Gary Shogren's Blog
My interest in myths and legends has come to full flower this year, as I finish up my new book Mitos que los cristianos creen. Y comparten (“Myths that Christians believe. And pass along”) for CLIE in Barcelona. Here is the original Hubble story, and Pinterest is filled with pictures of the Celestial City. Heaven... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
Beware of those who are trying to resurrect David Wilkerson's The Vision, where in 1973 he supposedly predicted the plague that we now call Coronavirus. He did not, not by a long shot. What he ACTUALLY said was quite different. Most of his "vision" was utterly generic and rambling and could be true for any... Continue Reading →
Coronavirus! Here is, I hope, the last thing I'll say on this matter. People are uncovering, as they always do with any and every scary event, COVID-19 buried deeply in some mystical Hebrew code. For example, one guy finds COVID and the accidental death of KOBE - as in the late basketball player - predicted... Continue Reading →
I teach, and try to live, the fact that every Christian should live with a daily and hourly focus on the return of Christ and our appearance before his judgment seat. This is a given, and it is impossible to understand the faith in any other way. Nevertheless, false predictions pop up with alarming frequency;... Continue Reading →
There is a whole genre of exposé literature, interviews, videos that follow this familiar formula: “I am an ex-[whatever] and I am going to reveal the shocking inside secrets.” Ex-Communist. Ex-Janitor at Area 51. Ex-Catholic priest (Charles Chiniquy, Fifty Years in the Church of Rome, 1885). Ex Guy-who-sprayed-chemtrails-from-my-jet (see below). Ex-Jesuit (Jack Chick's man, "Alberto,"... Continue Reading →
Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 1 Thess 5:1-2 "And further, not to know when the end is, or when the... Continue Reading →
To download the entire article with footnotes click here: Shogren_1 Thess 2 Thess and the Olivet Discourse How can we sketch out the outline of Christian eschatology from the years AD 40-50s and earlier? The Thessalonian epistles provide the clearest, datable data. The Thessalonians learned their eschatology from Paul; the apostle added to or further developed... Continue Reading →
I have been working on and off for the past few years on a new book. It is a real departure for me, working through how to face ministry disappointments, whether minor or major. What happens when God's servants face apathy, ingratitude, racism, psychological issues, physical ailments, lies, and other problems? Our solution is not... Continue Reading →
Open Our Eyes, Lord! 