Gary Shogren's Blog
God’s beloved Word – you'd better believe I study it daily. Yes, as a Bible teacher, since my ministry is teaching the New Testament in Spanish and English, and also from the Greek. But more fundamentally I read the Bible simply as a Christian, because it is through the reading, meditation, and obedience of God’s Word... Continue Reading →
"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 →
Spiritual believers are Christ-centered, but that doesn't prevent them from speaking about the Spirit! Why has it become necessary to say this? It's because John MacArthur in his Strange Fire opines that all Charismatic and Pentecostal Christians remove Christ from the center of the gospel and replace him with Holy Spirit mania; rather, he finds references... Continue Reading →
When we want to illustrate causation or chronology, we usually motion from left to right: that’s the way we do math, that’s the way we write. Preachers sometimes do so, but most will begin at their left and move or gesture toward their right. That is, what seems the natural order to the speaker is... Continue Reading →
Last Sunday I was on a road trip, and wanted to hear some Bible teaching. I guess we had already driven past the FM station that I picked up, so we got a garbled message: words words static words static words static static When the buzzes and pops finally prevailed in their assault against the... Continue Reading →
It’s summertime, let’s stroll down the boardwalk! Inevitably there's someone drawing chalk pictures of self-conscious passersby. His caricature is a sketch of a person which exaggerates some aspect of one’s appearance or character. At the beach, it’s meant to be fun; on the editorial page it might demean. In some hands, it is a weapon:... Continue Reading →
Have you met the guy who says: Yes, I’m a follower of Jesus, but I’m not a “churcher.” I have fellowship with my Christian friends, we pray together, we talk over coffee, we discuss the Bible, we have a commitment to hold each other accountable. These guys are my “church.” And they are more serious... Continue Reading →
In Part 1 and Part 2 I offered one individual's philosophy of Expository Preaching without Ancient Words: I use the biblical languages, virtually daily. [1] I cannot remember the last time I did not study the Hebrew or Greek when I was preparing a sermon. I cannot remember the last time I did use a... Continue Reading →
The Review of Biblical Literature just published its review of my Zondervan commentary: http://www.bookreviews.org/pdf/8733_9615.pdf The only objection that I might offer is that he seems to have misread my study of the textual variants ηπιοι versus νηπιοι in 1 Thess 2:7. The fact that he say "nepioi" and read it as "epioi" was, ironically, the... Continue Reading →
In Part 1, I argued in favor of a sharply minimalist use of ancient Hebrew and Greek words during a sermon, especially if there is no compelling purpose or, worse, if the goal is to impress the crowd: it is a pitiable housepainter who departs the job with his scaffolding still up, hoping you’ll notice... Continue Reading →
Open Our Eyes, Lord! 