Gary Shogren's Blog
St. Nicholas was a historical person! He was a pastor in Turkey in the 4th century. According to legend, there was a poor man in his parish who had three daughters, and he had no money to get them husbands. There was a danger that the girls would be sold into prostitution. Nicholas quietly raised... Continue Reading →
A reader writes in: What really was Jesus’ name? Wasn’t it Yeshua? Is it an insult to him if we do not use his "real name" with the ancient pronunciation? Do we lose out on salvation if we call upon the wrong name? First, it is highly probably that his given name was Yeshua, a Hebrew and also... Continue Reading →
A friend from Costa Rica writes in: I seem to be everywhere running into people who are debating different aspects of spiritual warfare. I have a friend whom I respect very much; nevertheless he sees Satan even in different foods or in commercial products. It's as if there is a spirit everywhere. If anybody doubts,... Continue Reading →
8 “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’... Continue Reading →
Note: In November 2012 I published a commentary of 1-2 Thessalonians for Zondervan (click HERE). The advice given below is applicable to all preaching and writing projects. I used to do business at a local office building. On the wall was an engraved map of the New World from the 1600s. It was a real... Continue Reading →
By Gary Shogren, Seminario ESEPA, San José, Costa Rica On Monday Feb 22, 2010, I took part in a public debate with D. A. Hayyim, the editor of the Código Real, a paraphrase of the New Testament from the perspective of Talmudic Judaism. The Spanish transcript of the debate may now be found in my... Continue Reading →
In 1 Thess 5:2 Paul speaks of the Day of the Lord, concerning which no-one knows the time. Later in 2 Thess 2:2 he speaks of the Day of the Lord and then says that it cannot be at hand since the great Apostasy and the Man of Lawlessness have not yet appeared. Let us... Continue Reading →
Most Christian scholars use what is called the Critical Edition of the Greek New Testament, and almost all modern versions are based upon it. There are several camps that prefer other editions, the Textus receptus or the Majority Text. Some do so because of a belief that it better represents the original; I think they... Continue Reading →
By Gary Shogren, Seminario ESEPA, San José, Costa Rica The reader should go through John 10:22-31, 10:39-11:46, 12:1-2 The story of Jonah is real and historical, I believe, but its main character is not a big fish. The passage about crossing the Red Sea is not a story about sea travel. Likewise, the account about... 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 →
Open Our Eyes, Lord! 