Josh Benner

Category: Culture

  • Religious leaders sue in Florida arguing that having abortion is an issue of religious liberty

    Religious leaders sue in Florida arguing that having abortion is an issue of religious liberty

    The Washington Post has an article about a group of religious leaders in Florida who are suing the state over abortion restrictions with the argument that it violates their religious freedom. 

    Florida’s new abortion laws do not ban abortions outright (unfortunately). But they do ban abortions after 15 weeks unless there are risks to the health of the mother. But that doesn’t go far enough for these folks. 

    The article begins: 

    When the Rev. Laurie Hafner ministers to her Florida congregants about abortion, she looks to the founding values of the United Church of Christ, her lifelong denomination: religious freedom and freedom of thought. She taps into her reading of Genesis, which says “man became a living being” when God breathed “the breath of life” into Adam. She thinks of Jesus promising believers full and abundant life.

    Interesting that the article begins by talking about life and the breath of life, and abundant life in an article where pastors are arguing against the right to life of the unborn. We’re alive before we’re born so I’m not sure exactly when all of these rights begin. The Bible also talks about God knowing who we are prior to physical birth. 

    Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you (Jeremiah 1:5). 

    For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:16). 

    The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name (Isaiah 49:1). 

    he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace (Galatians 1:15). 

    I could continue, but you get the point. 

    The article continues with the “pastor” saying, “I am pro-choice not in spite of my faith, but because of my faith.” 

    Ah yes, that great Christian virtue of taking life of the unborn. There is no taking of innocent life to the glory of God. It is a backwards misrepresentation of Christianity to argue that it is this great thing to support. I can appreciate that there are Christians who believe in the gospel and who are misguided and have a wrong view of abortion. But it’s a sad commentary when a person is a member of the clergy and is advocating against the rights of the unborn. Not only is she arguing against these rights but she’s arguing that supporting the killing of a baby is something which her faith compels.  

    In the article, Hafner says, “​​I think the religious right has had the resources and the voices politically and socially to be so loud, and frankly, they don’t represent the Christian faith,”

    I wouild argue that culturally, it is the left who has the loudest voice and they’re the ones who have largely brainwashed our society into thinking hat abortion is this great good. Not just ab ortion but radical beliefs on abortion such as late term abortion, and for any reason. That’s the stance of the Democratic Party. 

    She says the religious right does not represent the Christian faith. I can appreciate the room for critique, but the Christian left certainly does not represent the Christian faith when its proponents advocate for a whole host of beliefs which are antithetical to historical (and more importantly, Biblical teachings) on sexual ethics. 

    From the article: “Look biblically; Jesus says nothing about abortion. He talks about loving your neighbor and living abundantly and fully. He says: ‘I come that you might have full life.’ 

    Jesus does say nothing about abortion. So then why ought a professing Christian advocate for it? Shouldn’t we er on the side of life rather than on the side of death?

    Love your neighbor? Abundant life? They’re the ones advocating for killing the unborn. I would say to love your neighbor is also to love the unborn.

    Jesus said Let the little ones come to me (Luke 18:16). 

    Jesus said Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me (Matthew 25:20). Surely the unborn, who are unable to protect themselves and advocate for themselves fall into that category. 

    There are things that can be done to support the mothers. Christians adopt at higher rates than non Christians. I’m all for also supporting mothers, but not at the expense of the life of the baby. 

    The article also interviews a Unitarian pastor named Tom Capo who argues,” “It has to do with the belief in the inherent worth and dignity of every human being,” Once again, that’s incoherent. Inherent worth and dignity of every human being? You’re arguing in favor of abortion. You do not believe in inherent worth and dignity. If you believed it was inherent, you’d be pro life. That’s why I am pro life! Because I believe that we actually have inherent worth and dignity. He believes we have acquired worth and dignity at some point.

    It’s disgraceful. 

    Also, I thought we were supposed to have separation of church and state? That’s what I always hear. Being pro life is not an inherently religious position. But these religious leaders are the ones beating their chests about how “It’s because I’m religious that I’m pro choice.”

    I have no doubt that these people are all very religious but the problem is that their religion is the religion of liberalism and liberalism great sacrament is the right to kill the unborn.

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  • The Church – being part of something bigger than yourself

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    An astounding 16 million soldiers, sailors and Marines served America in the Second World War.

    And while most of our focus on World War II is on the military and combat, within the United States, there was an effort to support the war unlike anything our nation had seen or has seen since.

    With millions going overseas, Americans at home took up new jobs.

    Coming out of the Great Depression, unemployment dried up, reaching an all time low in 1944.

    The war effort affected virtually every facet of American life. Companies shifted their manufacturing efforts to supporting the war and supplying the military. Maytag went from making washing machines to making parts for airplanes. Firestone Tires made artillery shells and aluminum containers for food transport.

    Products like sugar, butter, bacon, and cheese were rationed. As were penicillin and other medicines, along with rubber and certain types of metals. Materials for clothing such as silk and nylon were needed for uniforms. Everything went to supporting a cause that was so much bigger than any one person.

    And everyone’s contributions mattered.

    To help pay for the war, the government sold war bonds. Over 85 million Americans purchased war bonds to help fund the effort. To put that in perspective, that was more than half of the entire United States population at the time.

    An incredible effort.

    The church has a mission 

    As Christians, we too are called to be part of a cause that is far bigger than any of us, but where everyone has a role, where everyone has a job to do, where everyone has a way to serve.

    The mission of God on earth.

    And that mission is to spread the gospel. To make disciples. To build up the church. To love one another.

    It’s not a passive request in scripture, nor is it a good suggestion, but something which God commands from all of his people.

    If you’re a person who has placed faith in Jesus, this applies to you.

    As the Apostle Paul said in Galatians 2:20:

    I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

    You belong to Jesus when you place your faith in him.

    And part of the purpose of the Christian life is one that is lived in service of God for the mission of God in the world.

    You were made to have an impact 

    Do you ever feel like you were made for something great?

    Do you ever feel like you were meant to have an impact?

     You are made for more, you are made to do great things, you are born to have an impact in the world.

    An impact for Jesus.

    We can try to build our own kingdoms, we can try to collect our own toys, we can try to control and manipulate the circumstances in our lives to make us feel secure.

    We can do those things.

    But we were made to serve the mission of Christ in the world.

    And that includes sharing the gospel, making disciples, making Jesus known, growing together as His Church, and serving God.

    As a church, every person in the church is called to use the ways God has gifted and equipped them for the purpose of serving God and building up the church.

    That’s why we’re here.

    Writing to the Church in Corinth, the Apostle Paul said:

    Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 

    Maybe you’ve never really thought about that.

    But all Christians are given Spiritual gifts.

    Doesn’t matter how well you know the Bible.

    It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been a Christian. There’s no probationary period before you can God.

    It doesn’t matter how smart you are, or how outgoing you are, or how many people you know.

    It doesn’t matter how talented you think you are.

    If you’re a Christian, God has given you gifts to serve him and build up his church.

    Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you have nothing to offer.

    I think that’s the reason why some people don’t serve.

    It’s nonsense.

    Because everyone here has much to offer. Much to contribute.

    It can be easy to see a really talented pastor, a really gifted musician, someone who’s really outgoing, and to feel insecure about what you have to offer.

    But the unsung heroes are the backbone of congregations, people faithfully and humbly serving. Books get written about generals, but the real work is done by soldiers.

    Originally posted May 13, 2019

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  • Darth Vader and the first king of Israel

    Darth Vader and the first king of Israel

    In Star Wars, you have Anakin Skywalker who becomes Darth Vader. 

    Anakin starts off from very humble beginnings. He’s a slave, but unbeknownst to him, he is set aside for a historic task. 

    A Jedi meets young Anakin and senses that Anakin has a strong presence of the force and that he is the chosen one who will be the Jedi who will restore power to the force. 

    And at first, Anakin does a lot of good things. He’s a heroic figure. He’s serving honorably as a Jedi. He saves an entire planet. 

    He has this priestly figure in Obi Wan Kenobi who trains him in the ways of the Jedi. 

    But then. 

    He joins the dark side. 

    He becomes Darth Vader. He’s evil. He is vengeful. He destroys entire planets. He nearly wipes out the Jedi. He kills his teacher, Obi Wan Kenobi. 

    I give those details because the life of Saul follows the same trajectory of that of Darth Vader. 

    In our passage today, we’re first introduced to Saul, who is a man of humble beginnings. Without knowing it, he finds out that he will be the king of Israel. Saul starts out well and has everything he needs to succeed before turning to sin in later chapters. 

    And he goes on a downward spiral of destruction and murder. 

    Darth Vader kills off most of the Jedi. Saul kills off all of the priests but Abiathar. 

    Both are replaced by greater men. Darth Vader’s son Luke Skywalker restores order to the force. Saul is replaced by David, the greatest of the Israelite kings. 

    Darth Vader fights his son, Luke Skywalker. Saul has a son – Jonathan who opposes Saul and abdicates any opportunity to sit on the throne. 

    Both Vader and Saul have daughters who oppose the evils of their fathers. Princess Leia is a Jedi. Saul’s daughter marries King David. 

    Saul and David are both anointed by Samuel. Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker are both trained by Obi Wan Kenobi. 

    Darth Vader dies on a moon called Endor. Saul dies in battle at a place near Endor! 

    1  Samuel 28:7

    7 Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a medium at En-dor.” 

    He dies in chapter 31 at Gilboa. 

    I think the Star Wars writers might have had a Bible handy when they were writing their script! 

    Humble origins, early successes, a turn to evil and a downward spiral of muder that ends in violent death. I think the comparison is helpful as we consider the long story arc of King Saul in the Book of First Samuel. 

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  • Choosing your poison. Israel’s demand for a king. Studying 1 Samuel 8:19-22

    Choosing your poison. Israel’s demand for a king. Studying 1 Samuel 8:19-22

    The book of Proverbs dedicates a lot of space to talking about the “fool,” the person who lives a life in opposition to the wisdom of God. The chief way a person can be a fool is in a failure to fear the Lord. We do this when we try to take God off of his thrown. Other examples of foolishness.

    Proverbs 28:26

    Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

    In 1 Samuel 8, the Israelites speak up and say that they want a king to lead them. The problem is that they wanted a human king instead of God as their king. 

    And in this passage, the Israelites were trusting their own minds. Their own desires and will.And again there are many other examples in the book of Proverbs. 

    The people are going against the wisdom of God. And the chief way they’re doing this is the failure to fear the Lord and to honor him above all else. 

    Had they done that, they would have realized that they didn’t need a king. That they had everything they already needed in God. 

    The best way to know the will of God is to know his word. There are things we can do which are totally contrary to the wisdom of God. For the Israelites, it had been explained to them why a king was not going to be good for them. And they wanted it anyway. 

    And again, we can do that too. We can have all of the reasons to know that something will not be good for us. But then we do it. The Bible has wisdom in regards to how we manage our households, our finances, our health, our rest, our language. It’s in our best interest to get with the program. To live for God. To follow his wisdom. 

    Sometimes we even know better and continue to do what we want anyway. 

    It’s so easy to let the ways of the world influence us more than it is us influencing the ways of the world. We might not be asking for an earthly king, but we so often want another god. We so often look to areas of life that we think will lead to our flourishing. 

    Because of his goodness, God insisted that the Israelites be warned with what they were doing. He TOLD them it wouldn’t work well. And we receive warnings in God’s word. 

    The heart of the issue isn’t just about wanting a different king. It was putting something over God. And any time we choose to go against God, to go against his word, we’re putting ourselves on the throne. 

    Is there’s something you don’t have right now, but where you think “if only I had THIS” everything would be better? Or you’d truly be happy? 

    Don’t replace the true king. The issue is when we buy into the lies of what objects or relationships can give us and place those on a pedestal above God and the true fulfillment, and purpose, and grace, and the life that comes from him. There is a price to be paid for wanting to change the king.

    At the end of the passage, the Israelites make their choice. 

    Verses 19-20: 

    19 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us,20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”

    In this chapter of the story, it doesn’t tell us too much about the result. But upon continuing to read in the Old Testament, the things that Samuel had warned about did end up befalling the Israelites. With the advent of the monarchy, it did institute high taxes, losses of land, more wars. And the kings weren’t there to fight their battles for them. And those problems would continue to spiral from one generation to the next. 

    Isn’t that what happens in our lives too? When we decide to go against the wisdom of God? There are consequences for that. They might be external. They might be in our environment. But they’re also always going to be internal.

    Our sins, our putting things ahead of God, our living life as though a new king or a new source of purpose is going to fulfill us will chip away at our relationship with God. 

    God allows us to make bad decisions. It is sometimes through the tough decisions and struggles that we see that there is no other way besides God.

    God is the one true king. He is to be the king of your life. It’s not about looking elsewhere when we’re struggling. 

    In spite of the sin of the people, God was still gracious. Because God is a good God who is faithful to his promises. 

    The first king of Israel was Saul. But he would be replaced in the following generation by King David. And through David, came a line that would lead to the king of kings, the Lord Jesus. Even though God allowed for their to be a new king, he was always the one who was really in charge. He was always the one who was still sovereignly reigning and ruling in the world. For all eternity past, God had known what the Israelites were going to do and had already known how he was going to work through the sins of his people to bring about his kingdom. 

    But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s God’s desire for our obedience and to properly worship him as the king. We are to listen to his warnings. It’s his will for us to put him first, to worship him alone, to place our trust in him.  

    Don’t look to earthly kings when we have a heavenly king. Because unlike earthly kings who sin and fail, who can be in things for their own gain, our heavenly king is perfect, and he is just as he rules and reigns supreme over all creation.

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  • Popular pastor says evangelicals are too concerned with winning

    Popular pastor says evangelicals are too concerned with winning

    Atlanta based megachurch pastor Andy Stanley has a new book coming out titled “Not in it to win it: why choosing sides sidelines the church.” 

    From the description of the book: 

    “Is it possible to disagree politically and love unconditionally? The reaction of evangelicals to political and cultural shifts in recent years revealed what they value most. Lurking beneath our Bible-laced rhetoric, faith claims, books, and sermons is a relentless drive to WIN!

    But the church is not here to win. By every human measure, our Savior lost. On purpose. With a purpose. And we are his body. We are not in it to win anything. We are in it for something else entirely. That something else is what this book is about.”

    Umm…

    We’re in the middle of a major cultural shift where numerous things have become mainstream which are antithetical to the gospel, and Andy Stanley wants to concern himself with evangelical Christians trying too hard to win? 

    A baker in Colorado had to go all the way to the Supreme Court to assert his right not to have to bake cakes for gay weddings. And he’s been harassed by LGBT groups ever since. This week, a handful of baseball players for the Tampa Bay Rays refused to wear pride themed jerseys and they’ve been vilified. Chick-fil-a is a constant source of ire because the company has evangelical Christian values and used to donate money to some causes who had the audacity to affirm traditional marriage. Charlotte, North Carolina lost the 2019 NBA All Star game because the state would not allow transgender people to use their preferred bathroom. And countless other examples. 

    There’s incredible venom and vitriol against any who stand up to these social pressures. The culture bullies anyone who stands up against these social issues and labels them as hateful and bigoted.  

    And Andy Stanley wants to say evangelicals are too focused on winning? 

    Evangelicals are just trying to stand up against being forced to comply with this paganism of our society. 

    Think of all of the major cultural institutions who have thrown in with the progressive left in the culture wars. The media, Hollywood, social media companies, higher education, healthcare, (increasingly) big corporations, professional sports, and on and on and on. 

    And so with all of these major institutions already being to the left, Stanley’s comments are easy to make about those on the right. It’s easy to say that too many evangelical Christians and leaders make too much of an idol of politics. But what’s hard to say is that there are too many liberal churches who have embraced abortion and the LGBT movement and that these beliefs are unbiblical. 

    I don’t find Stanley’s thesis to be particularly interesting or original. Russell Moore says similar things, Beth Moore, the Gospel Coalition, Tim Keller in his own cryptic way. I feel like I see a similar commentary every week. In the mainstream Christian media (Gospel Coalition, Christianity Today, Religion News Service), the call for political moderation only seems to go one way. It’s the argument that evangelicals are too conservaitve (and everyone else is just fine).   

    “Evangelicals are too political.” I think of churches where I’ve served and attended. And yes, more people were probably voting republican than democrat. But politics was not the focal point of what we were doing or what was being taught. And someone who believed differently about politics was still welcome (and many such people served these churches in meaningful ways). 

    Are there evangelical churches that are more politicized than the churches that I’ve attended and served? I’m sure there are. 

    But for every evangelical church that wants to conflate republicanism with the gospel, there are rainbow flag waving churches who clearly have cast their own political lot with the left. For those churches, not only are they too political, but they’re also out of step with the Bible. Where’s the call for these churches to repent? 

    Stanley argues “By every human measure, our Savior lost.” It is true that Jesus willingly gave up his life for his people. Jesus was unjustly arrested, tortured, and crucified. And he also never turned a blind eye to sin.

    A common argument I hear is that evangelicals should be more loving to our neighbor. Stanley writes, “The moment our love for or concern for country takes precedence over our love for people in our country we are off mission.” I would argue that part of loving the country and the people within the country is wanting what’s best for both the country and its people and that the progressive cultural issues which dehumanize the unborn, which say that gender is a social construct are both bad for the country and for its people.

    It isn’t loving to stand idly by. Yes, we can’t force people to live a certain way, but we should stand up to a society that is trying to force a contrary set of values upon us and everyone else. And one of the tools to combat these issues is politics, how we vote, who we vote for, and what we support. 

    I too would say that we should not make idols of politics or make saviors out of politicians. Politics and “winning” are not all important. But they are also not unimportant. 

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