Josh Benner

Category: society

  • GoFraudMe – Viral story of homeless man using his last $20 to buy gas was an elaborate scam

    171123233706-kate-mcclure--johnny-bobbitt-exlarge-169.jpg
    This story is a fantastic illustration of the power of greed.

    If they had just split the money, no one would have ever known!

    I remember hearing about this when it happened. A nice story of a woman running out of gas in a dangerous part of Philadelphia. A kind hearted, homeless veteran saw her plight and went to get gas for her, spending the last $20 he had to buy gas for the lady.

    And so the lady setup a GoFundMe account to raise money in order to help get this selfless veteran back on his feet.

    And so people donated to the GoFundMe. A lot of people donated! 14,000 people donated. More than $400,000 was raised to help this man get back on his feet.

    But things took a turn earlier this year.

    The homeless man (Johnny Bobbitt) sued the woman and her boyfriend (Kate McClure and Mark D’Amico) for not giving him the proceeds of the GoFundMe campaign.

    At the time, people had mixed opinions. “You can’t just give a drug addict hundreds of thousands of dollars,” to “it’s his money.” There were allegations of the couple using some of the funds for themselves. GoFundMe promised to make it right.

    And then today, the couple AND Bobbitt are being charged with theft by deception. After an investigation, the authorities claim that the whole thing was made up! If convicted, they face up to 5-10 years in prison, according to CNN.

    GoFundMe has said they’ll refund the money that people donated. While the average person spent just $28 in this scam, I feel that what these people did is just as bad as robbing someone. They took people’s money by creating a ruse that preyed upon the good nature of people.

    GoFundMe is not above reproach. It’s not a perfect site. And there are certainly frivolous things which raise money on that site. But it’s also been a life changing blessing to many people in need. And this scam hurts the credibility of GoFundMe.

    It’s poetic justice that people who scammed others also tried to scam each other. Like I said in the beginning, had they just split the money amongst themselves, no one would have known!

    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. His hobbies include working out, watching sports, and photography. Josh and his wife Kari live in Minnesota.

    Let’s connect!
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Instagram

  • Pete Davidson’s apology and society’s struggle with forgiveness


    Last week, Saturday Night Live’s Pete Davidson told a joke about congressional candidate-elect Dan Crenshaw. Crenshaw is a decorated Navy SEAL who lost his right eye fighting in Afghanistan in the War on Terror.

    Naturally, many were unhappy that Davidson made a joke about the appearance of a war hero.

    This weekend, Crenshaw appeared on Saturday Night Live. And after giving a couple of comedic jabs back to Davidson (Crenshaw had some pretty good timing on his jokes), he forgave Davidson. (more…)

  • 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.

    Let’s connect!
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Instagram

     

     

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

    1280px-United_States_Capitol_west_front_edit2.jpg
    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…)

  • Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church

    photo-1520187044487-b2efb58f0cba.jpeg
    Today is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.
    Thousands of churches join today in praying for Christians around the world who are suffering for their faith in the gospel.
    According to a 2017 report from Open Doors International, more than 215 million Christians globally high, very high, or extreme persecution.
    Major persecution where people’s lives are endangered. Some cannot publicly live out their faith others are penalized for their faith and kept on the lowest rungs of their respective societies. (more…)