Have a wonderful Christmas Eve tonight! I can’t wait to celebrate with our local church.

If you get some downtime over the break, I’d love for you to read a few of the posts I wrote for other websites. Below are the final links to all the guest posts I wrote this fall.

Merry Christmas,
Benjamin

“Men, the Women in Porn Bear God’s Image,” Gospel-Centered Discipleship, August 2, 2019

The man who told me the story said that when he first found out about the stripper, he was going to leave before she got there; he didn’t want to be a part of it. When she arrived, however, he didn’t leave. He stuck around—not because she was gorgeous but because, in his words, “she was so ugly.” The man told me he stayed to watch the other men make fun of her. When I heard this story, I didn’t know whether to shake my fists and scream, No! That’s not right! or to plant my palms on my cheeks and crumble to the floor and cry. Perhaps I should have done both.

“Run Like the Wind from Sexual Sin,” For The Church, September 3, 2019

My goal isn’t to tear down a biblical hero; my goal is to read the Bible well, and reading this passage well means acknowledging what Joseph himself would want us to learn from his life: all men are sinners and in need of God’s grace. It’s common for books on sexual sin to praise Joseph for running, but I think it’s clear he didn’t run soon enough!

“Don’t Let Sexual Shame Move You from Christ’s Mission,” ABWE International Blog, September 12, 2019

We often associate penance with Roman Catholicism, but as Protestants we have our own forms of penance. Do you ever find yourself in a flurry of good deeds to show God how sorry you are? I know a man who would randomly do hours and hours of hard labor on church construction projects. In hindsight, we learned the tornado of saw dust was his attempt to deal with his sexual sin. Or perhaps you find yourself pouting to show God how much you want to be forgiven. We can mope about our house or church, but by itself, presenting our sadness to God atones for zero sins (Hebrews 9:22).

“Corre como el viento del pecado sexual,” Coalición por el Evangelio (The Gospel Coalition Spanish Website), September 13, 2019

Don’t ask me how this happened.

Mi objetivo no es derribar un héroe bíblico. Mi objetivo es leer bien la Biblia, y leer bien este pasaje significa reconocer lo que José mismo quiere que aprendamos de su vida: todos los hombres son pecadores y necesitan la gracia de Dios. Es común que los libros sobre pecado sexual elogien a José por correr, pero creo que está claro que no corrió lo suficientemente pronto.

“Struggling Against Pornography, Not With It,” Evangelical Free Church of America Blog, EFCA NOW, October 15

Dr. Switzer, Newhart’s character, then asks if Katherine is ready to hear what she should do. She takes out a pen and paper, and Dr. Switzer leans forward with an impassioned voice and says, “Stop it!” After a quizzical look from Katherine, he repeats himself: “S-T-O-P, new word, I-T...I mean, you don’t want to go through life scared of being buried alive in a box, do you? I mean, that sounds frightening.”

“Pride Goes Before Porn,” The Gospel Coalition, October 17, 2019

Some might say there’s a sense in which men and women involved in producing pornography consent to voyeurism, but from a Christian worldview, discussions of consent often miss the point. Consent can’t be reduced to human-to-human permission. Ultimately, permission comes from God. He locked the garden, regardless of whether the woman on the screen seems to welcome your lust. As Jesus said, “Everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matt. 5:28).

“An Amillennial Ordination in the EFCA,” EDA MOVE, Evangelical Free Church of America, Eastern District Blog, October 30, 2019. (An audio reading of this post by Benjamin appeared on the EDA Move Podcast, here.)

The week I completed my ordination was a week like no other I’ve had in ministry. On Saturday I officiated a wedding. On Sunday I launched our church sermon series in the book of Acts. On Monday I crammed for my oral ordination exam by reading over my paper and most of the book Evangelical Convictions. On Tuesday I underwent my four-hour oral exam, being asked and attempting to answer 154 questions (per the transcript) about theology and pastoral ministry. The rest of Tuesday and Wednesday, like many of you, I enjoyed the EDA Move’s annual conference. On Thursday I was subpoenaed to testify in court related to an appeal of a former church member currently in prison. On Friday I had major reconstructive surgery on my shoulder. I’m not making this up. I wrote this post with my right arm still in a sling, where it will be for the next six weeks. When I started to put my children to bed on Tuesday night, the evening after my ordination, I collapsed on my own bed at 8 pm. I thought I’d just rest for five minutes to steel myself for the job of putting our six children to bed. My wife had to finish the job, as I woke up from my five-minute nap ten hours later. Again, it was a week like no other.

“Pastor, Don’t Interview like Michael Scott,” For The Church, November 22, 2019

In one episode of The Office, branch manager Michael Scott interviewed for a role at the corporate offices in New York. David Wallace, president of Dunder Mifflin, asked Michael, “What do you think are your greatest strengths as a manager?” To this, Michael answered, “Why don’t I tell you what my greatest weaknesses are? I work too hard. I care too much. And sometimes I can be too invested in my job.” In job interviews, it’s become cliché to ask about a person’s greatest strengths and weaknesses. The fact that The Office would spoof the questions tells you that. Still, if you’re a pastor considering a potential transition from one church to another, you’ll likely be asked. And when you are, please don’t interview like Michael Scott; do not answer the question about weaknesses with positive sounding “flaws.”

* Photo by Chad Madden on Unsplash