When I first saw the title of the epic novel Cien Años de Soledad by Gabriel García Márquez, and got that it meant “one hundred years of solitude,” my heart leapt in anticipation. But 500 pages later, I finally grasped that the protagonists of the story didn’t get their promised seclusion; the title seems to... Continue Reading →
Paul agrees: Christ is Immanuel, God with us
According to Matthew 1:23 (in the form Iesous or Yeshua) means "he shall save." Matthew also states that Christ fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 - "And you shall call his name Immanuel, which translated means, God with us." In 1-2 Thessalonians, Paul also reveals how Jesus is the personal manifestation of Yahweh. The following... Continue Reading →
No commentary necessary
Here is a snapshot of one and the same website, once in early September, once in early October. BEFORE AND AFTER STILL LATER - it still looks the same! "Currently offline!" These are not Photoshopped, by the way, except to blur out the website address. Which was a very gracious act on my part. By... Continue Reading →
Benny Hinn’s nephew rejects his “gospel” of properity
This is one of the most interesting articles I have read in a while, so I will post a link to it HERE. I am particularly tickled that he got, well, got "saved" I think is the appropriate term, by simply reading his Bible. The so-called Prosperity Gospel, Word of Faith, Rhema Doctrine, Decreeing, whatever,... Continue Reading →
Want to set a date for the rapture and maybe take home a prize? Step right up, son, three shots for a quarter!
Autumn [2017] swings around, and with it this year's harvest of Rapture Predictions. This year it’s September 23 (tomorrow!). And yes, I have looked over the “proofs”; given the late date, they are not worth the time it would take to overturn them. Each Rapture Prediction typically begins with a bang and ends with... Continue Reading →
False Apostles are Smacked Down by Hurricane Irma!
Companion essay: "Why would a hurricane hit Texas and Florida and not, for example, Alabama?" As Hurricane Irma approached Florida in September 2017, Latin America awoke to hear a number of its anointed prophets and apostles shouting, "You, Irma, go away!" This is a manifestation of the doctrine known as the Prosperity Gospel, the Rhema... Continue Reading →
False teachers: a bad road to a bad end
Few individuals set out to be heretics. But there are those individuals who believe the devil when he says they will get money, power, cars, houses, sex, bestsellers, huge crowds, lasting fame. "Just give your doctrine a bit of a twist," he whispers, "and in exchange for a few tiny drops of falsehood you'll get a... Continue Reading →
Bible Prophecy, ch 1 – “Bible Prophecies” that are NOT found in the Bible
This article was originally posted in 2016 and needs updating, but the principles remain the same. The reader may prefer to download it in pdf form: Shogren_Bible Prophecy #1 Bible Prophecies that are NOT in the Bible I plan on at least two more articles in this series, in which I will describe End-Time expectations... Continue Reading →
Christians and “Coincidences” or Is There a Hex in the Patternicity?
This article has many images and footnotes; I encourage the reader to download it as a pdf here: Shogren_Christians and Coincidences It happened just the other day: I had been thinking about James Bond, and later when I pulled out a form of identification for the bank teller, I noticed that my ID number began with 007!... Continue Reading →
How to Read Romans [Studies in Romans]
Certeza Unida and Kairos will publish my Romans commentary as part of their Comentario Bíblico Contemporáneo (Contemporary Bible Commentary). More than 160 scholars participated in the project. What follows is adapted from the section "How to Read Romans," in which I show its particular application for Latin America. The epistle to the Romans meets the... Continue Reading →