ADDENDUM as of 2/5/09: While I am still excited about the materials I discuss in this post, it is with great sadness that I feel compelled to note I have discovered there are reasons for greater caution with respect to Mr. Phillips than I was aware of at the time I first wrote this post. I call your attention to the series of articles at Ministry Watchman and Jen’s Gems. There is much more, if you care to search. I believe these sources should provide warning enough.

–A continuation from Keeping the long view.

The word toledoth is the Hebrew word translated as “generations” in such passages as Genesis 2:4, 5:1, etc., in the King James version of the Bible:

• “These [are] the generations of the heavens . . . “
• “This [is] the book of the generations of Adam . . . “
• “These [are] the generations of Noah . . .”
• “Now “These [are] the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth . . . “
• And so forth.

According to Wilhelm Gesenius’s Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testamament Scriptures, toledoth means “genealogy” or “pedigree” or, “As a very large portion of the most ancient Oriental history consists of genealogies, it means . . . history.”

Strangely, Doug Phillips uses this Hebrew word as a key component in the title of his second set of presentations concerning a 200-Year Plan, two presentations he described as “The Family Toledoth.”

He mentions that toledoth means “generations,” but then, in his presentation itself, he never quotes from passages where toledoth appears. Instead, he quotes from such passages as

• Psalm 78:1-7–”I will utter dark sayings of old: Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works . . . For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be borne; who should arise and declare them to their children.”
• Psalm 71:18–”O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to everyone that is to come.”
• Deuteronomy 32:7–”Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee.”
• Psalm 145:4–”One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.”
• And so forth.

And in every one of these passages, the Hebrew word for generation/generations is (transliterated as) dowr–a word that normally refers to a period of time, the “circuit of the years of [a] life,” or, most especially in these passages: to all the people who live during a certain period of time.

Perhaps Phillips knew he was dealing with two different words and simply failed to mention the distinction. But for whatever reason, he chose toledoth as a key component of his talk’s title and then quoted passages that had to do with dowr.

In keeping with his sloppy use of the Hebrew, Phillips also never attempts a concise or precise definition of the meaning he intends when he uses toledoth. Still, by the end of his presentation, I got the idea that he wants to use the word toledoth to mean something along the lines of “the purposeful conveyance of wisdom, knowledge, experience and faith from one generation to the next . . . and to generations yet unborn.” Something along those lines.

He also seems to want to use it to refer to the actual content he wants to convey and/or the method by which he wants to convey it. Thus, for example, he refers to “Toledoths to Which I Aspire” . . . and shares some examples:

• “Tak[ing] my children to the landmarks” of their spiritual and biological forebears and “instruct[ing] them in the providences of God”–the memories of which providences might be brought to mind as a result of such visits.
• “Chronicl[ing] the life of my father” so I can share it with my children.
• “Organiz[ing] and record[ing] the most important maxims and proverbs of my father and of myself” to hand to my children.
• “Draft[ing] my family catechism.”
• And so forth.

He then illustrates, in rather helpful detail, examples of “Landmark,” “Written Legacy,” “Daily” and “Blessing” toledoths:

• “Here’s where I was born.”
• “Here is the story of your life, [son/daughter].” (A written document–the first chapter in a proposed “Written Legacy” he wants to give to each of his children.)
• “Let me tell you about the most important woman I know. . . .” –Again, a written document and another chapter in the “Written Legacy.” Obviously, this document, written by Dad/the Husband, is intended to honor the children’s mother and tell the kids how you, their father, view their mother and why you view her as you do.
• And so forth.

Phillips proposes titles to 21 “chapters” in his “Written Legacy” to each of his children.

Can you imagine receiving such a document from your father?

The final “chapter” in this “Written Legacy” is “Our Family’s 200-Year Plan”:

“Son/Daughter: This is what I believe God wants for us to do as a family.”

Clearly, the vision needs to be embraced and shaped by each new generation. But talk about a valuable asset! To have a vision and mission and purpose. To know your family’s vision, mission and purpose. To even be able to interact with a vision, mission and purpose: to be able to say, “Yay, verily. That is the vision, mission and purpose I want to pursue.” Or, “No. That vision, mission and purpose is not what I want to pursue. . . .” –How valuable would that be?

Thinking once more of James Hughes: Hughes speaks, in Family: The Compact Among Generations, of a “Family of Affinity,” “a family that sees itself as linked by affinity and a common mission rather than simply by genetic lineage” (p. xix, emphasis added).

Families think of themselves as being related through blood. The paradox is that no family ever begins with blood relations. All families begin by an affinity of two people who seek to begin a common journey. As soon as a family begins to think of itself as related by blood, it has . . . based its idea of family on a fallacy [and become] a closed system. To be part of that system, all members must be of the same blood. [But, of course, that is impossible. You have to permit others to "marry in."]. . . .

When a family thinks of itself as a family of affinity, it is defining itself as an open system. It is a family system that declares that anyone who loves its stories and embraces its value system is welcome to join. Such a family knows that for its own well-being, each generation must bring in more energy than it loses. It also recognizes that some members related by blood will not care to join in its journey.

–pp. 21-22; emphasis added

I hear Phillips asking us to consider defining and clarifying–for ourselves and our children: what stories do we want our children and future generations to love? What values–what value system–do we want them to embrace?

It is our privilege (and Phillips would say it is actually our responsibility . . . before God) to define and clarify these things for our progeny.

So the question is: Will we do it?

*****
Despite Phillips’ poor choice of title, and despite, therefore, the (virtually inescapable) sloppiness in defining his most important term, and despite, finally, the offense I expect many of my readers will be tempted to take at what they may view as a retrograde distinction between the sexes (Phillips is a strong proponent of distinct, unique, and complementary roles for men and women–a “division of roles and labor,” if you will, that, he makes clear, he believes ought not ever to be crossed), . . . –If you will ignore the exegetical weaknesses and/or the area of potential offense, I believe you will find that Phillips offers tremendous insight into how to pass on a deep legacy to your children.

In sum, he says, “Dads, moms: You need to be purposeful. You need to think through what, specifically, you want to pass on to your children and their children after them. Their inheritance ought to consist, first, of a spiritual legacy, and the legacy of biography and history and the unique character qualities of their spiritual and biological forebears.”

So let me ask you: Have you begun to amass your heirs’ spiritual, biographical, historical legacies . . . and their legacies of honorable qualities you want them to remember from their forebears?

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