Josh Benner

Category: Culture

  • The positive and encouraging message isn’t always the message we need

    It’s interesting to me to consider the popular Christian music. It’s almost always easy listening. I was looking at some of the slogans for popular Christian radio stations. Perhaps the biggest in America, K-Love, which plays on 440 stations “positive – encouraging.” The River, which was the Christian radio station in Columbus, “uplifting and encouraging.”…

  • Investigation deems allegations against Willow Creek founder as credible

    An independent council released a report yesterday, regarding sexual misconduct allegations made against Bill Hybels, the founding pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, a megachurch in suburban Chicago. Hybels stepped down last spring, a few weeks after the sexual misconduct allegations against him were made public.

  • Jesus cross-examined

    We see symbols everyday. Symbols of peace, strength, royalty, and victory. Within Christianity, there is no greater symbol than the cross, something so obvious that we take it for granted. Something so pervasive, so associated with Christianity that we might not even question it. But why is the cross the symbol? Doubtless there could have…

  • United Methodist Church votes to ban same-sex marriage and LGBT clergy

    The United Methodist Church (UMC) had a four day international conference in St. Louis this week revolving around around LGBT issues, specifically: the ordination of openly LGBT clergy and whether or not the denomination should officiate same-sex weddings. The UMC is the third largest faith group in America, and an international denomination with over 43,000…

  • Bill protecting babies born alive in abortion attempts FAILS in the Senate

    The senate voted on the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act today. It was a bill that would have required medical care for babies who survive failed abortion attempts. This bill should not be controversial. It should have 100 votes. It didn’t need 100 though. It needed 60. And the bill couldn’t even get that.…