Gary Shogren's Blog
1 Thess 2:1-6 - You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results. We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition. For the appeal we make... Continue Reading →
Our text for today is: 8 The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia – your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, 9 for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God... Continue Reading →
Elisabeth Elliot was a spokesperson for a definite view of gender. Her book Let Me Be a Woman (1976) was a traditionalist – some would say “complementarian” – blueprint for women in the home: assertive women are missing out on God’s plan and divine joy, and they should not seek to be equal to men, beyond the fact... Continue Reading →
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 →
So: two kinds of Christian. The normal - "normal" according to God's definition, that is - walks in the Spirit, and through His transforming power enjoys a life of miraculous love, joy, peace, and all the rest. The subnormal - the person who lives by his or her own strength (or as Paul would say it,... Continue Reading →
Post after post announces that young people are leaving the church. I’ve read some good insights on the problems and the solutions. But it makes me ponder: Why didn’t I drop out? Full disclosure: I first went to church because that's what the family did; later I came to believe that it was part of my new... Continue Reading →
As a Christmas gift this year, I have bundled together some of my blog posts that have to deal with "How to Life the Christian Life: throw out the old rules and play by the New Covenant." Over a hundred of you have downloaded it already - enjoy! Simply click here: How to live the Christian Life_Shogren I... Continue Reading →
[The following thoughts are taken from my new commentary on Romans in the Comentario Bíblico Contemporáneo, to be published in 2015 by Ediciones Kairós. It is also available in pdf forms as a small book, How to Live the Christian Life - in the right-hand column look under "Four of my books".] A “paradigm shift” is... 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 →
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 →
Open Our Eyes, Lord! 