Josh Benner

Author: the Josh Benner Blog

  • Scandal in the Southern Baptist Convention

    Scandal in the Southern Baptist Convention

    Even though I’ve never been part of a Southern Baptist church, I have always loved the Southern Baptist Convention. I feel that this denomination is one of the leaders is spreading the gospel and teaching the Bible in America and through missions efforts across the world. 

    On Sunday, a 288 page report was released related to the handling of sexual misconduct within the denomination. 

    The fact that there were issues was not a new revelation. In 2019, I wrote about a Houston Chronicle expose which talked about sexual predators within the SBC. 

    But the issue isn’t simply that the denomination failed to be proactive. That would be bad enough. What’s worse is that they intentionally avoided mechanisms to hold abusers accountable and steps which could have been taken to prevent abuses. 

    From the report: 

    “Rather than focusing on these accused ministers, some EC (executive committee) leaders turned against the very people trying to shine a light on sexual abuse. The survivors – those persons who actually suffered at the hands of SBC clergy or SBC church staff or volunteers – who spoke out the most, and who criticized the SBC’s inaction, were denigrated as “opportunistic,” having a “hidden agenda of lawsuits,” wanting to “burn things to the ground,” and acting as a “professional victim.” 

    The report notes several high profile SBC figures who were either involved in scandals of their own or who failed to hold abusers accountable. 

    Leadership failures

    Former SBC President Steve Gaines admitted that, as senior pastor at Bellevue Baptist Church, he had delayed reporting a staff minister’s prior sexual abuse of a child of “heartfelt concern and compassion for th[e] minister,” while acknowledging that he should have “brought it to the attention of our church leadership immediately;”

    Former SBC President Jack Graham, when he was pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church, allegedly allowed an accused abuser of young boys to be dismissed quietly in 1989 without reporting the abuse to police. The accused abuser, John Langworthy, later was charged with abusing young boys in Mississippi in 2011;

    Former SBC President Paige Patterson was terminated from his position at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2018 after it was revealed that he his intention to meet with another student who had reported an assault, with no other officials present, so he could “break her down;” told a student not to report a rape in 2003 and, in 2015, emailed Former SBC Vice President Judge Paul Pressler is the defendant in a civil sexual abuse lawsuit alleging that he repeatedly sexually abused the plaintiff beginning when the plaintiff was 14 years old. Two other men submitted separate affidavits in the case also accusing Judge Pressler of sexual misconduct; and

    Former EC Interim President and General Counsel Augie Boto testified as a character witness for Mark Schiefelbein, a gymnastics coach convicted of multiple counts of sexual assault against a minor. During his testimony at a post-conviction evidentiary hearing in September 2008, Mr. Boto identified himself as general trial counsel for the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention.

    In 2007, a database was proposed to list offenders who had served in SBC churches. 

    The Washington Post reports: 

    “In an April 2007 email, the convention’s attorney sent Boto a memo explaining how a SBC database could be implemented consistent with SBC polity, saying “it would fit our polity and present ministries to help churches in this area of child abuse and sexual misconduct.” The report states that he recommended “immediate action to signal the Convention’s desire that the [executive committee] and the entities begin a more aggressive effort in this area.” That same year, after a Southern Baptist pastor made a motion for a database, Boto rejected the idea.”

    The database is another important finding from the report. A database of known and accused offenders had long been suggested within the SBC. It’s a denomination with thousands of churches. Some predators would leave one church and go to another. Leaders continually stonewalled the idea of a database and said it would be impossible to manage. According to the report, the database existed. 

    It’s my understanding that it’s not definitively known which leaders had access but the database existed. People in leadership lied and withheld a useful tool from their churches. Unconscionable. 

    And this all scratches the surface. 

    The New Testament repeatedly gives warnings about those infiltrating the church who mean to do harm. 

    Matthew 7:15-16: 

    15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits.

    In John 10, Jesus famously says that he is the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep (his people). At the same time, Jesus is warning of shepherds who will fail to protect the flock  and teh wolves that will prey upon the flock: 

    John 10:10-13:

    10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

    These are verses that I’ve always taken seriously. There are those who will cause harm within the church. Sadly, far too many SBC “leaders” failed to do their part in helping to protect the churches in their denomination and sadder still, their failures to act (or outright participation in cover ups) helped foster a culture where people could commit acts of abuse. 

    29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them (Acts 2:29-30).

    All of this just scratches the surface. But it’s unconscionable. It is beyond me how these leaders could justify the things they’ve done. 

    There has been a massive sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church. There have been scandals from several universities: Penn State with assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky and Ohio State with former athletic department physician Richard Strauss. There was the USA Gymnastics scandal with Larry Nasser. There was the #metoo movement. Jeffrey Epstein. 

    Large institutions are vulnerable to predators and the SBC was unable to read the room and take any steps at avoiding abuse? 

    One of the findings of the report was that these evasive steps from the SBC were done in an effort to avoid legal liability. But at what cost? In avoiding liability, the leadership of the denomination failed to help protect people within their congregations. That’s the worst of it. 

    And ironically, in their effort to protect the denomination, they have done damage that will linger in the SBC until Christ returns. Churches will leave the SBC, members will leave churches within the SBC, the reputation of the SBC will take irreversible damage. And Christ’s Church takes another strike against it because people failed to live up to what the Church is supposed to be. 

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  • 18 little faces

    I think of those 18 kids. Those 18 little faces. Eighteen people who had all of the potential in the world. I think of 18 kids who got up and went to school, like it was any other day, who eagerly awaited the weekend (and who even more eagerly awaited the upcoming summer vacation).

    What could have been going through their minds when an 18 year old man started shooting? Did they cry? Did they hide? Did they comprehend what was happening?

    I think about those parents. Those 18 sets of parents whose worlds are crashing down on them today. Parents who had the normal frustrations of life yesterday and who are now experiencing pain that most of us will never have to imagine. Waiting to wake up from this terrible dream, still in disbelief that this could have happened, longing to rewind time, and knowing life will never be quite the same. Eigteen sets of parents who kissed their babies goodbye this morning or last night and who took for granted that they would see them tonight and that they would be safe and that all would be right, at least in their worlds.

    I think about the voids that will exist in the family’s photos forever. I think about the lives these kids could have lived, the decent people they could have grown up to become. Those rites of passage which American life gives us: summers at the pool, learning to drive, senior prom, getting married, and having kids of their own. And in a few minutes, one person. One cowardly and inconsequential person robbed all of them of that. Whatever hatred and rage this man had, he stole so many hundreds of years of life in a few moments. 

    As I think about the man who did this atrocity, I wish he would have just turned the gun on himself from the beginning and not taken it out on innocent kids. His life might have taken bad turns and he might have been a troubled soul, but the price for his anger and hatred should not have been paid by these kids.

    A terrible risk of human freedom is the fact that we are free to sometimes choose to harm others. To act out in such a hateful and malicious way is something that the vast majority of us will never have to deal with. In America and abroad, tragedies seem to happen very frequently in our world. But I feel like this one is especially tough to face because of the people this man targeted. Little kids. 

    Why? Why them?

    As time goes on, I have no doubt that we will hear stories of teachers acting in remarkably heroic ways. I think about the little children all over the country who are going to have fears and nightmares. I think about the kids in this school who survived, how this event will mark the survivors for the rest of their lives. I think about how tragic it all is.

    To the community and to the families, I join so many millions across the nation in extending my sympathies, condolences, thoughts and prayers.

    Josh Benner

  • Sermon: Faith beyond doubt – John 20:24-31

    Thomas missed the most important event in human history. Seeing the risen Jesus on the first Easter. Thomas is skeptical and demands to see Jesus. Amazingly, Jesus grants him this and Thomas responds in faith. While we can’t personally examine the risen Jesus, we too have evidence to believe that the resurrection is true.

    Sermon manuscript

  • John the Baptist testifies to Jesus. Studying John 3:22-30

    John the Baptist testifies to Jesus. Studying John 3:22-30

    Summary: In John 3:22-30, John the Baptist testifies about the identity of Jesus. 

    The ultimate significance of John the Baptist is that he was the forerunner to Jesus. He comes in fulfillment of Old Testament passages which talk of one who could prepare the way for the Messiah (Malachi 3:1. 

    John’s life was lived to point to Jesus as the promised savior of the world. 

    And that is important to know for this passage because John the Baptist knew who he was, and just as important, he knew who he wasn’t. 

    Setting the scene 

    John 3:22:

    After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing.

    The section begins “after this” referring to the preceding section. It’s showing that we’re moving in time. 

    Jesus is with his disciples. 

    Here we learn that there was a period in the early ministry of Jesus where Jesus also had a ministry of baptism. This entire event is absent from the other three gospels. 

    In the first century, there was a cleansing ritual which was similar to baptism in which non-Jewish people sometimes partook when they converted to Judaism. But there were key differences between that ceremony and modern baptism. For starters, people would baptize themselves. Whereas when John the Baptist came along, he personally baptized people. John’s baptism was associated with repentance. 

    Jesus would give baptism its fuller meaning at the end of his ministry when he instituted triune baptism, calling upon his disciples to baptize in the name of the father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19. 

    However, at this point in his ministry, there is no reason to think that Jesus was doing a triune baptism, because he had not yet died and rose, nor had he given the Great Commission to his followers. It’s more plausible that this baptism was similar to John’s. 

    Something else which should be noted. In our passage, verse 22 says that Jesus was with his disciples and he remained there with them baptizing. I take that to refer to the disciples of Jesus baptizing people not as Jesus personally baptizing people. 

    Why do I think that? Because the next chapter begins with:  

    Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2(although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples (John 4:1-2.

    I see no Biblical evidence that Jesus ever personally baptized anyone in water. 

    Moving forward. 

    John 3:23-24:

    23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24 (for John had not yet been put in prison. 

    Geographically, we don’t know the exact location of Aenon. The text does tell us that there was an abundance of water in this place where they were baptizing. 

    Verse 24 makes the interesting note that John had not yet been put in prison. 

    The author will make no further references to John the Baptist’s imprisonment. It’s mentioned in all four of the gospels. Matthew’s Gospel goes into the most detail when it talks of how John would be beheaded under Herrod. 

    In the event here, John has not yet been imprisoned and that is noteworthy when considering the timeline within Jesus’ ministry. 

    For instance, almost all of Mark’s Gospel is written after the time of John the Baptist’s arrest. 

    Mark 1:14:
    Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God

    That’s the fourteenth verse of the whole book. 

    Yet at this point in the Gospel of John, John the Baptist has not yet been imprisoned, implying that this event happens prior to the ministry of Jesus beginning in the other gospels. 

    Conflict 

    John 3:25:

    Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification.

    We don’t know for sure what the discussion was. It’s ultimately secondary to the entire narrative. It’s possible that the discussion or debate came up regarding John’s baptism or contrasting the baptism of John and Jesus or looking at John’s baptism in the light of other Jewish cleansing ceremonies. 

    It does remind us to the fact that John had disciples of his own. We also saw that in chapter 1, and it was a couple of John’s disciples who would be Jesus’ first disciples. 

    John 1:35-37:

    35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.

    So John has a following. Our passage this morning introduces us to the idea that some of John’s disciples are defensive of their teacher. 

    They approach John. The entire focus of the discussion shifts away from purification rituals. 

    And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.”

    In calling John rabbi, we see his disciples are giving him a title of honor. No one else is called rabbi in the gospel of John, aside from Jesus. 

    They refer to Jesus as the one who was with John across the Jordan and acknowledge that it is Jesus to whom John is bearing witness, yet there seems to be some bitterness in their response when they say “look, he is baptizing and all are going to him.” 

    Obviously there is some exaggeration in the report of John’s disciples. All are going to him. . 

    John gives his response in the next four verses. 

    A response 

    John 3:27:

    John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.

    This is an important statement and insight into the sovereignty of God. Everything that we have comes from the Lord. 

    The life you have, the abilities you have, the things you have, the salvation you have. All of it is from the Lord. 

    God made everything and everyone. There is nothing we have created without the tools God has given us.

    The oddity of John 

    John’s disciples see the followers that Jesus has amassed. They don’t realize exactly who Jesus is and why this fruitfulness is something to celebrate. Their focus is clearly misplaced and on how it impacts John and their ministry rather than Jesus coming into the world to fulfill the divine plan through his sinless life, death, and resurrection. All they see are dwindling numbers. They look at Jesus like he’s their competition. 

    On the one hand, you have a first century prophet who is the forerunner to Christ and we’re seeing how their ministries interact with each other. I understand that this is not a specific situation we face. 

    But in the attitude of his disciples, I think it’s actually very relatable to human nature. 

    John’s response is noteworthy because there’s always the temptation to put ourselves on a pedestal, to make much of ourselves, to want others to glorify us. It’s a constant temptation. 

    It’s tempting to ignore where God is leading us, and what he wants of us. 

    It’s easy to be arrogant. We’re arrogant with God all the time. Our world judges his laws and what God decrees as moral. But even as Christians, in our heart of hearts, there are times where we don’t like what God says about something. 

    Numerous Bible commands that we can find reasons to ignore. 

    Or maybe it’s not a moral issue. But there are other ways in which we judge God. We judge why God allows certain things to happen or not to happen. 

    We judge what he’s given us or not given us.  

        Illustration – Mozart 

    One of my favorite films is the movie Amadeus, about the life of Mozart. 

    Early in the movie, you have another composer: Antonio Salieri, and more than anything, he wants to be a great composer. And as a child, he prays to God: 

    “Make me a great composer. Let me celebrate Your glory through music and be celebrated myself. Make me famous through the world, dear God. Make me immortal. After I die, let people speak my name forever with love for what I wrote. In return, I will give You my chastity, my industry, my deepest humility, every hour of my life.”

    But then you meet Mozart and he’s a musical prodigy. Seemingly inexhaustible and effortless talent flows through him. But his character is also vain, crass, condescending, and childish. 

    In a later scene, when Salieri sees he has been totally transcended by the greatness of Mozart, you see the bitterness of Salieri. He burns a crucifix and tells God that they are now enemies. 

    In contrast that example with John the Baptist because it’s so easy to read John’s words here and think we would all be just as humble and submissive to the will of God as John. 

    But we’re so often not. 

    We’re more like the apostles. 

    Matthew 10:35-37:

    35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” 36 And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” 37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”

    They’re jockeying for positions of honor. There’s no humility in that. 

    We see it again. Luke 9:46, a debate begins among the disciples as to which of them was the greatest. And that’s not the last time we see this in the gospels. Luke 22:24, almost the same wording:

    A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 

    They’re arguing over which disciple is the best one. Luke 22. This event happens right after the Last Supper. They’ve just partook of the most significant meal in human history. Jesus has broken the bread as a symbol of his body which would be broken. He’s taken the cup and poured out the wine as the blood of the new covenant. Jesus would be arrested, crucified, and die in less than 24 hours. 

    And here the disciples are caught up “But which one of is the best? Is it me? It’s probably me.” 

    So it’s easy to just assume we’d be humble and totally submissive to the will of God. But envy is tempting. Status and recognition are powerful idols. 

    John continues speaking. 

    Verse 28:

    You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’

    John is continuing to speak about his purpose in the world. In the first chapter of this gospel, people are trying to figure out who John the Baptist is. 

    He tells them that he is not the Christ (John 1:20). He quickly confirms that he himself is not the long-awaited Messiah. 

    When they finally ask John for an answer as to who he is, John says “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness ‘make straight the way of the Lord,” quoting from the Book of Isaiah (John 1:23. 

    As we’ve already said, he is the one who is to come before the ministry of the Lord. And in Jesus beginning his ministry, John is beginning to see his own ministry coming to its fulfillment. 

    John the Baptist lived in this world with the purpose of pointing people to Christ. 

    And in that sense, John the Baptist is no different from anyone who is a believer in Jesus because everyone who knows Jesus and believes in his gospel exists to point to Jesus and to decrease so that he may increase  

    The purpose of your life is to humbly serve the Lord with the gifts he has given you an to point others to Christ by loving God, loving people, living out your faith, and sharing the gospel. 

    The Wedding 

    John is continuing to comment on his role. He makes an analogy to a wedding celebration. 

    John 3:29:

    The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.

    John compares himself to a friend of the bridegroom. In other words, a friend of the groom. 

    That’s close to the idea of a best man, but in the first century, in this culture, the best man had a lot of responsibilities. He was somewhat of a coordinator for the wedding. He was an official witness to the wedding. He was often a contributor to the wedding. It was an honored position. 

    I’ve been in several weddings, officiated several weddings, been married. So I feel like I can say this on pretty good authority: the bridal party is pretty pointless in a modern American wedding. It’s pretty much a bunch of people who prove that the bride and groom really do have friends besides each other.  Definitely it’s a way to honor siblings and close friends, obviously they’re there for the bride and groom on the big day. 

    But functionally, they don’t do much. In the first centry, the friend of the bridegroom was a really important role. 

    John’s metaphor is also significant because wedding imagery is used throughout the Bible to describe the relationship of God and people. 

    The true bridegroom

    In the Old Testament, God is often described as the groom and Israel is the bride. God is faithful to Israel in spite of her unfaithfulness to God.  

    In the New Testament, Jesus is the groom and the church is the bride. This is not the first time we’ve seen wedding imagery in the Gospel of John. In chapter 2, Jesus performs his first miracle at a wedding feast when he turns water into wine. The story is meant to point to his own wedding feast, the finalization of his kingdom in the new heaven and the new earth, as is foretold in Revelation 19. The church is the bride of Chrsit at that wedding. 

    While Israel was the unfaithful bride in the Old Testament, in the final inauguration of the wedding supper of the lamb in Revelation, it is a perfect wedding between Christ and his bride, the church. 

    I’m not saying that John the Baptist fully understood all of that when he made this statement. 

    But there is a metaphor we see throughout the gospels in looking at the ministry of Jesus in the world. 

    In the other gospels, there’s a later scene where John’s disciples are actually compared to Jesus and his. Others point to the zealousness of John’s disciples and say in Mark 2:18-19:

    18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 19 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

    Jesus is pointing to the time of celebration and joy that his ministry ushered into the world. 

    Again, there’s no better metaphor to make for a joyous occasion than a wedding. 

    And so in our passage, John again reminds us that Jesus is the groom and John is the best man. 

    At a wedding, the best man is not the main focus. He’s not the star. He’s not why you’re there. 

    It’s the bride and groom. 

    In that, we again see humility for John. For the best man, he’s not in competition with the groom. The best man has one goal and that is to see the wedding of the bride and groom. 

    Verse 30, John tells his disciples: 

    He must increase, but I must decrease.” 

    It’s not that it’s a good idea that Jesus increase and John decrease. But that Jesus must increase and John must decrease. 

    John is embracing the will of God. He’s not concerned with who’s greater or with his standing. His concern is for the ministry of Christ.  

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  • Excuses why people don’t get baptized

    Excuses why people don’t get baptized

    At the end of his ministry, Jesus commanded his disciples to go out into the world and baptize people in the name of the father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:18-20). Baptism is not meant to be an option for the church. It is a command of Christ. 

    If you’ve never been baptized but consider yourself to be a Christian, I want to encourage you to get baptized. 

    I’ve heard various excuses throughout the years as to why people haven’t gotten baptized. 

    I wanted to just address a few of those. 

    1. it’s not necessary 

    Yes it is. Jesus commands it. 

    2. I’m afraid of water

    The pastor is not throwing you out into the ocean. If it’s a church that does baptism by immersion, the pastor is right there. You’ll be fine. 

     3. I don’t want to get my hair wet. 

    Wear a swim cap. 

     4. I’m too old. 

    You’re neve too old to be obedient to God,

    5. I’m embarrassed. 

    I can appreciate that. I really can. There might be different reasons why a person would be embarrassed. Maybe you’ve never gotten baptized and you’re at an age where you feel like you should have by this point but never got around to it and now you think you’ll look really silly. 

    I can appreciate that. 

    It’s not a good reason to not get baptized but I’m just saying I personally can appreciate that. 

    In Luke 9:26, Jesus said: 

    whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

    If you’re someone who hasn’t been baptized and you do feel embarrassed about that fact, come talk to me. I promise you I’m not going to recoil in disgust that you haven’t done it. The fact that you didn’t do it in the past is something you can’t change. But you can do something about it and get baptized.

    Part of the purpose of baptism is that it’s a public proclamation to the world that you identify as a follower of Jesus Christ. If you’ve waited this long and finally do it, people aren’t going to judge you. People will think it’s so great that you’re finally doing it now. You ever see those news stories at graduation time about some like 90 year old who finally is finishing up her college degree? People love those stories. 

    Don’t let stage fright be a reason to not get baptized. Don’t let pride be a reason to get baptized. 

    6. God hasn’t told me to get baptized yet. 

    It’s the devil who’s telling you not to get baptized and to disobey Jesus’ command!

    You don’t need a divine prompt to do something that Jesus universally commands of his church. 

    You have God’s word and that tells you to do it. 

    7. it doesn’t apply to me.

    It applies to all Christians. 

    Yes, there is the thief on the cross in Luke who’s promised heaven. Yes there are death bed conversions. But that’s not the same as a professing believer who’s simply dragging their feet. 

    8. I just don’t want to.

    Once again, it’s a command of Christ for all Christians. 

    9. I’ll do it next time. 

    Why then and not now? 

    As Nike used to tell us, just do it. 

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