CHRISTMAS SPECIAL: An Interview With The Benham Brothers

David and Jason, the Benham Brothers, are former professional baseball players, sons of famous Evangelical Pastor, Philip “Flip” Benham, and nationally-acclaimed real estate entrepreneurs. Today, they are best known for being two of the boldest, most outspoken, staunch defenders of the Christian Faith in the public eye. Their rise to “Christ’s Kingdom Fame” came after they were fired from their show on HGTV for their Biblical beliefs before it had even aired. A media firestorm ensued against them, but the Benhams chose to die to their dreams and stay true to their faith. I greatly admire them, and am thankful to call them brothers in Christ. I appreciate them taking the time out of their busy schedules for my Inaugural “Christmas Special”. I love these guys, and I know that after reading this, you will too. So, without further ado, here’s my interview with the Benham Brothers…

Your first Book “WHATEVER THE COST: Facing Your Fears, Dying to Your Dreams, and Living Powerfully” got rave reviews from some of the most recognized Christian leaders, such as Franklin Graham, Phil Robertson, Tony Perkins, Governor Mike Huckabee, and so many more. I loved it. So I was excited to hear that you’re getting ready to release your second book in the Summer of 2016, currently titled “LIVING AMONG LIONS.”

Whatever The Cost was an inspiring Biography of the two of you, in which you taught Biblical principles to revolutionize Christian lives, and to give courage to stand up for what is right, and stay true to the Faith. So, about the new Book, what can we expect? What made you choose the Title? What is the central message that you want to get out to Christians?

BENHAM BROS: Looking at where we are as a culture we can’t help but see incredible similarities between modern day America and the Babylonian culture of Daniel’s time. The way he and his three buddies lived within that culture but stayed true to God are lessons vital for Christians today. Our goal is to inspire and equip people to thrive like Daniel in today’s Babylon. We talk about his conviction, commitment, and courage that transformed his world and how we can do the same today. In WhateverTheCost we tell OUR story. In LivingAmongLions we seek to help build YOUR story.

I believe the premise of your HGTV Show, which was going to be called “Flip it Forward”, was about you two flipping houses for charity and those in need. My first question is, could you elaborate more on what the show was going to be about? And my second question is, have any other networks, like Christian Channels, offered you guys another show? Myself and many others wish they would! And if other networks have, can you give us any information as to when and where we might see you guys on TV again?

BENHAM BROS: The two of us have done just about everything you can do in real estate, and the flipping component of our business was the aspect HGTV wanted to feature. The show was about us helping families that had a financial need of some kind, and they came to us looking to earn money in real estate. We would teach them how to flip, and we’d do it for free, hence the name “Flip It Forward.” It was a show about transformation, and what was really fun about it was they gave us the creative license to do additional transformations (finances, health, marriage, etc) throughout the show based on our Biblical principles.

We’ve had interest from other networks for a show, but we haven’t talked seriously about moving forward with any of them. We would be open to something if it came our way, but we’re not pursuing it. We never pursued HGTV, so if God wants us to do another show it will come naturally. In the meantime we continue to speak all over the country and do everything we can to help bring revival to this nation.

I for one think you’re doing a great job at that. Your Dad Phillip, better known to many as “Flip”, has been a well known Pastor for 35 years and a staunch leader of the Pro-Life movement. He actually baptized Jane Roe of the infamous “Roe v. Wade” Supreme Court decision. His bold strong stance against abortion led him to be attacked by the mainstream media, much like what the media has done to you two. How has watching what your father went through, and how he responded, helped the two of you whenever you face a liberal media backlash filled with so much hate and lies?

BENHAM BROS: The things that are “caught” are far more lasting than the things that are “taught.” What we caught from our dad was how to be the same man privately that we claim to be publicly, and how to stand strong for God no matter what the world thinks of you. He didn’t just teach this to us, he modeled it for us. We learned that perception is not reality – truth is reality. If we focus on how we’re perceived then we will miss the truth, the very truth this world needs more than ever.

You’re both so very strong in the Faith today, and many would think you were just born that way. From experience, I can testify that in my life and the lives of others, those most rooted in the Christian Faith didn’t always live like saints, but had a conversion moment that forever changed our lives. So, even though you were raised in a Godly household, what was THE major turning point or conversion moment in each of your lives which made you commit fully to live boldly for Christ?

BENHAM BROS: Both of us had a couple defining moments in our lives – the first of which took place when we were 12. We gave our hearts to Jesus for the first time and committed to reading the Bible every day from then on. Over time, as we consistently stayed in God’s Word, we began to mature in the faith. The second time was just before our senior year at Garland Christian Academy – our coach challenged us to become the leaders God wanted us to be. We responded to that challenge and chose to live lives of intentional leadership, boldly for Jesus. It was interesting because many students began to follow our lead, so we witnessed first-hand how God rewards our choices to stand strong for Him.

So you two are obviously twins, and it took me awhile, but I can finally tell you two apart. You both take friendly jabs at each other almost regularly, both played professional baseball, and both preach the same message of the Faith. For those who don’t know you well, what are some of the things that would help people tell you guys apart? What makes you two different? Is it a different taste in music, television, movies, or different personalities, daily routines or habits?

JASON: I am more of a practical jokester and the one who came up with all of our systems and processes in the business. I like to say that I’m the brains of the outfit! When we shared a car in high school David didn’t have his own set of keys because he always lost them. I kept things together so David would actually accomplish something of his life. My role was basically to cash the checks David’s mouth wrote.

DAVID: I am the one who breaks the ice and talks more in front of people. My little brother relies on me to pave the way for him to speak. I’m better looking than him too, but other than that there’s not much difference between the two of us.

😄 There are some of those friendly jabs I made reference to. Now you guys became household names in the Spring of last year when HGTV abruptly cancelled your show after the network executives cited concerns about your Biblical stances on today’s hot button social issues. HGTV promised to make you two household names, and though they didn’t fulfill their promise, GOD DID. I’m sure you could have never imagined that losing the HGTV show would make you more famous than having it air.

What were your thoughts when the Network first told you that you would need to keep your beliefs to yourselves?

BENHAM BROS: Our first thought was to keep quiet because we didn’t want to lose the platform they were going to give us. We talk about this specifically in our book, but God had to get us to a point of brokenness over our own cowardice before He got us to a point of boldness. Once we went through that little time of weakness we felt a boldness like we had never felt before – nothing they could have said or done was going to sway us from lovingly speaking truth in our generation.

What were your thoughts when they pulled the plug on your show because you refused?

BB: Everyone at HGTV knew we wouldn’t back down, and that’s what they loved about us. Their decision to fire us wasn’t because we refused to bow to an agenda – it was because they got bullied into it by extremist groups. They were led to believe if they kept us on their network all hell would break loose. Our hearts broke for the situation HGTV was in because they are good people.

Now what are your thoughts today, when you look back and see that God turned what initially seemed to be a curse into a blessing?

BB: All things work together for the good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose. God proved faithful, as He always does.

Amen. Now, before we close, it’s Christmas, and of course the atheists and God-haters are doing all they can again this year to try to remove our CHRIST from Christmas. As we watch Nativities be banned, Holy Bible verses removed from School plays and Jesus being removed from the public square, do you have a message or any words of inspiration you’d like to send to fellow Christians this Christmas?

BENHAM BROS: What’s going on concerning Christmas has been going on since the devil found himself in the same garden as Adam – he wants control and wants to squash everything that represents the one true God. This is the battle we are in, so for Christians to bow out of the fight is like letting someone break into your house. America has gone astray from the truth, and getting Christ out of Christmas is a sign of that. We need Jesus more now than ever. The night is darkest just before the dawn, so we believe revival and awakening is coming to this nation – we just need to keep standing strong until it does.

Amen and AMEN. I agree wholeheartedly. Thanks again for your time Jason and David. I truly appreciate you both. Keep up our Good Lord’s Work, and may God continue to bless you and yours richly. It’s been such a blessing and privilege to interview you guys. MERRY CHRISTMAS Benham Brothers, and to all of you reading as well!