The Black commitment to The Joshua Generation
By Leethaniel Brumfield, III
Issue date: 11/19/08 Section: Opinion
I was hit hard by a statement made by CNN senior political analyst and Harvard professor David Gergen who referred to the legion of people ages 16-30 who seem to be more involved in government, civics, and politics than ever before in history as "The Joshua Generation."
For those who are unfamiliar with who "Joshua" was, he was a Judeo-Christian figure in the Torah and the Bible. Joshua was a leader chosen by God to lead the children of Israel into The Promised Land-as a successor to Moses. He led the tribes into Canaan's Land and The Land of Milk and Honey. The first major part of his book (the Book of Joshua) chronicles how he commanded the subsequent conquest of Canaan's Land. As the Israelites came to the Jordan River, the waters parted, as they did for Moses at the Red Sea. The first major battle was in Jericho, where the walls of Jericho fell under Joshua's leadership. Perhaps most noteworthy, Joshua also divided the conquered Promised Land among the tribes of Israel as God had instructed him to.
Many people, including Gergen, have compared Joshua to President-Elect Barak Obama. They feel that Obama represents a new age, and our saving grace came on the sunset of Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008, when we witnessed the chance that America gave Obama to lead us to the much-needed change that we so desperately need-just as Joshua did for the Israelites.
Now, I am not the most religious person, and I am by no means attempting to deify Obama or compare him to a figure so revered by Christians as to blaspheme anyone's faith. However, I cannot help but be awed by the parallels.
Like Joshua, Obama found favor among people of various socioeconomic backgrounds and religious beliefs. And like Joshua, Obama plans to help set his people-Americans-on a path they can truly be proud of.
Through Obama, America has an opportunity to one day be a land of "milk and honey"-after he starts to care of the mountain of problems the Bush administration has left for him. Obama promises that a "particularly urgent priority" of his administration will be to pass a second stimulus plan and extend unemployment benefits. This would be extremely beneficial because unemployment has reached an all-time high. Since education has been on a gradual decline, he plans to expand national service programs like AmeriCorps and Peace Corps and create a new Classroom Corps to help teachers in underserved schools. Obama also wants America to be a leader in stopping global warming. Research proves that annually the temperature on Earth increases 1°C, which has detrimental effects on the ozone layer. Moreover, it is time that a country as respected as America is able to compete with the technological improvement efforts of other highly respected nations, and Obama plans to make the country more competitive in this aspect. Perhaps most important, Obama plans to end the war and send our American troops home. Countless lives have been lost due to what many consider a senseless war.
For those who are unfamiliar with who "Joshua" was, he was a Judeo-Christian figure in the Torah and the Bible. Joshua was a leader chosen by God to lead the children of Israel into The Promised Land-as a successor to Moses. He led the tribes into Canaan's Land and The Land of Milk and Honey. The first major part of his book (the Book of Joshua) chronicles how he commanded the subsequent conquest of Canaan's Land. As the Israelites came to the Jordan River, the waters parted, as they did for Moses at the Red Sea. The first major battle was in Jericho, where the walls of Jericho fell under Joshua's leadership. Perhaps most noteworthy, Joshua also divided the conquered Promised Land among the tribes of Israel as God had instructed him to.
Many people, including Gergen, have compared Joshua to President-Elect Barak Obama. They feel that Obama represents a new age, and our saving grace came on the sunset of Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008, when we witnessed the chance that America gave Obama to lead us to the much-needed change that we so desperately need-just as Joshua did for the Israelites.
Now, I am not the most religious person, and I am by no means attempting to deify Obama or compare him to a figure so revered by Christians as to blaspheme anyone's faith. However, I cannot help but be awed by the parallels.
Like Joshua, Obama found favor among people of various socioeconomic backgrounds and religious beliefs. And like Joshua, Obama plans to help set his people-Americans-on a path they can truly be proud of.
Through Obama, America has an opportunity to one day be a land of "milk and honey"-after he starts to care of the mountain of problems the Bush administration has left for him. Obama promises that a "particularly urgent priority" of his administration will be to pass a second stimulus plan and extend unemployment benefits. This would be extremely beneficial because unemployment has reached an all-time high. Since education has been on a gradual decline, he plans to expand national service programs like AmeriCorps and Peace Corps and create a new Classroom Corps to help teachers in underserved schools. Obama also wants America to be a leader in stopping global warming. Research proves that annually the temperature on Earth increases 1°C, which has detrimental effects on the ozone layer. Moreover, it is time that a country as respected as America is able to compete with the technological improvement efforts of other highly respected nations, and Obama plans to make the country more competitive in this aspect. Perhaps most important, Obama plans to end the war and send our American troops home. Countless lives have been lost due to what many consider a senseless war.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 4
jennifer williams
posted 11/19/08 @ 10:14 AM CST
But we need to bear in mind that while the Joshua/Moses Generation imagery may be a helpful metaphor in the context of civil rights and religious leadership, that these religious labels/concepts don't replace the actual cultural generations like Boomers, WWII Generation, etc. (Continued…)
Rev. Dr. George Ferguson
posted 2/15/09 @ 11:38 PM CST
Do Not Miss The Hand Of God Today and Tomorrow (Written 1/19/09)
Today is the day we as a nation celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.?s Birthday. (Continued…)
Margaret
posted 2/17/09 @ 8:55 PM CST
This is really-well written article. It is very inspiring! Keep up the good work, Langston!
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