Josh Benner

Category: Commentary

  • Only you can prevent forest fires: the destructive force of our words 

    I was in Florida several years ago and Florida was having wildfires. Some areas were evacuating. If a person smoked a cigarette, they were told that they couldn’t throw it on the ground or it would start a fire.  Something so small, such a small amount of smoke, could start a huge fire.  With our…

  • Greatest quarterback, greatest coach, greatest Super Bowl 

    I don’t care about the New England Patriots. But I do appreciate greatness. And Tom Brady showed tonight why he is the best quarterback of all time. There’s not even a legitimate debate. The only thing the Joe Montana camp has is the terrible argument “well he never lost a Super Bowl.”  So? He had…

  • The misery of politics 

    I think essentially all Americans would sincerely like other people to be happy. Even people who we don’t know and with whom we will never have any interactions, I think we would still like those individuals to have happy and fulfilled lives. Everyone wants what’s best. It’s just that there is disagreement on the best…

  • Not man’s gospel 

    In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he says “For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel” (Galatians 1:11).  That is one of the most fundamental misunderstandings that 21st century American society has with Christianity.  It is not man’s gospel. 

  • Why does Jesus say “the poor in spirit” are blessed?

    In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus begins the sermon with a section called The Beatitudes, 8 statements, most of which seem counterintuitive at first glance. But these are much deeper than pithy statements. They point us to the ethics of Jesus.  “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”