Josh Benner

Category: Culture

  • What Would Jesus Fly?

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    In a popular video, televangelist Jesse Duplantis appeals to potential supporters of his desire to purchase a $54 million jet for his ministry which would allow Duplantis to travel anywhere in the world non-stop.

    Duplantis’s ministry already has a private jet (though they’re slumming it in a jet that can’t fly anywhere non-stop). And they can certainly buy a new jet if they want to and have the money. Although I don’t understand why a person would donate money for that purpose.

    Duplantis says, “I really believe that if the Lord Jesus Christ was physically on the Earth today, he wouldn’t be riding a donkey, he’d be in an airplane flying all over the world.”

    Would he?

    Or would Jesus (if he decided to fly) be in coach, with the people?

    If Jesus was given $54 million, an incredible amount of money, would the first thought to be to buy something to help him get to people? Or would it be to turn back around and give that money back to the people?

    Duplantis wanting all of this money for a jet so they can travel non-stop rubs me the wrong way because it’s such an extravagant expense with the premise that the ministry and what they’re doing is so important that they don’t have time to stop for fuel.

    Take a pit stop!

    If you have that type of fund raising power, use the money for more noble causes.

    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.

  • Roseanne, the NFL and hypocrisy

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    Roseanne Barr made an offensive comment about former Obama Administration official Valerie Jarrett. Shortly after, ABC announced they have cancelled the show Roseanne.

    That the show was canceled is not shocking. People don’t like offensive and racially charged comments (nor should we).

    It’s interesting reading Tweets and comments about the cancellation. Many draw a parallel between Barr’s comments and how some will defend her and say the show shouldn’t be canceled. But some of those same people are fine with the NFL banning players kneeling during the National Anthem. This is pointed to as being hypocritical.

    The irony is that the hypocrisy can run on both sides. To think that the players should be able to kneel without consequences yet to think Roseanne should be cancelled is also somewhat hypocritical.

    Because in both instances, it shows us that we cannot always say or do whatever we want without that having ramifications on our professional lives.

    As a society, there are things we don’t like. We don’t like racist comments. We don’t generally like unpatriotic behaviors. People can say whatever they want. People can take whatever political stance they want to make. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t ever consequences.

    Neither ABC nor the NFL owes it to Roseanne Barr or the players to promote ideals that go against what they stand for.

    Some will disagree with that. “It’s not the same. Players are making a reasonable protest and Roseanne make a comment that can’t be defended.” While we should all be able to agree that what Roseanne said was wrong, millions of people find kneeling during the national anthem just as offensive (if not more offensive) than one woman’s comment.

    Roseanne already had a target on her for various other political comments and comments seen as being racially insensitive. It was wrong to make the comment that she made about Jarrett. It’s not shocking that ABC cancelled the show.

    But it is an unfortunate situation. It’s unfortunate that in a politically charged country where division is high, we had a throwback sitcom that people of various views enjoyed from a time when there were not such heightened political sensitivities. The new Roseanne had the goal of a show where a family who was divided politically and who was navigating the 21st century could still come together in love. That’s a message that we don’t often hear in the media. Because of an unnecessary comment, it’s a voice that will now go silent.

    And the political divide widens.

    But I want to take our attention back to the double standards we so often have. If we are ok with either Roseanne being cancelled or with NFL players being forbidden from kneeling, than we must also accept the other can happen too. Because both are examples that freedom of speech is not freedom from consequences of that speech.

    We must all remember the power of our words and actions. The Apostle James said: “The tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!” (James 3:5). We’re blessed to live in a nation with the First Amendment. It’s a wonderful thing. But let us not assume that words are free of consequences, or that they don’t matter greatly. 

    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.

  • Your invitation to the greatest party of all time

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    Like the rest of the world, I watched the royal wedding yesterday as Prince Harry married Meghan Markle.

    It was an event.

    The pomp, the grand locations of the ceremony and various celebrations. The guest list was star studded including the likes of George Clooney, David Beckham, Sir Elton John, Idris Elba, and even Oprah.

    The media made such a fuss over the guests, the royal family, everyone’s outfits.

    The wedding of the year.

    I wasn’t invited. And you probably weren’t either. We don’t know the royal family and we’re not famous.

    At the end of the Bible, a great feast is depicted. The wedding supper of the lamb. What a fitting picture of the heavenly celebration. A wedding feast. A joyous occasion. And that will be the event of all eternity.

    And being royal, or rich, or famous is not the basis for a person’s invitation. All that matters is that you know Jesus and believe in him as Lord and savior.

    You’re invited! How will you RSVP?

    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.

  • Repentance, Facebook, and Wells Fargo

     

    Has anyone else noticed that Facebook and Wells Fargo are both essentially running the same commercial.
    Both companies have been the subject of recent scandals. Facebook with data collection and publishing algorithms. Wells Fargo was just hit with hundreds of millions of dollars in fines for securities fraud.
    Both commercials point to their origin and how the companies changed the world. Then “oops, we messed up.” Followed by, “But we promise we won’t do it again.”
    Apologies are easy. It’s also true in life. It’s EASY to simply say “I’m sorry.”
    Actually changing is much more difficult.

    In life, the sincerity is seen in true repentance and change. With Facebook and Wells Fargo, the standard is the same.

    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 lost art of lament

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    Lament is a topic that is often overlooked in American churches (especially in predominately caucasian churches).
    Lament is very common in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament. We see it as a theme throughout the prophetic books, and the Bible has more books on prophecy than in any other genre. We see it in places like Job, Ruth, and Ecclesiasties.
    Lament is not whining.
    It’s not complaining. It’s not grumbling. Lament is an expression of grief and sorrow. Lament is based in the reality of who God is. Lament is based in a high view of the goodness of God in a fallen world. Grumbling is not based in reality and doubts the goodness of God.
    In the Psalms, lament is the theme of more Psalms than any other subject. And that is the hymnal of the Old Testament!
    We also see lament in…Lamentations. A book literally named after lament.
    We do see elements of lament in the New Testament as well.
    For example, Matthew 5:4 says “blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.” And the mourning that Jesus talks about is mourning sin, grieving the sin that is in the world. Jesus lamented in the garden, when he asked God “if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39).
    Lament is honest
    With the times where people lament in the Bible, God never rebukes them for lamenting.
    The heart that cries out “how long O Lord” isn’t criticized for asking.
    In the dialogue of our hearts with God, we must always be honest with how we feel.
    Lament applies to struggles we face, times where we feel lonely or betrayed. Times where we have poor health. We can lament other hardships that we face. We can lament our own sins.
    God knows your thoughts and your heart.
    We need to be honest with God.
    We need to be honest about the hurt that we feel. About the distressing nature of sin.
    We need to be honest with God about the struggles we’re experiencing. We need to be honest about the harshness we see in the world around us.
    The temptation can be to keep a stiff upper lip, to remain stoic. To give the outward appearance that we’re fine. And I think that we can be tempted to want to appear strong. But the problem with that is it doesn’t make you weak to hurt. It makes you human.
    Lament is an important aspect of the Christian experience in a fallen world. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
    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.