Josh Benner

Category: Commentary

  • Roseanne reboot tackles America’s political divide with hilarity

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    As a kid, when I found out that I was going to have a baby sister, I wanted my parents to name her “Roseanne.” The new Roseanne reboot premiered on ABC this evening.
    I really enjoyed it. Very clever writing, laugh out loud funny.  A throwback and a nostalgic comedy brought into the modern times.
    Even thought I watched the original run of the series, I was too young to appreciate the aspects of Roseanne that were pushing cultural boundaries.
    One of the things that the new series is emphasizing is the political divide in America, often within families. Roseanne and Dan are republican, Trump supporters. Roseanne’s sister Jackie is a democrat. I thought the writing was fair to both sides.
    Roseanne Barr said in an interview with the New York Times:
    “I just wanted to have that dialogue about families torn apart by the election and their political differences of opinion and how we handle it. I thought that this was an important thing to say at this time.”
    As politics are divisive within society, they can also be very destructive within families.
    Reading comments from people on Facebook, it’s interesting how some won’t even watch the show because of political disagreement with Roseanne. It’s a sad irony that proves the point. Some can’t bear to watch a show unless it is total agreement with their views.
    I don’t think the point is that people should agree with everything on the show. You’re not going to agree with every character’s views or values. But it’s trying to depict a family that, as dysfunctional as they are, does love each other and who’s trying to navigate through life in these trying times. And so the show isn’t afraid to tackle the major issues.
    Disagreement with family and friends can be gritty and frustrating. Some choose to be divisive in the face of disagreement. As a society, we cannot allow ourselves to continually be divided and torn apart.
    The show is a mirror. It’s a reflection of how life in America is, for better or for worse.
    Josh Benner is the associate pastor at Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Fergus Falls, Minnesota and has a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He enjoys writing about faith and culture. He lives with his wife Kari in Minnesota.

  • No charges filed in Alton Sterling death

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    Of the many deaths we have footage of where police have used deadly force, there’s few that appear as egregious as the 2016 killing of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

    In the video, the officers have him held down. They’re on top of him. Sterling allegedly reached for his pocked (he was armed at the time). From the video, it’s hard to see if he was reaching for a weapon. He appears to be immobilized. But what’s not hard to see is an officer on top of him, with Sterling pinned to the ground repeatedly shooting him

    The State of Louisiana announced today that they are not going to charge the officers who were involved in Sterling’s death.

    As with so many of these other cases, no one is going to be held accountable.

    I think it’s important to acknowledge that this event was a tragedy. That the officers were trigger happy. That this death was unnecessary and senseless.

    I think it is important to look at cases like this and other incidents where African American men were killed by police officers and where no one was ever held to account, where no one was ever sent to prison, and to stop trying to save face or find justifications, or attack the character of the victim but to look at these situations and to have empathy for the anger and frustration that African Americans have over these events. It should be an anger and frustration which everyone has.

    For many in this country, it’s not even a surprise that this is the outcome. And when groups of people can count on justice not being served, it’s a sad day for America.

    When these shootings happen, and there’s an outcry, there’s so often this call to “get the facts, let’s get it sorted out.” But after that happens, it is so common for nothing to materialize legally.

    Police have an extremely difficult job. No one would argue that. And the vast majority are wonderful public servants. But there are times when people go too far and when they do not act appropriately. A system cannot be just if those who enforce justice can act unjustly.

    Josh Benner is the associate pastor at Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Fergus Falls, Minnesota and has a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He enjoys writing about faith and culture. He lives with his wife Kari in Minnesota.

  • The easiest part of the gospel we forget

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    Love.

    In Evangelical circles, we, righty, have a high view of scripture and studying God’s word. That’s important.

    But I sometimes feel like it can be so easy to get caught up in having proper theology we forget the most practical application OF the theology. Love for God and love for people.

    If I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

    -1 Corinthians 13:2

    I think for Christians, some excel at theology and the intellectual pursuits. Others re more focused on showing grace, compassion, and love to people but perhaps don’t care as much about theology.

    Both are valuable.

    It’s a message I have to remind myself. It’s easy for me to study these things. And certainly in studying these things, we are exposing ourselves to Godly wisdom.

    But it can also be easy to get bogged down in the theology to the point of losing sight of simply living lives of love.

    What’s your strength in those areas? May you work on cultivating your weaknesses in these areas.

    Josh Benner is the associate pastor at Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Fergus Falls, Minnesota and has a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He enjoys writing about faith and culture. He lives with his wife Kari in Minnesota.

  • Sunday to Friday: “Save us!” to “Crucify!”

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    Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons – Ben Stassen

    Originally published March 20, 2016

    Jesus enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey. It’s a festive scene. Passover week, one of the most significant holidays in the Jewish calendar. Jesus has been preaching throughout the region of Galilee. He has built up quite the following: teaching on the kingdom of heaven and performing miracles.

    And here he enters the holy city, the crowds shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:9). Palm branches had become a Jewish symbol of victory and the crowds bring these branches out as they chant. The processional they created was somewhat makeshift, but it had kingly overtones. They’re treating him like someone who was returning to Jerusalem after having conquered an enemy. Ironically, he was coming into Jerusalem to conquer sin. (more…)

  • Megachurch pastor accused of sexual misconduct

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    A long investigative story from the Chicago Tribune reports on several allegations of moral filings from Bill Hybels, the founding pastor of Willow Creek, a suburban Chicago church which is one of the largest churches in America.

    The article says:

    The alleged behavior included suggestive comments, extended hugs, an unwanted kiss, and invitations to hotel rooms. It also included an allegation of a prolonged consensual affair with a married woman who later said her claim about the affair was not true, the Tribune found.

    –Chicago Tribune

    I visited Willow a few times when I was in seminary. I like the church. I truly hope that these allegations are not true. But the most important thing is the truth. Unfortunately, it seems that these types of sins are often swept under the rug. Some of these allegations go as far back as the 90s. Willow Creek did an internal investigation through an outside party who cleared Hybels of any wrongdoing after conducting 29 interviews and reading through hundreds of emails.

    I hope it’s not true.

    But where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire. The Tribune article includes on the record statements of several people who allegedly misconduct. The group also included former pastors and staffers at the church, notably former Willow Creek teaching pastor John Ortberg who’s now pastoring a church in the Bay Area.

    I’m sometimes skeptical of church internal investigations. In megachurches, a founding pastor, especially one as dynamic as Hybels, is crucial to the health of the organization. It can be crippling to the entire congregation’s longterm viability to lose the pastor, especially amid scandal.

    I guess I don’t understand why other respected leaders would say that there’s truth to these allegations if they didn’t think that. I don’t think there’s a massive conspiracy from within the Christian community against Bill Hybels or Willow Creek for no reason.

    In society, it’s become something of a punchline: well known Christian leaders having and/or pursuing affairs. It’s tragic. Just a couple days ago, a megachurch pastor in Tennessee (rightfully) stepped down/was pushed out after revealing a sexual assault perpetrated by him in 1998.

    Stories like these should be a reminder to all church leaders (and to all Christians) to continue to walk in integrity daily, to live out what we believe, and to fight temptation and compromise. The truth matters. Victims of assault deserve the truth to be brought to light.

    I pray for the people of Willow Creek, and for the victims.

    Josh Benner is the associate pastor at Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Fergus Falls, Minnesota and has a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He enjoys writing about faith and culture. He lives with his wife Kari in Minnesota.