Joseph, Part 4: One Missing Character

Tonight is opening night, and this is my last post concerning the musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat." I think I have saved the most stunning criticism for last.

There is one prominent character from the story of Joseph that is missing from this musical adaptation. Obviously, Joseph is there, his eleven brothers, and his father Jacob. There is Potiphar and his wife, the butler and baker Joseph met in prison, and the mighty Pharaoh. That's everybody, isn't it? No, there is one other character that is mentioned more than 30 times in the Bible between Genesis chapters 37 and 50. But who this one could be...

Amazingly, all mention of God is completely extracted from this telling of the story of Joseph. It wasn't God who gave Joseph the dreams, it was Joseph who dreamed big. It wasn't God who interpreted his cellmates' dreams (Genesis 40:8) or Pharaoh's dream (Genesis 41:16), it was a knack that Joseph had. It wasn't God who put Joseph in Second-in-Command in Egypt (Genesis 45:9), Joseph got a "lucky break." It wasn't God who was working all these things for good (Genesis 50:20), it was Joseph thinking it wanting it feeling it.

Who would have thought it was possible to tell the story of Joseph without any mention of God? But when you do, it changes the nature and moral of the story. Instead of a story of God's providence and protection through even the most difficult of times, it becomes a story of personal perseverance focused on a dream. You see, it is not the same story.

We see this happening at Christmas, with anything having to do with Christianity forcibly removed from schools, stores, television, etc. I know, it's the opposite end of the calendar to bring up Christmas, but it is important to tie many events together to see the pattern of what is going on around us. You remember the stores that tried to ban "Merry Christmas" from their greetings and the word "Christmas" from their advertisements. It's all right to say "Happy Holidays" and talk about Santa Claus and giving gifts. That's all good stuff, but it is not the same story as God sending His Son as a gift to us.

There are also lots of things going on to strip this country of any ties not just to Christianity, but to the Judeo-Christian God. Atheist Michael Newdow continues to pursue removing "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance and removing "In God We Trust" from our money. Last year, for the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the first settlement in America at Jamestown, Virginia, the guides were instructed to leave out all references to Christianity as a part of their description of the site's history. Obviously, there are many more stories like this I could bring up, but that should be enough to make the point.

It is very sad that the mention of God is being systematically removed from all around us. And I think we should work to stop attempts like those of Michael Newdow. But we need to remember, the job of passing on the notion of God is not the government's, it is not Wal-Mart's, it is not Jamestown's. It is yours and mine. We need to be reminding each other and our children of God's role in the Bible stories, of His role in our country's history, and of His role in our lives.

May it never be a crime for anyone to say, "God bless America!"