Ben was born in Lynchburg, VA, grew up in Bethlehem, PA, and graduated from high school in Kannapolis, NC. He was educated at Marion Military Institute (commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant), Campbell University (BA in Religion and Philosophy), Duke Divinity School (Master of Divinity), and Catholic University of America (completed coursework for PhD). Before joining the staff at Meyers Park Baptist Church, Ben served as a First Lieutenant in the North Carolina Army National Guard, Minister of Youth at Samaria Baptist Church in Raleigh, NC, Associate Pastor and then Senior Pastor at Commonwealth Baptist Church in Alexandria, VA, Adjunct Professor of Political Theology and Ethics at the John Leland Center for Theological Studies, and Senior Pastor at Greenwood Forest Baptist Church in Cary, NC.