Josh Benner

Tag: Memorial

  • remembering Tim Keller: 1950-2023

    remembering Tim Keller: 1950-2023

    “The Gospel is that Jesus Christ came to earth, lived the life we should have lived and died the death we should have died.”
    -Tim Keller

    As a pastor, few people have influenced my thought and ministry more than Tim Keller. He passed away today from pancreatic cancer at the age of 72.

    I don’t remember the first time I listened to a Tim Keller sermon. I first remember being introduced to his preaching when I was in seminary. If you had asked the average Trinity MDiv student “what preachers do you listen to,” Keller was often on people’s short lists.

    There are several ways in which Keller has influenced my preaching. More than anyone else, Keller taught me that preaching could be intellectual. It could be smart. It could engage with tough questions. A sermon could challenge people intellectually and Spiritually but still be delivered in a spirit of gentleness. That good sermons takes time (Keller generally spent about 20-25 hours writing his sermons).

    Keller was a master of taking a Biblical text but preaching it with the whole story of scripture in mind. That no Biblical passage exists in isolation. They all fit into a larger redemptive story.

    Since graduating from seminary seven years ago, I don’t listen to as many sermons as I used to. But I still listened to Keller often. And I will continue to do that.

    There are some Keller sermons I’ve listened to over the years, and thought “there’s no other way I’ll ever be able to read this passage the same way again.” I think that’s what a great Bible teacher does.

    Keller often quoted C.S. Lewis in his sermons. In many ways, I think that he was the closest this generation came to another Lewis figure. Several of books that Keller wrote were so monumental in my Spiritual formation. “The Reason for God” is a modern masterpiece. “The Prodigal God” explained the parable of the prodigal son in a way unlike anything I had ever heard.

    I can’t help but think that part of the reason I’ve loved C.S. Lewis and the late British preacher Martyn Lloyd-Jones is that Keller loved them and referenced them often.

    My wife and I met online, and one of the first ares where we found common ground was a mutual love for Tim Keller’s preaching.

    One of the hallmarks of Keller’s preaching was always cultural engagement. In a time that is highly divided and polarized, Keller continued to tackle the hot button issues of our day without fear. I didn’t have to agree with 100% of the things Keller said, but I always respected the wisdom of Keller and the heart behind what he was saying.

    In 2005, Keller and D.A. Carson (the other biggest intellectual influence in my life) co-founded the Gospel Coalition. In an era, where there are many “celebrity pastors,” and in spite of his renown, Keller seemed to be the anti-celebrity pastor. In 1989, he founded Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York. It became a megachurch. Unlike many megachurches that revolve around one charismatic pastor, Keller stayed mobile and would preach at different campuses to avoid ministerial groupies participating in the church just to see him.

    I know that many were influenced and enriched by Keller all over the world, and that many join in grieving his loss. I’m thankful that Keller’s writing and teaching will live on, and for the impact that he’s had on my life. Thanks Tim.

    “The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.”
    -Tim Keller

  • Feels like yesterday: 9/11 through the years

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    There aren’t very many days in your life where you know at the time that life is never going to be the same. Everyone knew that on 9/11.
    18 years.
    Today is the only day ever where everyone who was born on or before September 11, 2001 is legally an adult and everyone who was born after that day is still a kid. I’ve thought a lot lately about this day and what the younger generation will understand about 9/11.
    I remember it like it was yesterday, and so it’s crazy for me to consider that kids in school weren’t even born when this event happened. This monumental day that was a paradigm shift in American history is just that to kids, history. They learn about that day from what people tell them and from the same documentaries I watch.
    If you weren’t alive that day, and watch documentaries about 9/11, I think it’s hard to appreciate the chaos of September 11th. There’s a sense of fatalism in the documentaries. They almost always begin by contrasting the beauty of that morning against the pandemonium that was soon to burst forth.
    In the weeks and months after the attacks, it impacted every aspect of our society: sports were a rallying ground for patriotism. Many popular songs were written about that day and playing on the radio. New laws were enacted. Entirely new federal agencies were created. There was an ever present thought of if and when another attack would happen. The whole country was on high alert, arguably for the next 2-3 years.
    As I watch documenaries, the quality of the videos seems a little more dated, the outfits people are wearing seem a little more 90s.
    When the North Tower was struck, no Americans knew that the South Tower was going to be hit 17 minutes later. No one had any idea that other planes were in the process of being highjacked and that other sites were also being targeted. As the towers had smoke pouring out, the average person had no idea that they were going to collapse. From the time the North Tower was struck, three other planes crashed and both towers fell in 102 minutes.
    Last spring, I had the opportunity to visit the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. It’s a special place. One of the rooms (and one of the few parts of the museum where they ask people not to take photos) features photographs of all of the victims of the attacks. Just a huge room with thousands of photos of people. It’s crazy to think that each of those photos is a person who meant something to a lot of people. They were people’s spouses, people’s parents, siblings, children, grandchildren, best friends. All of them taken away because of evil and hatred.
    For many of the victims, the memorial also serves as their final resting place. From the intense fire, and from the incredible weight of the towers collapsing, and given the high numbers of casualties, remains could be hard to positively identify in the aftermath. Roughly 40 percent of victims have never been identified. The museum has a morgue where the unidentified remains are housed.

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    One of the exhibits at the museum is a 36 foot tall column. It was part of the inner-core of the South Tower and was the last piece of debris removed at the completion of the cleanup efforts, nine months later. Workers covered the column in pictures as a memorial to the victims.

    It’s still unfathomable to me. Thousands of people just living their lives, having no idea that they were about to become casualties on the front lines of a war in which they had no idea they were enlisted. The horror that people experienced above impact zones on the towers and on our airplanes. The first responders who risked their lives (and the many who gave their lives) on that day to help others.. For those people, I never forget.

    It’s still unbelievable to me. There’s nothing else like it.

    I think of the people in conference rooms and riding elevators who were dead without ever knowing there was even an attack. I think of the people who jumped from the towers. They were in such a horrible situation that jumping was the lesser of two evils. That still shocks me.

    Originally published September 11, 2018

    Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear what you think, and don’t forget to subscribe! 

    Josh Benner is the pastor of Christian Bible Church in Cissna Park, Illinois. He has a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He enjoys writing about faith and culture. He has an awesome wife named Kari.

  • Purdue super fan Tyler Trent passes away

    We don’t control the cards we’re dealt. All we can do is play what we have.

    Tyler Trent passed away on Tuesday.

    The Purdue student had battled a rare form of bone cancer. He had become a sensation in college football and Big Ten circles as being someone the Purdue football team rallied around this season. The hashtag #TylerStrong went viral.

    He inspired and encouraged people. He raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for cancer research. He wrote a book that he’d never be able to see completed, but which will also continue to raise money for cancer research.

    Tyler was also outspoken about the importance of his faith.

    In 2017, Tyler’s cancer returned and he began to pray that God would use this journey for His glory.”

    As I think about the impact he had over the last few months, it’s clear that this prayers was answered.

    In an interview with Today, Tyler said: “Waking up day to day is like winning a lottery…I try to rely on my faith in Jesus Christ and figure out how to have a good day.”

    As his battle continued, Tyler took to Twitter numerous time to glorify God.
    (more…)

  • Remembering our 41st president: George H.W. Bush

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    I do not mistrust the future. I do not fear what is ahead. For our problems are large, but our heart is larger. Our challenges are great, but our will is greater.
    -George H.W. Bush

    It’s a National Day of Mourning as America’s 41st president is laid to rest.

    Anyone who knows me knows that the presidency has always fascinated me. Regardless of what we might think about a particular president, we spend years seeing them in the news. They sign legislation that impacts future generations. They make court appointments that influence legal decisions for years to come. They make decisions on foreign policy that impact America’s relations with other nations. I do think the presidency should be respected. It’s often been said that one of the greatest strengths of the American political system is the peaceful transition of power when one presidency ends and another begins.

    He was elected president in 1988, after spending two terms as vice president under Ronald Reagan. That was the first time a sitting vice president had been elected president in over 150 years when Martin Van Buren was elected president in 1836. Like George H.W. Bush, Van Buren was also a one-term president.

    It’s perhaps a blessing and a curse to be in that situation: people who didn’t like your predecessor won’t like you. There’s a shadow over your administration from your predecessor. People who liked that person might judge you when compared to them, and since it was their popularity that may have helped you, it’s hard to go up.

    At the same time, you want to be your own president. None of this is to undermine the accomplishments of our 41st president. Even before becoming president, Bush had already had an illustrious career.

    He enlisted in the navy on his 18th birthday and served as a fighter pilot in World War II. After the war, he moved to Texas and became an oil tycoon. He entered politics in the 60s, being elected to the House of Representatives from Texas in 1967. In 1971, he became the United States ambassador to the United Nations. In 1973, he became the chairman of the Republican National Committee. He was a liaison to China. Bush ran for president in 1980. When the republican nomination was unwinnnable, eventual winner Ronald Reagan brought Bush onto the the ticket where Bush served as vice president from 1981-1989.

    As president, George Bush saw the Berlin Wall come down in 1989 and Germany was reunified in 1990. He was president when he Soviet Union dissolved in 1991.

    He signed the Americans with Disabilities Act which made discrimination illegal in employment, public accommodations, and transportation. He signed the Clean Air Act in 1990. He was Commander-in-Chief during the Persian Gulf War. He appointed Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court. He helped negotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, which Bill Clinton later signed into law. He passed a civil rights bill, a farm bill, and a crime bill.

    President Bush had promised “read my lips, no new taxes” when running for president. But deficits made tax increases inevitable during his tenure. That and third party candidate Ross Perot were contributing factors to his defeat by Bill Clinton in 1992.

    An American hero, a public servant, a leader of the free world.

    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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  • Eugene Peterson – author of the Message – dies at 85

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    Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

    Eugene Peterson, pastor, professor, and writer passed away today at the age of 85 after battling dementia and heart failure.

    Peterson authored 35 books in his lifetime. The most popular among them was The Message, which has sold over 20 million copies. The Message is a paraphrase translation which attempts to capture the idea of a Biblical verse and not necessarily the exact wording. This translation philosophy and book are what Peterson is best known for, but it was also perhaps his greatest source of controversy.

    Peterson authored 35 more books, writings cherished by many for Peterson’s pastoral heart and Biblical wisdom.

    He also had broad appeal, with his writings being enjoyed both by Evangelical Christians and mainline Protestants.

    I believe God takes the things in our lives – family, background, education – and uses them as part of his calling. It might not be to become a pastor. But I don’t think God wastes anything.
    -Eugene Peterson

    Among condolences shared online, Russell Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission Tweeted: “Grateful to God for a long obedience in the same direction. Thank you Eugene Peterson.”

    Pastor and director of LifeWay research Trevin Wax shared a quote from Peterson: “Jesus said “Follow me” and ended up with a lot of losers. And these losers ended up, through no virtue or talent of their own, becoming saints. Jesus wasn’t after the best but the worst. – Eugene Peterson.”

    Peterson’s family released a statement:

    During the previous days, it was apparent that he was navigating the thin and sacred space between earth and heaven. We overheard him speaking to people we can only presume were welcoming him into paradise. There may have even been a time or two when he accessed his Pentecostal roots and spoke in tongues as well.

    Among his final words were, “Let’s go.” And his joy: my, oh my; the man remained joyful right up to his blessed end, smiling frequently. In such moments it’s best for all mortal flesh to keep silence. But if you have to say something say this: “Holy, Holy, Holy.”

    It feels fitting that his death came on a Monday, the day of the week he always honored as a Sabbath during his years as a pastor. After a lifetime of faithful service to the church—running the race with gusto—it is reassuring to know that Eugene has now entered into the fullness of the Kingdom of God and has been embraced by eternal Sabbath.

    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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