October 2023 Newsletter

This month we focus on: Gary As Writer
 
It is hoped that ESEPA professors publish. And in between June and September, a bunch of Gary’s projects came to fruition: 

• June and July – he put together a commentary on 1 Corinthians, in Spanish. It will be part of a historical background study Bible from his publisher in Barcelona, CLIE, probably in 2024. The footnotes he wrote are taken from ancient Jewish and Greco-Roman sources, to hear how the Bible sounded to its hearers in its original context. Here’s an example from 1 Cor 12:2, “when you were gentiles you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak.” Gary’s note: “In the Gentile world, it was widely believed that the gods could communicate with human beings through their oracles. The pythoness/prophetess could speak in a trance, perhaps triggered by inhaling the hallucinogens that wafted into the sanctuary. The sounds she made were to be interpreted or rendered into poetry by the priests of the temple. Some idols had a built-in ‘acoustic tube’: the speaker would hide himself and make a message come out of the statue’s mouth. In Judaism this was considered demonic magic or just trickery. Jews commonly pointed out that idolatrous statues could not walk or talk or do things, and they often employed harsh sarcasm to make their point.
• In August, Gary finished editing the Old Testament in the new language of SUN. The entire Bible – plus a SUN catechism that he wrote – are now available worldwide. You can see both of them here! SUN – Bible In Every Language
• In September, he began to edit the 2^nd edition of the New Testament in SUN. Since he is most familiar with 1-2 Thessalonians, that is where he began.
• On September 25, Gary’s new book on the Holy Spirit was published in Spanish: The Gift of the Holy Spirit and his Power in the Church. It consists of 15 essays that he wrote over decades. He dedicated it to Ruth Edwards, his thesis supervisor at Aberdeen University back in the mid-80s. So it’s time for book promotion and also looking for someone to publish it in English. Check out this announcement: El Espíritu Santo y su poder en la Iglesia | Gary Shogren (Spot 1 min) – YouTube

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• In September: another of Gary’s books is shortly to come out from CLIE. This book was a new direction for him: he analyzes about 40 myths and rumors that Christians believe and pass along to their friends, without checking their veracity. For example: did you ever hear the one about how the Soviet drilled a hole so deep that they reached hell? Or the story about the massive computer named the Beast? Stay tuned for Myths that Christians Believe. And Circulate.
• End of September: CLIE put out announcements for their NEW patristic study Bible, with footnotes taken from the first six centuries of the church. Gary wrote the notes for the Epistle of James. One example from James 1:1 – “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ”. SERVANT. “James refers to himself as a servant, but we must remember that there are two kinds of servitude, voluntary and involuntary. The involuntary servant is a slave who fears punishment and therefore his service does not arise out of love. But the voluntary servant is really no different from a son.” HILARY OF ARLES, 5th century.

Gary says: Why do I write what I do? Half the time (the two study Bibles, for example) it’s because someone invited me to join their team. But typically (Myths; The Gift of the Holy Spirit) I wrote because I saw that these were areas where very little has been published in Spanish. It’s the same thing I always told myself years ago in the church softball league: “You don’t have to hit a home run; just try to put the ball where the fielders ain’t.” My heart’s desire too is to write as a pastor, not a know-it-all. So in the case of The Holy Spirit my goal was to encourage Pentecostals and non-Pentecostals to calmly consider the Bible text together, armed with sound hermeneutics and mutual respect.
 
Since I was a kid, I wanted to be a writer; in hindsight, I guess Lord planted the idea. At the keyboard, I feel I am talking with fellow believers. Thanks, Lord, for letting me do this task!