AFTER “THE WALLS CAME TUMBLING DOWN”

There is a narrative that many of us heard when we were children. This story tells how Joshua and the Israelites “Fought the Battle of Jerico.” According to one writer, “The story of the Israelite conquest of Jericho (Joshua 2-6) is one of the best known and best loved in the entire Bible. The vivid description of faith and victory has been a source of inspiration for countless generations of Bible readers.” But that story is about invasion and war, and ultimately the deaths of a great number of people. And it gives us cause to wonder why it gives so many people a warm fuzzy feeling about their faith. One answer to this question might be because it is a tale that helps some who share a Judeo-Christian imaginary built upon a foundational belief that there is a certain correctness of action when dealing with others outside of their faith community. The belief (or faith) underpinning this imaginary, and the sense of correctness of this religious community, incorporates a rather improbable set of events, which could be described as miraculous and evidence of divine favor. After the people of Israel had ritualistically marched around the city of Jerico for...