Torch, Fall 2000

“One of the Greatest Generation” ne of the most acclaimed books of recent years is Tom Brokaw’s The Greatest Generation . The veteran newscaster’s edition pays homage to the generation that was born in the early 20th century, survived the Great Depression, and defeated Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. They rose from the ashes of that great war and built the strongest economy the world has ever seen. Finally, with the strength of that economy and upon the moral underpinnings of the society they had built, they brought communism to its knees and freed millions. James T. Jeremiah did not travel overseas to go to war, but he came out of the Depression and he did fight a war. Jeremiah’s fight was on this side of the ocean, but it was just as demanding and important as any overseas battle. It was the Jeremiah generation that looked liberalism in the eye and said, “We will not compromise.” It was the Jeremiah generation that took on atheists and evolutionists and declared, “We will not surrender.” It was the Jeremiah generation that insisted on the fundamentals of the faith when surrounded by forces of “higher criticism.” For the generations of believers following Jeremiah’s, it is easy to forget we are in our favored position because of the battles that his generation fought and won. James T. Jeremiah— and many of his generation— fought battles for truth. God used that greatest generation to lay the foundation that we now build upon. This man was part of the greatest generation because he trusted God for his eternity and for his daily walk. His wife, Ethel, tells us, “He loved the 37th Psalm.” Have you read Psalm 37 lately? Again and again this Psalm talks about trusting God. “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness” (verse 3); “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way” (verse 23). Psalm 37:5 was his life verse. It states, “Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.” The legacy of leadership left by James T. Jeremiah—a product of his utter and complete trust in God—is evident everywhere on the Cedarville University campus. It is to this legacy of trust and godly guidance that this edition of is dedicated. O Dr. James T. Jeremiah June 11, 1914 - August 7, 2000 Torch On Line With President Cedarville University