Summary
We were born in Orlando, Florida, twin boys to a dad who owned a saloon and was destroyed by alcohol. One night my mom finally said, “That’s it, I’m leaving.” In desperation, my dad went to a little Free Methodist church in Orlando, heard the gospel, and Jesus completely transformed him. He sold the bar, went to Asbury Seminary, and became a pastor.
Growing up, we watched our dad preach Christ in every part of life—standing against porn at 7-Eleven, leading Operation Rescue, and even being arrested outside abortion clinics while we watched. Those moments marked us. We knew following Jesus would cost something, and we’d have to choose between pleasing the world or honoring God.
At 12, both of us personally surrendered to Jesus. It wasn’t just our parents’ faith anymore—it was ours. Through high school God gave us athletic success, even a feature in Sports Illustrated and scholarships to Liberty University after a homeschool dad quietly scouted us and connected us with the coach. We saw God’s hand opening doors we could never open ourselves.
In college baseball, I (Jason) had my “big moment”: regional tournament, tie game, ball hit to me… and I booted it. Then, with the game on the line and the bases loaded, I grounded out again. We lost. But in the press conference I told the reporters that even though I failed my team twice, Jesus Christ was still on the throne and still good. A liberal atheist sports writer heard that, wrote an article about it, and admitted he had to rethink whether God might actually care about sports because someone praised Him in defeat. God turned my failure into a victory for His kingdom.
We both played minor league ball but never reached the majors. That dream died. Instead, God led us into real estate in Charlotte. We were broke, with young families, zero formal business training—but years of Bible in our hearts. As we applied biblical principles, our company grew to 100 offices in 35 states. We realized business was full-time ministry: our work, our boardroom, and our office were altars to serve Jesus and disciple people.
Then came HGTV. A production company approached us, and soon HGTV offered us a huge “straight-to-series” reality show centered on our real estate and family life. We saw it as a new platform for God’s glory.
But when activists dug up our public stands for biblical marriage and pro-life convictions, we got the call: “Are you guys anti-gay?” Fear hit us. We were tempted to compromise and even drafted an email promising we’d quiet down about our faith in public to “save the show.” Thankfully, a spiritual mentor rebuked us. We repented, never sent the email, and God used that broken moment to expose our cowardice and teach us that boldness without brokenness makes a bully—and brokenness without boldness makes a bystander.
Soon GLAAD and Right Wing Watch attacked us publicly, twisting our words and painting us as hateful. Under pressure, HGTV canceled the show. Overnight we went from “about to be TV stars” to “fired for our faith.” But this time, instead of hiding, we chose to speak boldly about Jesus and God’s design for life and marriage in hundreds of media interviews. God had already broken our fear of man, so losing the show felt like losing chains, not losing our lives.
Since then, we’ve continued building businesses, writing books, and mentoring believers in marketplace ministry. We also helped launch Cities for Life and Love Life in Charlotte, mobilizing churches to pray at abortion clinics, support mothers who choose life, mentor families, and step into fostering and adoption. We’ve seen many believers walk, pray, and love in Jesus’ name—and many moms choose life, surrounded by the church.
Looking back, we can say: Jesus is worth whatever the cost. Dreams of the big leagues, reality TV, and public approval have all died more than once—but God keeps giving us something better: the freedom to obey Him, the joy of seeing lives rescued, and the privilege of being bold and broken bridges between heaven and earth.
Interview with the Benham Brothers.
Jason and David Benham (a.k.a The Benham Brothers) share the remarkable story of growing up as identical twins, becoming professional baseball players, and working today as successful real estate entrepreneurs.
But everything took a twist when they were told their national reality TV show would be canceled unless they renounced their beliefs in the Bible.
Show notes and detailed description available here: https://compelledpodcast.com/32-whatever-the-cost-the-benham-brothers/
++++++++++++
Compelled is a weekly podcast with unique stories from the Kingdom of God, told by the people Compelled to live for Him.
These Christian testimonies are raw, true, and powerful. They feature guests from all across the world sharing true stories about how God has transformed their lives. Be encouraged and let your faith be strengthened.
Support the podcast and listen to episodes 1 week early! https://compelledpodcast.com/become-a-member/?ref=youtube-notes
Tell your friends about Compelled and get swag! https://compelledpodcast.com/share-youtube-notes
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/compelled/id1412479643?ls=1&mt=2
Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0OlVOnNAWUGWDs9eWhxWDO?si=hdzHYMTHQ1iFJjjvDAYkKg&nd=1
Subscribe on Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9jb21wZWxsZWQubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M
—————– Source —————–
Jason Benham and David Benham Pages: Website | X | Instagram
Time Chapters
01:25 Intro to the Benham brothers 05:20 Dad’s conversion from saloon owner 10:45 Twins choose Christ at age 12 15:50 High school sports and Liberty call 21:10 Regional game failure and article 27:30 From minor leagues to real estate 33:40 Discovering business as ministry 38:10 HGTV reality show opportunity 42:30 Show cancelled for biblical beliefs 46:00 Love Life and foster ministry
Be the first to comment