Gary Shogren's Blog
"My pastor doesn’t tell us how to vote! What he does is give out a score card that describes what the issues are [remember that phrase!] and then shows what each candidate stands for. But then he tells us to make up our own minds!" Anyway, that's the word on the street. The election is coming... Continue Reading →
One of my infrequent thoughts on politics, written in 2013 and revised in September 2018 in the run-up to the midterm elections. It was March 20, 2003. I took a deep breath to steady my nerves. Then I walked out on my political party, the Republicans. I did so principally in protest against President Bush’s... Continue Reading →
Is persecution good for what ails the church? Here’s the word on the street: Viewpoint A: Everyone knows that persecution purifies the church – Therefore, if revival is to come, it will be through suffering. Therefore, persecution is a good, a benefit. Therefore, the committed Christian should pray for persecution to fall on their country.... Continue Reading →
Additional note: according to an email, Wyoming children have been implanted with RFID chips: pure rumor. Now that the date has passed, and no-one seems to be implanting us with microchips, some bloggers are now saying that as of March 23 the government COULD implant chips. Of course, anyone COULD do ANYTHING - but the... Continue Reading →
Gullibility is not a fruit of the Spirit. Yes, Paul did say that a Christian “believes all things” (1 Cor 13:7), but what he meant was, “to whatever extent possible, believe the best about other people”. It’s important to establish this up front, since Christians are regularly bombarded by rumors, many of which are false. Wait ‘til... Continue Reading →
Addendum from August 2020. In recent weeks (July, August 2020) some churches have decided to disobey the government's ban on large gatherings. In a fraction of these cases, their leaders assert that they are casting off government oppression. One California megachurch has reopened, without mandatory social distancing or face-masks and with congregational singing. They have... Continue Reading →
Link - How to calculate when Jesus will come - without even being a prophet! My wish is simple, and it would make me so very happy. I'm going to campaign for it until the proper authorities take notice and step in. (1) I want us to identify all preachers who have mistakenly announced that it... Continue Reading →
Jerry Falwell was fond of describing his Liberty University as “conservative as Harvard is liberal.” In other words, if Harvard University is on the far left, then the appropriate Christian response is to run in an equal and opposite direction. It is Newton’s Third Law of Motion as applied to a Christian political and social... Continue Reading →
I'm not a prophet, and I try to tread very carefully with these sorts of questions. Who am I to claim an inside track on what his reaction would be? That's how Holy Wars get started! Nevertheless, I will go out on a limb with a few things that our Lord probably would be unlikely... Continue Reading →
By Gary Shogren, Seminario ESEPA, San José, Costa Rica Is government intervention and restriction of free enterprise always diabolical? It seems to me we can come up with some positive examples of it: the government regulated banks (Jefferson, Jackson, Teddy Roosevelt, many others); freed enslaved labor (Lincoln); introduced anti-trust law and passed the Food and... Continue Reading →
Open Our Eyes, Lord! 