Josh Benner

Category: Commentary

  • Remembering our 41st president: George H.W. Bush

    800px-George_H._W._Bush_crop 2.jpg
    I do not mistrust the future. I do not fear what is ahead. For our problems are large, but our heart is larger. Our challenges are great, but our will is greater.
    -George H.W. Bush

    It’s a National Day of Mourning as America’s 41st president is laid to rest.

    Anyone who knows me knows that the presidency has always fascinated me. Regardless of what we might think about a particular president, we spend years seeing them in the news. They sign legislation that impacts future generations. They make court appointments that influence legal decisions for years to come. They make decisions on foreign policy that impact America’s relations with other nations. I do think the presidency should be respected. It’s often been said that one of the greatest strengths of the American political system is the peaceful transition of power when one presidency ends and another begins.

    He was elected president in 1988, after spending two terms as vice president under Ronald Reagan. That was the first time a sitting vice president had been elected president in over 150 years when Martin Van Buren was elected president in 1836. Like George H.W. Bush, Van Buren was also a one-term president.

    It’s perhaps a blessing and a curse to be in that situation: people who didn’t like your predecessor won’t like you. There’s a shadow over your administration from your predecessor. People who liked that person might judge you when compared to them, and since it was their popularity that may have helped you, it’s hard to go up.

    At the same time, you want to be your own president. None of this is to undermine the accomplishments of our 41st president. Even before becoming president, Bush had already had an illustrious career.

    He enlisted in the navy on his 18th birthday and served as a fighter pilot in World War II. After the war, he moved to Texas and became an oil tycoon. He entered politics in the 60s, being elected to the House of Representatives from Texas in 1967. In 1971, he became the United States ambassador to the United Nations. In 1973, he became the chairman of the Republican National Committee. He was a liaison to China. Bush ran for president in 1980. When the republican nomination was unwinnnable, eventual winner Ronald Reagan brought Bush onto the the ticket where Bush served as vice president from 1981-1989.

    As president, George Bush saw the Berlin Wall come down in 1989 and Germany was reunified in 1990. He was president when he Soviet Union dissolved in 1991.

    He signed the Americans with Disabilities Act which made discrimination illegal in employment, public accommodations, and transportation. He signed the Clean Air Act in 1990. He was Commander-in-Chief during the Persian Gulf War. He appointed Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court. He helped negotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, which Bill Clinton later signed into law. He passed a civil rights bill, a farm bill, and a crime bill.

    President Bush had promised “read my lips, no new taxes” when running for president. But deficits made tax increases inevitable during his tenure. That and third party candidate Ross Perot were contributing factors to his defeat by Bill Clinton in 1992.

    An American hero, a public servant, a leader of the free world.

    Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear what you think, and don’t forget to subscribe! 

    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.

    Let’s connect!
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Instagram

     

  • Dutch court rejects arguments of TransAge man

    photo-1534768654272-e97681c3a2c7.jpeg
    Emile Ratelband is a 69 year old man living in the Netherlands.

    Well…69 is what his records say. He’s actually 49. At least, he says he’s 49. Ratelband is transaged and identifies as a 49 year old. And he’s taken that to court. Recently, a Dutch court ruled against Ratelband’s claim to legally change his age.

    Part of his argument of desiring to be 49 was that it opens up more opportunities. “If I’m 49, then I can buy a new house, drive a different car. I can take up more work,” Ratelband said.

    The court argued: “unlike the situation with respect to a change in registered name or gender, there are a variety of rights and duties related to age, such as the right to vote and the duty to attend school. If Mr Ratelband’s request was allowed, those age requirements would become meaningless.”

    That’s interesting. It would make age meaningless.

    Kind of like what is currently happening with gender in the west.

    I think anyone who reads about this, regardless of your beliefs on transgenderism, pretty quickly makes the logical jump between this and that. For opponents of transgenderism, the thinking is “this is equally wrong.” And for proponents, I think the position becomes defensive.

    I looked on social media. Many argue: “don’t even think about comparing this to transgenderism,” or treating it like it’s absolutely absurd that the two would be compared to each other.

    But why?

    Serious question: if a person can be a different gender because they believe they were born the wrong gender, how can someone who’s a certain age argue that they’re not actually that age? Or a person who identifies as transracial?

    Why is that any more intellectually incongruous?

    One is just as much a denial of reality as the other.

    But why is it that contemporary society allows it in one area: gender? Why is there a privilege given to transgenderism over transageism or transracilaism?

    All of these are attacks on reality. While people being transage or transracial are pretty rare (and therefore easily dismissed), transgenderism has gained traction. But it is still denying that which is an immutable characteristic of a person. A 69 year old is a 69 year old. Thinking he really ought to be 49 doesn’t make it so. But in the same way, man is a man and a woman is a woman. And a man is not a woman and a woman is not a man.

    But all of these issues of a person thinking that an immutable quality about themselves can be changed because of their beliefs are equally wrong.

    Being transage is just as valid as being transgender, which is to say that being transage is equally as invalid as being transgender. Your age is your age. Your gender is your gender.

    Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear what you think, and don’t forget to subscribe! 

    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.

    Let’s connect!
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Instagram

  • What the Alabama quarterbacks can teach us about life

    1024px-Jalen_Hurts_Jan_2018_1.jpg
    Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

    If you can get Nick Saban chocked up, you must be a pretty special person.

    I love the life lessons that can come to us from the sporting world.
    This weekend, Alabama was playing Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. The Crimson Tide were trying to continue one of the most dominating seasons in college football history, but they had struggled against Georgia and trailed by 7 when star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (the favorite to win the Heisman trophy as college football’s best player) left the game with an injury. (more…)

  • How to give the perfect wedding toast

    photo-1486506063901-2b3966ca11d2
    I love weddings. I’ve had the chance to have a wedding (thanks Kari). I’ve officiated several weddings, and been in a few more. I also do public speaking every week.

    Having to write a speech can be scary and a major source of stress for people who are less comfortable in front of an audience.

    Listen to me. You can give a great wedding speech. You have it in you.

    1. Do not make the toast about yourself! 

    Common mistake.

    It’s not about you. People are not at the wedding for you. They’re there for the bride and groom. Make it about them.

    Sure it’s appropriate to say how you know the bride and groom. It can be appropriate to share a story about you and the bride or groom or a story that involves you and the bride and groom.

    But don’t have the toast revolve around you.

    2. Keep it short

    Have you ever seen a commercial that was so poignant it moved you in your soul? You can say something meaningful in a short time.

    The Gettysburg Address was 272 words. That’s a 2-3 minute speech.

    If your wedding toasts goes past four minutes, that’s too long.

    Also to show what can be accomplished in a short period of time:

    3. Humor is optional

    Wedding toasts can be funny. But don’t feel pressure to make it funny.

    Good rule of thumb: are you funny?

    I’m not asking if you proclaim yourself to be funny. Do other people tell you you’re funny and laugh at things you say? If so, sure use humor if you want to. If not, don’t try to make a wedding toast the opportunity to do something you’re already bad at.

    4. Do not say any of the following 

    “I”m not a professional speaker.” No one cares. I’ve seen people who have plenty of public speaking experience give terrible speeches. And I’ve seen people who have very little public speaking experience get up there, speak from the heart, and give awesome speeches. You don’t have to be a pro to speak well.

    Similarly, if you make a mistake, don’t apologize, don’t say “oops,” keep going. People won’t remember it if you keep moving forward with the speech.

    If you’re the best man, and you don’t know the bride very well or if you’re the maid of honor and you don’t know the groom very well, don’t say “I don’t really know (their name)…”

    Don’t mention an ex of the bride or the groom in the speech. That person is from their old life. Your friend is going forward with someone else (who’s better).

    5. Awkward and embarrassing stories about the bride and groom 

    Don’t!

    No one looks back fondly at wedding toasts that were trying to embarrass the bride and groom. People do look back fondly at the ones that support the couple and where it is evident that the toast master has a lot of love for both the bride and groom.

    6. DO NOT make jokes about their love for each other, commitment to each other, references to past relationships, or any suggestion whatsoever that the relationship might not last. 

    I once went to a wedding and the best man said “I wrote a great toast…but I plan to give it at his next wedding.”

    That’s not funny.

    It’s poor form. (Also that person did have a lot of public speaking experience and should have known better).

    It dishonors the bride, the groom, and their marriage. It’s not the time or the place. In fact, it’s the worst time and place to joke about the status of their relationship or the sincerity of their love.

    And while we’re at it:

    7. Do not use the toast as a soap box to complain about marriage 

    Don’t say things that undermine or undervalue the union of marriage.

    Maybe you’re cynical about love or marriage. Maybe you’re divorced. Whatever the case, if you’re not a huge fan of the commitment of marriage, that is not the time or place to share your views.

    8. Public speaking tips 

    Don’t wing it. The week of the wedding, give some thought to your relationship with the bride and groom, practice a few times. If you’re drinking alcohol at the wedding, make sure you’re able to give a clear speech. Speak slowly. Breathe.

    If you follow the rest of what I’ve said, you’re going to be fine. If you give a quick, sincere speech that focuses on the bride and groom, that shows a lot of love, you’re going to give a great speech.

    Questions? Feel free to ask in the comments. 

    Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear what you think, and don’t forget to subscribe! 

    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.

    Let’s connect!
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Instagram

  • President of US Conference of Catholic Bishops has office raided by investigators

    1024px-CoCathedralsoutheastHoustonTexas
    Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral in Houston. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

    The sexual abuse scandal is the never ending story.

    This week, authorities in Houston raided the offices of Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, who’s the archbishop of the Houston-Galveston Catholic Dioceses. Being the archbishop of the fourth largest city in America is pretty significant, but DiNardo is also the President of the United State Conference of Catholic Bishops.

    The raid was related to the Houston diocese handling of sexual assault allegations against a local priest named Manuel La Rosa-Lopez.

    It’s been a rough few months for the Catholic Church in America, largely because of self-inflicted wounds. In July, the New York Times ran a cover story alleging sexual abuse of a Catholic seminarian perpetrated by Theodore McCarrick, a Catholic Cardinal, who had retired as the archbishop of Washington D.C. in 2006. Shortly after the Times story was released, McCarrick resigned as a cardinal. He’s the highest ranking American Catholic to  have been accused of abuse. But there were also Catholic leaders who say that they had heard of these allegations and reported them up the chain, prior to the July story.

    In August, Carlo Vigano, who had served as the archbishop nuncio to the United States (basically the Vatican ambassador to America) wrote that he had previously reported on McCarrick, as had Vigano’s predecessor. The abuses were swept under the rug.

    There were several stories about Vigano this summer. Vigano is a pretty credible person to be making those claims. Vatican gave smoke and mirrors. Pope Francis asked people to pray for the Catholic Church in these “attacks from the devil.”

    Chicago archbishop Blasé Cupich brushed off Vigano saying: “The pope knows we have a bigger agenda. We have to speak about the environment, about the poor, we have to reach out to people who are marginalized in society. We cannot be distracted at this moment,”

    The hits kept coming.

    In August, a Grand Jury Report came out in Pennsylvania, investigating eight of Pennsylvania’ diocese. They found evidence spanning decades of hundreds of priests allegedly sexually assaulting over a thousand children.

    When that report was released, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro talked about a “sophisticated cover up,” and claimed they even had evidence that the Vatican was aware of the cover up.

    Pennsylvania had been the former stomping grounds of Cardinal Donal Wuerl, who had succeeded McCarrick as the archbishop of Washington D.C. Wuerl had previously been archbishop of Pittsburgh and was one of the names named by Vigano. Wuerl resigned in October.

    And now we come to Houston. It’s possible that DiNardo knew nothing of the current allegations within his diocese. But it doesn’t look good that it’s a question that even has to be asked of the president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops when there’s already a major scandal.

    What has been seen is that higher ups have known about abuses and covered up abuses. Which gets at a major crux of the problem: then who is going to actually work to fix the problems?

    Because the Catholic Church continues to fail at fixing the problem. And some (not all) Catholics are apologists and want to talk about all of the steps that are being taken. Grand conspiracies to cover up child sexual abuse is an abomination. In America, it’s taking grand juries and local law enforcement to get to the truth, because the Catholic Church is failing.

    Next February, the Vatican is hosting a summit on these clerical abuses. This week, Blase Cupich (Mr. Environment) was tapped as one of the organizers for the summit. I was immediately skeptical of this selection.  In addition to talking about how the Pope had to focus on the environment (something he doesn’t’ control) rather than being troubled with an imploding sexual abuse scandal within the Catholic Church (something he does control), said they weren’t “going to go down a rabbit hole” on Vigano’s credible allegations.

    It all seems reactionary and slow to come. And my concern is that it still won’t fix the problems. People can try to dismiss these issues as being things that happened a long time ago, but when many of the higher ups within the church are being shown to have had knowledge (or in McCarrick’s case, to be the perpetrator), it remains a major crisis.

    Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear what you think, and don’t forget to subscribe! 

    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.

    Let’s connect!
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Instagram