Please read Part I before starting Part II; click HERE Chapter Three – My Sojourn in Pentecostalism Until I turned 14, the only charismatic person I knew anything about was JFK. Since then I have been charismatic (one year, give or take); then post-charismatic; anti-charismatic; teacher of charismatics; bridge-builder with charismatics; regular spokesman against neo-Pentecostals... Continue Reading →
My four-plus decades in the Bible – Part I
In September 1972, I picked up a Bible, opened it and began to read it for myself. To be sure, I had grown up in a Bible-believing Baptist church. I went to Sunday School, memorized Bible verses, could recite the books of the Bible. I knew what Revelation was about and the basic plot of... Continue Reading →
Who dares to command God?
Who dares to issue demands to God? Who dares command God to do a miracle? Not I, mister, I know my place: God is my King: he gives orders, I’m supposed to follow them. And God is my Father: when I need something, even a miracle, I ask him for help, sometimes over and over... Continue Reading →
Obamacare, microchips, the mark of the beast and March 23, 2013
Additional note: according to an email, Wyoming children have been implanted with RFID chips: pure rumor. Now that the date has passed, and no-one seems to be implanting us with microchips, some bloggers are now saying that as of March 23 the government COULD implant chips. Of course, anyone COULD do ANYTHING - but the... Continue Reading →
Was Jesus Married? Eight Days in September, 2012
UPDATE. On April 10, 2014, scientists announced their finding that this document is not a fake, that is, it's not a modern forgery. It is a centuries-old copy of an earlier book, but not from as early as the time of Jesus. That doesn't mean Jesus was married, but as Dr. King originally said, it may... Continue Reading →
The Lord’s Supper: one invitation you don’t want to miss [Studies in 1 Corinthians]
In the Catholic church, the celebration of mass is the high point of the week’s services, and the worship service is often simply called "the mass". Some Protestant worship services, too, focus on the sacrament, notably in Episcopalian/Anglican churches. In reacting against Rome have we evangelicals drifted away from the Bible and pushed communion into... Continue Reading →
Are you a Wretched Man or Woman? Should you be? [Romans 7]
Since I just published an article on chronic sin (CLICK HERE), I thought I'd follow it up with another about the Wretched Man passage of Romans 7:14-25. It took me about eight years of back-and-forth to write. My conclusion may surprise you. Shogren Romans 7 Originally published in Evangelical Quarterly 72/2 (April, 2000): 119-134.
“Help! I can’t stop sinning!” [Studies in the New Covenant]
The Bible says that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor 5:17). That’s why, when we come to Christ, we experience rapid changes in our conduct. People start telling us, “You’ve changed, you’re different.” Different, yes: but we haven’t become... Continue Reading →
1 Corinthians and Thessalonians: My New Commentaries now available!
The English version of my Thessalonian commentary is available from Amazon! http://www.amazon.com/Thessalonians-Zondervan-Exegetical-Commentary-Testament/dp/0310243963/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343856671&sr=8-1&keywords=shogren It is also available as a book on Logos. And the English version of my 1 Corinthians is available on Logos software - http://www.logos.com/product/24079/first-corinthians-an-exegetical-pastoral-commentary Spanish versions to come in the future! Blessings! Gary
You are not a slave!
When it comes to the complex issue of labor and management, the Bible has answers. But are we asking it the right questions? In the old joke, a man wanted to know God’s will from the Scripture. I’ll open the Bible at random and point, and that will be God’s direction for me. When he opened... Continue Reading →