Pro-life Pastor on Trial for Warning a Pro-choice Protestor She is Dead in Her Sins

Flip Benham, an ordained minister, was arrested and charged with threatening behavior for warning a ‘Pro-choice’ protestor at Charlotte’s busiest abortion center that she was dead in her sins. Flip Benham has been an active voice for the unborn for many decades. He is the one responsible for leading Norma McCorvey to a saving faith in Jesus and baptizing her. Norma, recently deceased, was ‘Jane Roe’ of the infamous Roe v. Wade abortion legalization case.          

The plaintiff, president of Pro-Choice Charlotte, is employed as a consultant by the largest abortion center in Charlotte, A Preferred Women’s Health Center. She also volunteers as a ‘pro-choice’ protestor, and is well known for driving too fast where she has swerved and nearly hit many of the pro-life, Cities4Life counselors. She brags about this kind of  driving in recent news articles. 

She is also well-known by Cities4Life counselors for broadcasting pornographic sexual tapes, as well as recording’s of anti-biblical comedians over a sound system at the abortion center. She uses vile language and regularly ridicules young adults that volunteer with Cities4Life for their chaste behavior and dress. I have heard her tell young children of pro-life volunteers that their parents lie, and she offers to explain to them sexual activity that leads to pregnancy.

The incident that led to the arrest of Flip Benham was during a peaceful prayer walk by Love Life Charlotte  There were many adults with approximately 50 children present in the crowd when this woman began using vile, strong language directed to the group with a megaphone. Flip approached the woman. He remained on public property, never crossing on to the clinic private property, and urged her to stop speaking that way in front of those children. Rather than listen to him, she used the megaphone to continue cussing and urging the families to go home, punctuated with words I will not repeat.

Flip, who never goes anywhere without a Bible in his hand, clutched his Bible and told this woman, “You are dead.”

“Are you threatening me?” she asked.

“You are dead in your sins, in your trespasses,” Flip said. “Dead to God, and to self, and you spread death to everyone else. Your heart is full of prickles and stings, and spiders and snakes. Only Jesus can save you. You are dead in your trespasses. I was once dead in my own trespasses and God saved me, and Jesus wants to save you.”

Sometime later, he said, “You are a dead woman walking. What does that mean? It means this: Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Your heart is revealed to me over and over again by the vile things you are saying. Jesus can clean you up, set you on a rock, and put a new song in your mouth. He does it every day. He did it for me, he will do it for you. But it is up to you. You have that choice. I can’t do it for you.”

They were 10 to 12 police officers at the time on the premises. None swarmed upon Flip with any concern regarding the words he spoke. Countless times, they all have heard Flip do what he is ordained and committed to do: share the Gospel. The woman continued speaking inches from Flip’s face with her bull horn. She never went to a single policeman with a single complaint or concern about what Flip had said. Everywhere he goes, every chance he gets, Flip shares the gospel. She has heard this from him hundreds of times. 

She went to the magistrate and filed a complaint, saying that she feared for her life and that Flip had threatened to kill her. With no evidence and her report alone, Flip was arrested. None of the many witnesses who heard Flip were asked if what the woman had said was true.

Yesterday was the civil case in which the plaintiff asked for a court injunction and restraining order against Flip. Later next month, unless dismissed, Flip will meet the plaintiff again in a criminal trial of the incident. I was there as a witness to testify about Flip’s character and also of my knowledge of this woman’s character from my work on the sidewalks of the abortion center. 

One of the most disturbing interactions I’ve had with her is when she drove her car, speeding as usual into the abortion center driveway, and swerved to hit me. Had I not jumped out of the way, I would have been badly injured, if not killed. I immediately screamed to her, “You just tried to kill me! That was so foolish and reckless and evil.”  Her response? Laughter.

I then began crying, partially out of fear, but partially out of intense anger that someone would be so reckless with my life. The woman taunted me, saying, “Oh boo-hoo, Vicky. So sad. Why don’t you report me to the police?“

Police officers check our sound permits daily and had just arrived.  I went to them and told them what had happened, still crying. While the officer did write up an incident report, he told me they could do nothing because we had no evidence. This is despite the fact that there were several witnesses.

During the trial, this woman claimed that because of Flip’s “threats”, she feared for her life.  Then she broke down in tears. I have never seen anything but vile, angry, decadent outbursts, language, and behavior from this woman. Meek and tearful is not her usual persona. She had never shown any remorse for any of her threatening behavior towards us with her car, or for her speech to the children littered in profanity, or for her ridicule of the modesty of Cities4Life young adult volunteers.

How incredibly ironic that without a single corroborating witness or evidence, she was able to express fear for her life from a pastor sharing the gospel and have him arrested… But when she literally swerved to hit me with her car at reckless speed at the abortion center, I was told I could bring no charges against her despite several witnesses observing the incident.

Her lawyer asked Flip at least ten times if he did indeed say “you are dead.“ Each time Flip said, “Yes, that is what I said, but that is not all that I said. Context is very important. She was being incredibly vile to the children and group there. We asked her to stop. Then I went on to share the clear biblical truth that all of us are dead in our sins, in trespasses, and we can be made alive again through Jesus Christ.”

 Each time the lawyer asked, Flip was able to again share the magnificent truth of the gospel in the court room. After the sixth time or so, the lawyer asked again, “So did you say ‘you are dead’?”

Flip sighed, and glanced at the judge. The judge appeared to be getting a little annoyed. “All right, you’ve already asked that,” he told the lawyer, “And he’s already answered, but go ahead, answer it Mr. Benham one more time.“ 

And glory upon glory, we got to hear the gospel again. 

The judge was clearly only interested in witnesses who had actually seen the events of that day.  I was therefore not called to testify. Two of our volunteers who did see the incident gave their testimony. Closing arguments were made. Almost immediately, the judge ruled to dismiss the case.

We praise God for Flip’s continuing ability to share the gospel even in the midst of such trying circumstances. In this instance, truth and justice prevailed.

However, we know that this woman, employed by the abortion center, will likely not stop attempting to silence volunteers who offer hope and help other than abortion to women. We do not believe the plaintiff would have resorted to this unless we were effective in helping women choose life and causing concern to the abortion industry who employs her. 

The opposition will not discourage us. We are called to be a voice for the voiceless and defend the rights of the vulnerable. We never break the law, we are peaceful and loving, and we never have to cover up lies because we speak truth... God‘s truth. We are there to offer the only hope that transforms lives, not to mention tangible resources to help women choose life for their baby. As Flip explained to the judge, he is there to share the Gospel first to the mothers who feel abortion is their only option, but also to anyone he can reach, including the woman who had him arrested.

“It is what I do,” he told the judge. His mission is to speak to all those who do not understand that a heart that rebels against God and His commands is indeed in danger. Not in danger from us, but in danger from a holy God who warns us repeatedly that unless we turn to Him and repent, we are indeed on a path of destruction.

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Matthew 15:18-20 

But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. 

Ephesians 4:29 

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Romans 10:9  

Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.