Gary Shogren's Blog
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 →
Isn’t it annoying when someone insists they know what you believe, and won’t take your word that you do not? A friend of mine who worked in a Muslim setting often heard, “You Christians believe in a trinity of Father, Son, and the Virgin Mary!” In this case, the Christian should have the first say,... 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 →
The answer of course is False. In fact, you might look around inside a cult group and see your neighbors who look absolutely normal and fit into their neighborhood and sing recognizable songs and still be in a cult. Let's break things down into groups: A - Doctrinal Error. They stray from historic Christian teaching.... Continue Reading →
It is a myth, and false gossip really, that the Reformed faith turns a cold eye toward prayer. “Calvinism cannot account for the Bible’s portrayal of prayer as a cause of God’s answers to prayer,” says this group. They even supply a meme! (I have been Reformed for decades and do not recognize this parody... Continue Reading →
For the first time ever in our blog’s 10-year history, we feature a series co-written by me, Gary Shogren; and our long-time friend, Tod Hannigan. Tod will do the heavy lifting on the philosophical end. This chapter is by Tod, who reports that, "Personally, the most difficult article I have written." “It was the best of... Continue Reading →
Gary Shogren, “The two greatest commandments - do we really believe that the Bible got it right?” Luke 10:25-42 Watch us share and preach this message at Calvary Church on Long Island HERE! Who Is My Neighbor? 25 And behold, a lawyer [better – an expert in the Law of Moses] stood up to put... Continue Reading →
Every year I join the Goodreads Reading Challenge (take a look at the wonderful site, http://www.goodreads.com, where you can log your reading). This year, as in the past few years, I have set the goal of reading 104 books, an average of two per week. In addition, my commentary on 1 Corinthians (Spanish version) just... Continue Reading →
Open Our Eyes, Lord! 