Josh Benner

Tag: testimony

  • War criminal to Christian: the power of the gospel

    No matter how sinful a person is, there is no one who’s beyond the saving grace of Christ. No matter how far from God is, there is no one who’s life can’t be changed. That’s the power of the gospel.

    I first learned the story of a man named Comrade Duch in Lee Strobel’s book “The Case for Grace.” Duch passed away in Cambodia on Wednesday at the age of 77. His story is incredibly compelling.

    Duch had been part of the tyrannical Khmer Rouge movement that was responsible for millions of deaths in his homeland in the 1970s. Specifically, Duch had been the head of S-21 prison camp where thousands of Cambodians were interrogated, tortured, and killed. Of roughly 20,000 people who were imprisoned at S-21, there were only 12 known survivors.

    In 1995, Duch had had a dramatic conversion to Christianity under the ministry of Christopher LaPel, a Cambodian who had lost relatives at the infamous S-21 camp. At the time, LaPel had not known Duch’s identity, but he would later say in interviews  “Before he received Christ, he said he did a lot of bad things in his life,” LaPel recalls. “I don’ know if my brothers and sisters can forgive the sins I’ve committed against the people.”

    Duch became an avid student of the Bible, eventually became a lay pastor. He worked with the Christian relief agency World Vision in the late 90s. In 1999, a journalist tracked Duch down and connected him to the atrocities in Cambodia.

    Duch admitted his guilt.

    In his confession and apology, Duch said:
    I would like to apologise to all surviving victims and their families who were mercilessly killed at S-21. I say that I am sorry now, and I beg all of you to consider this wish. 

    Duch was one of the few leaders of the Khmer Rouge to admit guilt for his crimes against humanity. After being convicted for his crimes in 2010, Duch spent the rest of his life in prison.

    Thanks for reading!

  • Man confesses to murder after finding faith

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    Danny Holmes, Jr. committee a murder in 2016. A few days later, he was arrested for his crime. Last week, Holmes went on trial and plead guilty to his crime.

    In a 20 minute speech before a Tennessee court, Holmes talked of finding faith while behind bars and the conviction that he needed to confess to his crime.

    He’ll now serve the rest of his life in prison, a consequence that Holmes says he deserves for his crime. (more…)

  • Jon Stewart rips into congress. Shows some issues still transcend party lines

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    In a testimony that has gone viral this week, comedian Jon Stewart blasted the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday for the absence of many members regarding a hearing for the continuation of a fund for 9/11 first responders.

    In the testimony, Stewart points out that many 9/11 first responders (who are not ailing from 9/11 related illnesses) made the trip from New York to Washington. Stewart blades the committee for this show of disrespect for these 9/11 heroes. (more…)

  • In Memoriam: Grant Osborne

    grantosborne21.jpgOne of my great regrets of seminary was never having Grant Osborne as a professor. Many of my friends did and I’ve heard stories. I’ve heard his lectures compared to drinking through a firehose with all of the information he dispensed.

    Dr. Osborne passed away last night. I had actually just bought one of his books earlier this week. While I never had him as a professor, I’ve benefited greatly from his writings. As someone who spends a lot of time studying the Bible, for New Testament scholars, I consider Osborne to easily be in the top five of the last 50 years. I know that I know the Bible better because of his writing.

    His scholarship was always thorough but also approachable. It was written with conviction but also charitable. In writing about significant and contested theological subjects, there was a gentleness and respect. At the heart of it all was a man who was sincerely dedicated to the word of God and sharing that knowledge with his students and readers.

    Recently, Osborne had finished a commentary series covering the entire New Testament through Lexham Press. An incredible undertaking, but what I found even more astounding is that he had already written commentaries on several books of the New Testament (. He served as the General Editor for the IVP New Testament Commentary Series. And his book on studying the Bible “The Hermeneutical Spiral” is perhaps his best known work. He was an editor for the New Living Translation of the Bible and contributed to the ESV Study Bible. A giant in New Testament Scholarship.

    Personally, I consider his commentaries on Matthew and Revelation to be among the finest scholarly works done on those books.

    I love this quote I read from Dr. Osborne after retiring in a blog post through Logos Academic, “I didn’t just like my job, I loved it and couldn’t get enough of it. I retired only because my body made me do so.”

    Grant Osborne: 1942-2018.

    Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
    -Matthew 25:19-21

    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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  • The best book I read this summer: Where the Wind Leads

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    I was born in Vietnam, but I was not Vietnamese; I was raised in America, but I was not American. I grew up Asian in character but American in culture, a citizen but always refugee. I had no lessons from the past to guide me, no right way to do things in the present, and no path to follow me in the future.

    -Where the Wind Leads

    Labor Day weekend is upon us, the unofficial end to the summer.

    The best book I read all summer was “Where the Wind Leads: a refugee family’s miraculous story of loss, rescue, and redemption” by Vinh Chung, published in 2014. Of the 674 reviews on Amazon, 98% give this book a rating of 4 or 5 stars.

    Chung came to America as a child from Vietnam. I won’t give any spoilers about the book (Vinh survives the journey to America….obviously…he did write the book).

    The book is basically in three parts, each was fascinating in its own right. The first third (roughly a third) of the book talked about his family in Vietnam, his larger-than-life grandmother and the tremendous struggles (and tremendous successes) that his family had faced in Vietnam. They had nothing, had it all, and then had nothing.

    The second third of the book deals with things getting worse in Vietnam during the years of war and Vinh’s family leaving Vietnam. He recounts their journey out of Vietnam and the harrowing experience that it was to ultimately be saved. This section could be a movie. It was that compelling.

    The last portion of the book (at this point, I honestly thought the story would be anti-climactic. The action was over). But I honestly enjoyed the last section just as much as the rest of the book. He talks of being a refugee in America, learning a totally new culture. It was inserting to see Chung’s perspective as someone who came to America as  a child. A Vietnamese family who was still very traditional but living life in America. There’s a lot more I could say but I don’t want to give spoilers.

    It’s a book that shows the providence of God, the love of family, and the value of hard work. Amazing book. One of those books that you wish wasn’t done because it’s so good.

    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
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