Josh Benner

Category: Politics

  • Abortion issues play a significant role in several states

    photo-1522681790129-eacac40ff606.jpegAlabama, Oregon, West Virginia.

    All three states had state ballot issues related to abortion. The ballot issue narrowly passed in West Virginia, soundly passed in Alabama and was soundly defeated in Oregon.

    The Alabama and West Virginia amendments  both included the phrase: “Nothing in this Constitution secures or protects a right to abortion or requires the funding of an abortion.”

    Based on the new state constitutional amendments, if Roe v Wade were overturned by the Supreme Court, there would not be a right within those states to have an abortion. The new law also potentially enables state legislatures more freedom in passing laws that help preserve the life and rights of the unborn.

    These two amendments are based off of another pro life amendment that Tennessee passed in 2014. Writing for the Huffington Post, Marina Fang argues that these laws  “would likely face legal action and would be unenforceable because Roe v. Wade ensures a woman’s right to an abortion.” She goes on to mention that it’s possible that Roe would be overturned.

    But even if it’s not overturned, it’s also not a foregone conclusion that these laws would be judged as unconstitutional. Last month, the Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to the Tennessee amendment.

    The West Virginia and Alabama laws also are set to eliminate funding for abortions.

    In recent years, several states have been active in proposing legislation and constitutional amendments that protect the rights of the unborn.

    These are big wins for the pro life movement and for the rights of the unborn. Many lives will be saved as a result of these new laws. It is important that other states pick up the baton and keep fighting for the rights of the unborn. When states fill to pass amendments, as was the case with Oregon, people need to keep fighting.

    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.

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  • Election day: politics matter but not as much as we think

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    Another election day.

    A day when millions of Americans will breathe a sigh of relief and think “Ok, maybe it’ll be ok,” and where millions of other Americans will be despondent and thinking “It’s over. This was our last chance.”

    It’s utter nonsense.

    Certainly, this stuff matters.

    But it’s not all that matters.

    Political ads play to our fears, not to our hopes. They try to scare us. The media does the same thing. We hear how this is the most important election in history. (more…)

  • American pastor Andrew Brunson released from Turkish custody

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    Credit: Facebook

    The Turkish government has released American pastor Andrew Brunson after more than two years in custody.

    Brunson was arrested in the aftermath of a failed coup on the Turkish government and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

    Brunson had nothing to do with the coup. At the time, he had been in the country for over 20 years serving as a pastor and was taken as a political prisoner.

    There had been several times over the past year where Brunson’s release seemed possible, but the Turkish government and courts were resistant. In July, Brunson was allowed to go on house arrest.

    Today, he was convicted of terrorism charges but allowed to be released based on time served. The 50 year old pastor had faced 35 years in prison.

    Brunson’s release will allow him to leave Turkey and head back to the United States.

    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.

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  • Tim Keller argues that Christians don’t fit into the two-party system – he’s right

    Timothy_Keller
    Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons @Frank Licorice

    Pastor and theologian Tim Keller had an op-ed in the New York Times last week entitled “How do Christians fit into the two-party system? They don’t.”

    In the piece, Keller outlines the complexity of the situation for Americans in the political arena. Keller argues (and I agree) that neither political party perfectly encompasses Christian teaching. This can be a challenging view for people because the temptation can be to look at whatever their party is and think “THIS is where real Christians belong. Honestly, I don’t even know if a person can be a Christian and vote for the other side.”

    The conservative platform certainly has elements which more closely align with Christianity including traditional marriage values and a pro-life stance.

    It is problematic that the democratic party holds to unbiblical beliefs on these issues.

    But they’re not entirely wrong and the republican platform is also not perfectly aligned with Biblical teaching. For instance, the Bible does have much to say about care for the poor, those who society looks down upon, and aliens. Now there is room for disagreement on the extent to which social welfare programs should go, but it’s a conversation where there is often greater empathy on the left side of the political aisle.

    Both parties have major flaws. One of the unfortunate issues in our society is that we’re losing the ability to see anything good or any redeeming qualities in the political party we oppose.

    That’s why I like Keller’s article (and he’s said similar things elsewhere). Because Christians are doing life in a fallen world and that fallenness most certainly carries over into political philosophies.

    Some have opted to go a third route which is to remove oneself from the political process. But even being apolitical is to be political. Not taking a stance on major moral evils is taking a stance.

    I’ve been saying for a long time that political values are a common  idol in our society. Politics matter. But they’re not the end all, be all. And politics are not our hope for a better world. The gospel is.

    Again, the point isn’t to totally withdraw from politics. But I think we need to keep our priorities straight. And for Christians, the objective is not to politically conquer our enemies but to love and serve, to spread the gospel and make disciples. And for those who politically disagree, I think we must be respectful and humble. Another key point that Keller makes is that if we get too concerned about prioritizing political beliefs and giving them gospel importance, we are then adding requirements to the gospel. And that’s wrong.

    At the end of his piece, Keller says:

    The Gospel gives us the resources to love people who reject both our beliefs and us personally. Christians should think of how God rescued them. He did it not by taking power but by coming to earth, losing glory and power, serving and dying on a cross. How did Jesus save? Not with a sword but with nails in his hands.

    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!
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  • Just because you want evidence, it doesn’t mean you’re apathetic to assault

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    Rape is one of the worst things that a person can do to someone.

    As I consider the allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, there’s something that bothers me. The narrative has been spun as if a person doesn’t care about sexual assault or doesn’t care about women if they want evidence a crime actually happened.

    The penalties for these crimes are sickeningly lenient. It’s a major societal problem.

    But there still needs to be evidence. (more…)