Gary Shogren's Blog
I agree with so much of the 9Marks paradigm. Sound doctrine? Check! Preach the gospel? Right! Biblical preaching? Oh, yeah! Missions? Amen! Baptism? Discipleship? Right on, right on!!No women in leadership? Hold on... You see, they had me, then they lost me. It's not so much that I disagree with them on the point. (Which... Continue Reading →
I have written about this topic in the past. For example, Me, a hater of the King James Bible? Who in the world told you that?! I showed that the stricter King James Only people such as Samuel Gipp argue that if you don’t use it exclusively, you are on your way to spiritual disaster. Also... Continue Reading →
Taken from my commentary on 1 Corinthians: an exegetical-pastoral commentary, pages 213-15, Editorial Kerigma, also available on Amazon, Logos. Christian discipleship must encompass the sexual life. If anyone thinks that the Bible is shy about discussing intimate issues, they should look at the rules in Lev 18 or the frank descriptions of the sexual sins... Continue Reading →
James 1:19 applies to laypeople. It also applies to pastors, although some disbelieve it. Or rather, it should apply to pastors even more notably, to give an EXAMPLE to laypeople! Christian counselors? The same. The following is a bit gossipy, but I think justifiable. I was at a diner a couple of months ago. Two... Continue Reading →
The next time Dan Brown tells you that the Roman emperor Constantine invented the trinity; or the Jehovah's Witnesses tell you we worship a "three-headed God" - and they have been showing that fuzzy black-and-white photo for decades! - send them back to the history books! Especially this:“The Church, although scattered through the whole world,... Continue Reading →
A presentation given at an ESEPA conference in April 2021. The original Spanish version is found on my other blog under the title “La Lectura Oral de las Escrituras en la Iglesia Primitiva y en la Actualidad.” And you may download it as a pdf file: oral-reading-of-scripture-in-the-early-church-and-todayDownload Summary: In the early church, extensive oral scripture... Continue Reading →
In another place I have written about two churches I have visited that gave a broad weekly invitation for all members to participate in leading worship. I have also written on the related theme of the Priesthood of all Believers. As we hear so often, “The church is not the building, but the congregation.” That... Continue Reading →
People are differently constituted. Some are more prone to fear than are others, just as some are prone to one temptation over other. God has formed us all to be different and we have also arrived at this moment after a life of personal decisions. This is why COVID might have a harsher impact on... 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. Let’s look at two... Continue Reading →
Remember that whole ‘invaders from Mars’ radio show that got Orson Wells into hot water, for panicking the cattle and stampeding the humans? In was back in '38, but you may have learned about it in school or seen it on the History channel. Well, on advice from the boys down in legal, let me... Continue Reading →
Open Our Eyes, Lord! 