Gary Shogrens Blog
Does the book of Acts intend to tell us a historical narrative, or does Luke tell us how we should be living? In other terms, is it just descriptive, or is it also prescriptive? One approach is that we should follow what Acts says - or follow it more confidently - only when its narrative... Continue Reading →
In short, no, the evidence suggests that in the first century AD and beyond, it just meant "father". Here are the three uses of the term in the New Testament: For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry,... Continue Reading →
I was only recently alerted to this new edition, which seems to have become all the rage in some ministries, especially Pentecostal ones. As is often the case with one-person translations, its author promotes it as the very epitome of Bible translation! I will depend here on the extensive and careful analysis of the Psalms... Continue Reading →
This is the homily I gave at the wedding of our daughter Vikky to Chris, on June 29, 2019 John 2 says that “There was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding.” In John’s gospel, Jesus’ first miracle... Continue Reading →
So I hear: "I GET MY DOCTRINE FROM THE BIBLE AND WITH NO HUMAN INFLUENCE." While I of course respect the intent of the claim, and while I have a robust belief in the Spirit's guidance, I have to qualify it: EVERY CHRISTIAN IS INFLUENCED BY MERE HUMAN TEACHERS, AND EVERYONE READS THE BIBLE UNDER... Continue Reading →
This morning I read a portion of 1 John and happened to remember a rather odd teaching I heard a long time ago. It ran like this: Everyone knows 1 John 1:9, ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’ However... Continue Reading →
There are hundreds of Bible versions in English. To express myself bluntly, that is hundreds too many, and we are pouring time and energy and resources into new versions that are not needed. I exclude the regular updating of the versions that already exist - and my friends on the NIV committee tell me are... Continue Reading →
Once in a while I link to an article which I found to have great insight. While I was doing some reading on the anti-vaxxer movement I came across this one from the close of the 2016 political season. As the article hints, it is shocking to see the number of evangelical preachers who use... Continue Reading →
This commentary was prepared for Kairos Publications in Buenos Aires. It was composed specifically for the Latin American church. In some cases I have retained the words "Latin America," at other times I have substituted "the Americas." The bibliography reflects what is available to the Spanish-speaking church. We will publish it a section at a... Continue Reading →
