Gary Shogren's Blog
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 I have no sympathy with those who eliminate the hard teachings of the Bible. A Christian has made a prior commitment to follow Jesus and to speak and act as Jesus would. I have little sympathy with those who affirm right and left that they stand true... 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 →
The following was published as "The Wicked will not Inherit the Kingdom of God”: a Pauline Warning and the Hermeneutics of Liberation Theology and of Brian McLaren in Trinity Journal 31NS (2010) Abstract: Emergent spokesman Brian McLaren promotes a view of the kingdom of God that draws near to and often merges with Liberation Theology. An examination... Continue Reading →
Let us say then that a Christian believes that God is calling him or her to the mission field. One of the most pressing questions, always, is: I know I’m going...but where do I go? How can I be sure when the whole needy world lies before me? The church does not have the privilege... Continue Reading →
It’s Friday afternoon (in early January 2010). I just got done showering off some layers of paint. What I thought would be a straight roller job turned out to take several days, but it was specifically to God’s glory! You see, in November, the Lord very definitely answered my prayer and allowed us to bring... Continue Reading →
By Gary Shogren, Seminario ESEPA, San José, Costa Rica A reader asks, Will departed Christians recognize each other in heaven? I respond: There are several passages that might imply being able to recognize others in the afterlife. Luke 16:19-31 is a parable; nevertheless, it is based on what the Jewish hearers would have accepted... 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 →
By Gary Shogren, Seminario ESEPA, San José, Costa Rica Is government intervention and restriction of free enterprise always diabolical? It seems to me we can come up with some positive examples of it: the government regulated banks (Jefferson, Jackson, Teddy Roosevelt, many others); freed enslaved labor (Lincoln); introduced anti-trust law and passed the Food and... Continue Reading →
One day in January before sunrise, about 4 in the morning, while our neighborhood is totally quiet, we’re going to hear people out in the street. Our bedroom overlooks the sidewalk, so they’ll probably wake us up. They’ll draw near our house, go under our window and then pass by to walk up and down... Continue Reading →
Open Our Eyes, Lord! 