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Genesis 11 Mark Johnson Analysis

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Ever since the tower of Babel, people have endeavored to find a way to unite all humankind. In Genesis 11, the reason the world wished to stay united was to build a tower to heaven and defy God's command to fill the earth. Because of their disobedience, the Lord confused the languages of the workers so that they began to babble to one another. More recently, Mark Johnson has attempted to unite the world through music. As is indicated in several places throughout Johnson's interview with Bill Moyer's, Johnson's theme is that music changes lives by uniting people in song. This theme is summarized in Johnson's first words of the interview, "I think music is the one thing that opens the door to bring people to a place where they are all connected. …show more content…

In the first, Moyers begins by reminding the listener that "All over our country, people are hurting." At the time of the video, the unemployment rate was six and a half percent , foreclosures were common, and hope was difficult to find. The essay transitions into the second section with the introduction of Mark Johnson, "someone of the next generation who hasn't given up on either our humanity or our future together." Here the theme of how music unites humankind is especially apparent; Johnson claims that, "In a world with all this division; it's important for us to focus on our connections." The practical side of his mission is the foundation of music schools all over the world, known as Playing for Change, dedicated to bringing hope through music, and so uniting humanity in a desire for a better world. By using a video essay instead of merely writing out the interview, Moyers enabled the listener to watch two of Mark Johnson's music videos at relevant times. Instead of simply providing a link to the song, the song was included in the video. Finally, in the third section, Bill Moyers raises the question of what comes next. Without hesitation, Johnson answered that they were going to build more schools, connect more musicians, and continue to …show more content…

As Johnson said, "We don't even know how long we're going to be in this world... The most important thing is while we're here, let's make a difference together. That's what Playing for Change is trying to represent." However, despite all his good intentions, Johnson completely leaves God out of the picture. He is an advocate for bringing hope to those in depression, but his hope is superficial. As Christians, our hope is "Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ... We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God... And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us" (Romans 5:1-2, 5). Playing for Change, while it has good intentions, would have a more effective goal if they endeavored to bring eternal hope instead of temporary hope. Unlike the tower of Babel, Johnson's mission is unity for the sake of unity, instead of unity to climb to heaven. As he travels the world, building schools and videoing musicians, Johnson's theme remains constant - changing and uniting lives through music. His tenacity can be applied to any area of life as a lesson in perseverance, but especially in the field of writing. When a theme is so convicting that it is worth spending ten years to develop an idea, it is a theme worth writing

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