To download the entire file click here: SHOGREN_ILE conference 2018, Lost Your Life No Problem Christ has it in Safekeeping Mark 10:28 – Peter said to him, “We have left everything to follow you!” Note: This series was given to students at the Spanish Language Institute in San José, Costa Rica. Most of them were learning... Continue Reading →
Gossip, anyone?
“Let’s pray first!” I overheard the two sitting at the next table at my favorite coffee shop, before they sipped their coffees and nibbled at their bizcochos. I smiled, pleased to hear people stopping to pray in a public place. My smile was soon to fade. So they bowed their heads. And prayed. And as... Continue Reading →
Book Review: Lisa J. Radcliff, Hidden with Christ – Breaking Free from the Grip of your Past
Ideally, a young girl should grow up surrounded by love; the adults in her life should be dependable; they should respect boundaries; they should alleviate fear rather than stir it up. We instinctively feel that all of these shoulds ought to be a given. But the sad reality is that a large percentage of girls,... Continue Reading →
The Solitude of the Dusky Cave
When I first saw the title of the epic novel Cien Años de Soledad by Gabriel García Márquez, and got that it meant “one hundred years of solitude,” my heart leapt in anticipation. But 500 pages later, I finally grasped that the protagonists of the story didn’t get their promised seclusion; the title seems to... Continue Reading →
Who rewrites the Bible? Probably we all do!
“We can’t interpret the Bible according to our own personal taste! Or twist it to conform with today’s culture! Or invent our own meaning!” Most of us evangelicals would say Amen. And we all could list Those People Out There who rewrite the Bible to fit their own ideas of truth. And then we go... Continue Reading →
What? Me, a priest?!
Note: this is the abridged verion of a talk I gave at Seminario ESEPA, on the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. To download the entire article with footnotes, go HERE or download the pdf here: Shogren_The Priesthood of All Believers in the Reformation En español: Shogren_El sacerdocio de todos los creyentes We are celebrating the 500th anniversary of... Continue Reading →
The Priesthood of All Believers in the Reformation
To download the entire article with footnotes, click here: Shogren_The Priesthood of All Believers in the Reformation En español: Shogren_El sacerdocio de todos los creyentes Introduction 1. The Catholic Doctrine 2. The Reformation and Beyond: Luther, Calvin, the Anabaptists, the Wesleyans 3. Modern Abuses of the Doctrine: Anti-Intellectualism, the "Super-Anointed" Leader, Hyper-Individualism Conclusion Introduction Some years back three... Continue Reading →
Why Would a Hurricane Hit Texas and Florida, and not, for example, Alabama?
Related essay: "False Apostles are Smacked Down by Hurricane Irma!" Human beings are wired to look for cause and effect. The car won’t start; that means the battery must be dead! That bell keeps ringing; there must be someone at the front door! But we don’t always get it right. If, for example, you are... Continue Reading →
Some advice for young men. About the ladies.
For Karen, on our 30th anniversary (orig. written May 2010) This is for the guys, but the women can listen in! Weddings are a great place to meet young women. Everyone is thinking of love and marriage, and some women want to meet guys. So go to weddings when you’re invited, even if you have... Continue Reading →
Bible Prophecy, ch 1 – “Bible Prophecies” that are NOT found in the Bible
This article was originally posted in 2016 and needs updating, but the principles remain the same. The reader may prefer to download it in pdf form: Shogren_Bible Prophecy #1 Bible Prophecies that are NOT in the Bible I plan on at least two more articles in this series, in which I will describe End-Time expectations... Continue Reading →