" (I see too many famous "exegetes" who merely reiterate what they already "know to be true"). I'm... Continue Reading →
The first time I listened to a music CD was in late 1986, at my friend Tim’s house. I’d been out of the country for some years, so I was probably the last of my circle of friends to actually hear one. Tim had a monster sound system, and he put on “In the Digital... Continue Reading →
May 21 has come and gone. You won’t hear an “I told you so” from this Christian. No jokes. No funny looks. No condescending pity. Only concern. When someone predicts a date for the rapture, it is not a miscalculation, but an actual sin.[1] It is a sin that has dreadful consequences for those who... Continue Reading →
It is no simple thing to preach the Word of God. Powerful dark forces are arrayed to draw us away from our task. They sometimes succeed in doing so, even without our awareness of it. I bring this up because this week I saw several FB references to “what [famous North American preacher] Rob Bell... Continue Reading →
Open Our Eyes, Lord! 