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 am [present tense] only [no more than] a sinner saved by grace. I suggest we are doing God a grave disservice... Continue Reading →
How I predicted future events of 2020! (Or did I?)
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 →
My favorite books of 2021
I love books, and use the Goodreads app because it enables me to log what I have read. I project that mid-year 2022 I will have read 2500 books, although I’m sure I have forgotten some hundreds. Beginning in Christmas break 2015 I decided to join their Reading Challenge for 2016. I have been doing... Continue Reading →
A challenge for 2022 – a fast from cable news
Now that I am back in the US, I joined the local Planet Fitness. And as I did the reclining bike for the first time, two news stations were on the TV monitors in front of me. And was I ever shocked by what I saw! Shocked enough that I moved over 3 bikes to... Continue Reading →
Testing 4 Truth, #4 – Athens and Jerusalem
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 →
The two greatest commandments – do we really believe that the Bible got it right? Luke 10:25-42
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 →
My 2020 Reading List – some of my favorites!
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 →
“Am I in a CULT?” [Series: Testing 4 Truth, #3]
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. Sign up for this blog if you want to get announcements when they come out, and we will keep a... Continue Reading →
“If it feels true, it must be true, right?” [Series: Testing 4 Truth, #2]
Make sure you check out other postings in this series!Chapter 1 "Am I in a CULT?" - Chapter 3 Welcome to Post #2 in our series on “Logic.” We are uncovering wrong ways of thinking, that is, fallacious logic. A fallacy is: You try to show that X is true; what you are trying to... Continue Reading →
“Did some Thessalonians Tamper in God’s Domain?”
A paper read at the 2012 Conference of the Evangelical Theological Society, and published in JETS 63.4 (2020): 703–20. Click here for the full pdf copy. jets_63.4_703-20_shogrenDownload WERE THE THESSALONIANS “MEDDLING IN DIVINE MATTERS”? A REREADING OF 2 THESSALONIANS 3:11 Second Thessalonians 3:11 contains a play on words: some Thessalonians were not “working” (from ἐργάζομαι/ergazomai)... Continue Reading →
Open Our Eyes, Lord! 