Generation Joshua

Last updated
Generation Joshua
Named after Joshua
Formation2003
Founder Michael Farris, Mike Smith
HeadquartersOne Patrick Henry Circle
Purcellville, Virginia
Executive Director
Joel Grewe
Director
Jeremiah Lorrig
Parent organization
 Home School Legal Defense Association
Website generationjoshua.org

Generation Joshua, often called "GenJ" by its members, is an American Christian fundamentalist youth organization founded in 2003 that aims to encourage youth participation in government, civics, and politics toward conservative Christian values. GenJ is a division of the Home School Legal Defense Association, which is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, based in Purcellville, Virginia. The organization was founded by Michael Farris and Mike Smith and is located on the campus of Patrick Henry College.

Contents

GenJ participants, composed of mostly homeschooled teenagers, campaign for conservative Republican candidates who support homeschooling, and who oppose abortion and LGBT rights. During election years, GenJ students are often sent to areas where voter outreach and registration could play a significant role. Their volunteer work has helped some of their preferred candidates win elections. Prominent former members of GenJ include Madison Cawthorn, who was in the United States House of Representatives for one term.

History

Founding

Generation Joshua, also known as GenJ, was founded in December 2003 as a web-based program by its parent organization, the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). [1] [2] [3] The HSLDA is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization primarily composed of Christian fundamentalists who homeschool their children, although it is open to students who attend traditional schools. [2] [4] [5] It was founded by attorney and author Michael Farris, a protégé of Tim LaHaye who also founded Patrick Henry College (PHC) where GenJ is headquartered, and Mike Smith. [2] [6] The group's name comes from the Biblical story of Joshua, who succeeded Moses as leader of the Israelites when they conquered Canaan. [7]

Generation Joshua is headquartered on the campus of Patrick Henry College. Campus, full view.jpg
Generation Joshua is headquartered on the campus of Patrick Henry College.

In February 2004, Farris sent letters to HSLDA families encouraging them to enroll their children into GenJ, describing it as a hands-on program that would offer civic lessons, help conservative candidates win elections, and encourage conservative church members to vote. [6] [8] PHC and GenJ share the same philosophy of fueling "a vision in young people to help America return to her Judeo-Christian foundations" which includes involving young people in conservative politics. [1] GenJ was founded after PHC students campaigned during local and state elections in Virginia, including Mark Earley's unsuccessful bid in the gubernatorial race. [1] When GenJ was launched, Farris said "We believe that some day homeschooled young people will help reverse Roe v. Wade [and] stop same-sex marriage" and "Home-school teens could become one of the most powerful forces in American politics, rivaling the labor unions in effectiveness." [2] [6]

The primary goal in founding GenJ was to send thousands of homeschooled teenagers to campaign in tightly-contested political races across the country. [1] [9] The groups, called Student Action Teams, are composed of 25 to 200 youths and campaign for candidates who support homeschooling, the anti-abortion movement, and other socially conservative issues. [2] One of the first campaigns GenJ assisted with was for a 2004 Republican primary candidate in North Carolina's 5th congressional district. Although their candidate was unsuccessful, then-director Ned Ryun, who worked as a speechwriter for President George W. Bush, said "This is the first real attempt to get them organized in a cohesive effort in the right direction" and "It's no secret that homeschoolers are excellent grass-roots workers." [2] Ryun also stated GenJ would be active in the upcoming national elections. [2] GenJ coordinated with Republican Party officials that year, spending around $60,000 on the hundreds of homeschooled kids that acted as campaign volunteers. [1]

Early years

During the next few years Farris wrote the book, The Joshua Generation: Restoring the Heritage of Christian Leadership, while GenJ expanded to all 50 states and continued to assist with local and national election campaigns, with many of their candidates being successful. [9] [10] Students would study in the morning, campaign in the afternoon, and do homework in the evening. [11] In addition to working on political campaigns, assisting with voter registration drives, and visiting state legislators, students could take one of ten civics courses, join the GenJ Book Club, and participate in the Benjamin Rush Awards Program, whereby they could earn points for completing various projects. [4] [5] The winner of the competition would receive a scholarship to PHC and an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. [4]

GenJ played a large role in helping Republicans win close races in the 2006 and 2008 elections. Then-Representative Michele Bachmann, who homeschooled her five children and received praise by HSLDA for her support of the Family Education Freedom Act, credited GenJ with her win in 2008: "We often hear that there aren't young people in the Republican Party. I'm here to tell you that couldn't be further from the truth." [12] She addressed GenJ's national conference in Washington, D.C., the following year and after receiving further help from the group in 2010, Bachmann said GenJ volunteers "help us become confident that we'll reach more people and meet our voter contact goals before the polls close on Election Day." [12] Mike Huckabee's surprise second place in the 2007 Ames straw poll was credited to his support from Farris and GenJ. [12]

In 2008, then-presidential candidate Barack Obama started an outreach program called the Joshua Generation that was geared towards young evangelical voters. When Farris and other GenJ officials heard about this, Farris said "This is an improper invasion of our trademark and we’ve retained legal counsel to notify the Obama campaign to stop this." [10] According to Farris, it was an intentional act by the Obama campaign officials to confuse voters. [10] That same year Ryun founded American Majority, with help from his twin brother, Drew Ryun, who had previously worked for the American Center for Law & Justice. [13]

2010s

Vice President Mike Pence with Generation Joshua students at the White House in 2019 Vice President Pence Meets with Generation Joshua Students (48099761296).jpg
Vice President Mike Pence with Generation Joshua students at the White House in 2019

GenJ students continued working in local and national campaigns during the 2010s. A few days before the 2013 Virginia gubernatorial election, the Republican Party of Virginia Inc. committee paid $79,500 to HSLDA's state political action committee. At the time, GenJ was posting support on its Facebook page for Republican candidate Ken Cuccinelli. [14]

During the 2016 United States Senate elections, GenJ students were very active in several close campaigns, helping Marco Rubio, Pat Toomey, Roy Blunt, and Ron Johnson win their races. The candidates' campaigns covered the costs of traveling, lodging, and food for GenJ volunteers. In exchange, the youths were given addresses to visit and phone numbers to call to increase voter participation. Then-director Joel Grewe said potential voters are more open to speaking with teenagers. During the final days of the 2016 election, GenJ students contacted 680,235 voters in nine states. After winning his election, Blunt said "The Generation Joshua volunteers did a great job throughout the state talking to Missourians about issues that matter to them." [15]

The following year Farris became the CEO of Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal advocacy group which seeks to implement Christian beliefs in government policies. [16] [17] He later played a role in attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election on behalf of Donald Trump. [17]

2020s

In the 2020 United States House of Representatives elections, former GenJ member Madison Cawthorn was elected to Congress. He was homeschooled and attended PHC for one semester before dropping out. He became a proponent of conservative college students dropping out unless they were studying to be a lawyer, doctor, or engineer. [18] [19] Cawthorn served one term in Congress after having lost the 2022 Republican primary. [20] That year Ted Budd, who homeschools his children, won the Senate election in North Carolina with assistance from 86 GenJ volunteers, who contacted around 120,000 voters, almost the same amount by which Budd won the election. [21]

In 2023, a group of Virginia legislators proposed a resolution to commend GenJ for its 20th anniversary. The resolution was sponsored by Delegates Karen Greenhalgh and Dave LaRock, and State Senators Bill DeSteph, John Cosgrove, and Bryce Reeves. It was noted GenJ had over 28,000 students participate in its programs since 2003, that it was beneficial to its students during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that it "aspires to establish a local GenJ Club in every congressional district in the nation to allow the organization to more fully achieve its mission and objectives". [3] [22]

In the 2023 documentary series Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets , which focused on the Duggar family, Christian homeschooling, the Institute in Basic Life Principles and its founder Bill Gothard, GenJ was discussed. [20] [23] It was noted former members have interned or been hired by politicians, judges, and White House officials. One former GenJ leader interviewed for the documentary also explained the Quiverfull theological position, whereby married couples do not use any form of birth control in order to have large families that will "take America back for Christ." [20] [24]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homeschooling</span> Education of children outside of a school

Homeschooling or home schooling, also known as home education or elective home education (EHE), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted by a parent, tutor, or online teacher, many homeschool families use less formal, more personalized and individualized methods of learning that are not always found in schools. The actual practice of homeschooling varies considerably. The spectrum ranges from highly structured forms based on traditional school lessons to more open, free forms such as unschooling, which is a lesson- and curriculum-free implementation of homeschooling. Some families who initially attended a school go through a deschool phase to break away from school habits and prepare for homeschooling. While "homeschooling" is the term commonly used in North America, "home education" is primarily used in Europe and many Commonwealth countries. Homeschooling should not be confused with distance education, which generally refers to the arrangement where the student is educated by and conforms to the requirements of an online school, rather than being educated independently and unrestrictedly by their parents or by themselves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republican Party (United States)</span> American political party

The Republican Party, also known as the GOP, is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States. It emerged as the main political rival of the Democratic Party in the mid-1850s.

The Christian right, or the religious right, are Christian political factions which are characterized by their strong support of socially conservative and traditionalist policies. Christian conservatives seek to influence politics and public policy with their interpretation of the teachings of Christianity. In the United States, they oppose any interpretation of the Establishment Clause of the Constitution that implies a "separation of church and state", as they seek to use politics and the law to impose their conservative Christian beliefs on American society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marilyn Musgrave</span> American politician (born 1949)

Marilyn Neoma Musgrave, American politician, is a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives who served from 2003 to 2009, representing the 4th District of Colorado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Henry College</span> Private Conservative Christian college in Purcellville, Virginia

Patrick Henry College (PHC) is a private liberal arts non-denominational conservative Protestant Christian college located in Purcellville, Virginia. Its departments teach classical liberal arts, government, strategic intelligence in national security, economics and business analytics, history, journalism, environmental science and stewardship, and literature. The university has full accreditation from the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS-COC) as of 2022. Patrick Henry College continues to be accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS), which is also recognized as an institutional accreditor by the United States Department of Education. Its graduation rate is 67%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Farris (lawyer)</span> American lawyer (born 1951)

Michael P. Farris is an American lawyer. He is a founder of the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) and Patrick Henry College, which share a campus in Purcellville, Virginia. From 2017 through 2022, he was CEO of and general counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Home School Legal Defense Association</span> United States organization

The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) is a United States-based organization that seeks to aid homeschooling families through legal representation. HSLDA describes itself as a "Christian organization."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Bob Duggar</span> American reality TV star and politician

James Robert Duggar is an American politician and television personality. He appeared on the reality series 19 Kids and Counting, which aired from 2008 to 2015. From 1999 to 2003, he was a Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homeschooling in the United States</span> Overview of the situation of homeschooling in the United States of America

Homeschooling constitutes the education of about 3.4% of U.S. students as of 2012. The number of homeschoolers in the United States has increased significantly over the past few decades since the end of the 20th century. In the United States, the Supreme Court has ruled that parents have a fundamental right to direct the education of their children. The right to homeschool is not frequently questioned in court, but the amount of state regulation and help that can or should be expected continues to be subject to legal debate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1996 Republican Party presidential primaries</span> Selection of Republican US presidential candidate

From January 29 to June 4, 1996, voters of the Republican Party chose its nominee for president in the 1996 United States presidential election. Senator Bob Dole of Kansas, the former Senate majority leader, was selected as the nominee through a series of primary elections and caucuses culminating in the 1996 Republican National Convention held from August 12 to 15, 1996, in San Diego, California; Dole resigned from the Senate in June 1996 once he became the presumptive nominee to concentrate on his presidential campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Duggar</span> American TV personality and sex offender (born 1988)

Joshua James Duggar is an American convicted sex offender and former reality television personality. The eldest of Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar's nineteen children, Duggar and his family gained fame as the focus of the TLC series 19 Kids and Counting, spun off from a series of television specials. Duggar served as the executive director of FRC Action, a lobbying political action committee sponsored by the Family Research Council, from June 2013 to May 2015. He resigned from the position after he was reported to have molested multiple underage girls, including four of his siblings, when he was aged between 12 and 16.

Douglas Winston Phillips is a Christian author, speaker, attorney, and homeschooling advocate who was once president of the now-defunct Vision Forum Ministries until he resigned due to an inappropriate relationship and allegations of sexual abuse. He advocates biblical patriarchy, creationism, homeschooling, the Quiverfull movement, and the family integrated church. He also worked for six years as a lawyer for the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homeschooling international status and statistics</span> Overview of the legal situation and prevalence of homeschooling around the world

Homeschooling is illegal in many countries. Countries with the most prevalent homeschooling movements include Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Some countries have highly regulated homeschooling programs as an extension of the compulsory school system; few others, such as Germany, have outlawed it entirely. In some other countries, while not restricted by law, homeschooling is not socially acceptable, or is considered undesirable, and is virtually non-existent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United States Senate election in Arizona</span>

The 2022 United States Senate election in Arizona was held on November 8, 2022, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 United States House of Representatives elections in North Carolina</span>

The 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in North Carolina were held on November 3, 2020, to elect the 13 U.S. representatives from the state of North Carolina, one from each of the state's 13 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Oklahoma</span>

The 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Oklahoma were held on November 3, 2020, to elect the five U.S. representatives from the state of Oklahoma, one from each of the state's five congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madison Cawthorn</span> American politician (born 1995)

David Madison Cawthorn is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for North Carolina's 11th congressional district from 2021 to 2023. Cawthorn became the first member of Congress born in the 1990s and describes himself as a Christian and a constitutional conservative. He is a member of the Republican Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United States House of Representatives elections in North Carolina</span>

The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in North Carolina were held on November 8, 2022, to elect U.S. representatives from the state of North Carolina, concurrent with nationwide elections to the House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, alongside legislative elections to the state house and senate. Primaries were held on May 17, 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 North Carolina's 11th congressional district election</span> U.S. House election in North Carolina

The 2020 congressional election in North Carolina's 11th congressional district was held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, to determine the next representative to the United States House of Representatives from the 11th district. On December 19, 2019, incumbent representative Mark Meadows announced his retirement and was appointed White House Chief of Staff on March 30, 2020, leaving the seat vacant.

In Australia, homeschooling is becoming increasingly popular. It is legal in all Australian states and territories, with each having its own regulations around the practice. Distance education is also prevalent for Australians who live in remote, rural areas. There are more than a dozen universities in Australia that support distance education for tertiary studies. Some Australians switch between distance education and classroom teaching. The number of homeschooled children and students who take distance education in Australia is approximately 30,000. The number of registered homeschoolers alone was 21,437 in 2019; this corresponds to 0.5 per cent of the total school population of Australia. In the 2010s, the average growth rate of the practice amounted to 9.4 per cent per year. The largest Christian school of distance education in Australia is the Australian Christian College, which has over 1,700 families with 4,000 students enrolled. Homeschooling generally enjoys a very good reputation in the Australian media and is widely seen as a flexible alternative form of education with good socialization opportunities in the community.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Rosin, Hanna (October 2007). "God's Precinct Walkers". The American Prospect. 18 (10): 38–42. ProQuest   201111684. Archived from the original on 2023-07-10. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Grove, Steve (August 15, 2004). "Reading, Writing & Right-Wing Politics". The Boston Globe. ProQuest   404918200. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  3. 1 2 "House Joint Resolution No. 638: Commending Generation Joshua". Virginia General Assembly. February 8, 2023. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 Kindoll, Kristen (November 21, 2007). "Home-school Notes: Generation Joshua Web site offers online civics lesson". The Tennessean. ProQuest   239824131. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  5. 1 2 Joyce, Kathryn (February 10, 2014). "The Homeschool Apostates". The American Prospect. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 Kirkpatrick, David D. (March 8, 2004). "College for the Home-Schooled Is Shaping Leaders for the Right". The New York Times. ProQuest   201111684. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  7. ↑ Goldberg, Michelle (July 9, 2021). "The Christian Right Is in Decline, and It's Taking America With It". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 29, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  8. ↑ Austin, April (March 23, 2004). "Homeschoolers keep the faith". The Christian Science Monitor. ProQuest   405675802. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  9. 1 2 Locker, Richard (August 2, 2006). "Bryant backers give last-minute push: Generation Joshua volunteers support conservative agenda". The Commercial Appeal. ProQuest   2594543758. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  10. 1 2 3 Gonzales, Nathan L. (June 9, 2008). "New Religious Outreach Could Land Obama in Legal Trouble". Roll Call. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  11. ↑ Werner, Dan (November 5, 2006). "Generation Joshua: Not Old Enough to Vote, But Old Enough to Make a Difference". Mansfield News Journal. ProQuest   441417979. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  12. 1 2 3 Murphy, Tim (July 19, 2011). "Michele Bachmann's Child Army". Mother Jones. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  13. ↑ Hillyer, Quin (June 2009). "After the Tea Parties". The American Prospect. 42 (5): 46–48. ProQuest   198648706. Archived from the original on 2023-07-10. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  14. ↑ Cooper, Kent (November 13, 2013). "Republican Party of Va. Paid Home Schooling PAC Before Election Day". Roll Call. ProQuest   1456766607. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  15. ↑ King, Ledyard (November 18, 2016). "Home schooled teens helped Republicans win key Senate races". USA Today. Archived from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  16. ↑ Jones, Sarah (May 30, 2023). "A Generation Moves On". New York. Archived from the original on June 1, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  17. 1 2 Lipton, Eric (October 7, 2021). "Christian Conservative Lawyer Had Secretive Role in Bid to Block Election Result". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  18. ↑ Klawans, Justin (December 12, 2021). "Madison Cawthorn Urges Fellow Conservatives to Leave College: 'I Am Proudly a Dropout'". Newsweek. Archived from the original on June 2, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  19. ↑ Blair, Leonardo (December 22, 2021). "Christian Rep. Madison Cawthorn calls higher education a 'scam,' urges conservatives to 'drop out'". The Christian Post. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  20. 1 2 3 Espada, Mariah (June 2, 2023). "The True Story Behind the Duggar Family Docuseries Shiny Happy People". Time. Archived from the original on June 2, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  21. ↑ Schneider, Jillian (December 5, 2022). "Homeschool students campaign for Ted Budd, helping him win North Carolina U.S. Senate race". The Lion. Herzog Foundation. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Virginia House Joint Resolution 638". LegiScan. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  23. ↑ Battaglia, Danielle (June 5, 2023). "NC's Cawthorn pops up in 'Shiny Happy People' for his odd connection to Duggar family". The News & Observer. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  24. ↑ Boyle, Kelly (June 2, 2023). "'Shiny Happy People' Creators on Why Duggar Documentary Is Needed Right Now". TV Insider. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.