I made up a word for this several years ago: parvenize. This is the verbal form of the noun and adjective “parvenu” which has been lying in wait of Barack Obama. A parvenu, you see, is “one that has recently or suddenly risen to an unaccustomed position of wealth or power and has not yet gained the prestige, dignity, or manner associated with it.” Thank you, Merriam-Webster. This describes Obama. He’s a parvenu.

Likewise, it’s incredible to note the messiah overtones in Obama’s parvenization. The current best-selling children’s book on Amazon is testimony to this. The book: Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope. It’s story, his story:

Ever since Barack Obama was young, Hope has lived inside him. From the beaches of Hawaii to the streets of Chicago, from the jungles of Indonesia to the plains of Kenya, he has held on to Hope. Even as a boy, Barack knew he wasn’t quite like anybody else, but through his journeys he found the ability to listen to Hope and become what he was meant to be: a bridge to bring people together.

This is the moving story of an exceptional man, as told by Nikki Grimes and illustrated by Bryan Collier, both winners of the Coretta Scott King Award. Barack Obama has motivated Americans to believe with him, to believe that every one of us has the power to change ourselves and change our world.

You can’t be entirely sure what this children’s book is meant to engender, but without a doubt it’s more than just respect for the President-Elect. For examples simply read the reader reviews left on Amazon.

You have GOT to be kidding me???? There is something seriously wrong with any parent that would give this god-king worship book to a child. I fear for anyone that focuses this much adoration towards a man. I fear for any nation that adores a leader to this extent. Lets pull our heads out of the clouds people.

Or

A friend and I saw and went through this book in a store. We could not believe it. It portrays Obama as Messiah, Obama as deity. And the presentation is to children. Yep, the illustrations are, indeed, beautiful. The message: over-the-top brainwashing. Of children. This book represents the unquestioning society and hero worship. The book is beautiful, and sickening.

It’s also intriguing to see a children’s book about John McCain, too. My Dad, John McCain is written by his daughter Meghan and in somewhat of a reversal has received overwhelmingly positive reviews as opposed to Obama’s children’s book.

Since almost all my co-workers are fellow seminarians we get into all kinds of deep theological questions like matters concerning the problem of evil, the rationality of hell, determinism, and whether we would let our kids marry shortly after puberty as is well-nigh the argument of a below-tagged New Testament professor here at Southeastern. Of course, none of us have kids, but we like to speculate equally on this subject as we do on others of which we have none, like sovereignty. So, what most naturally arose during this conversation on raising children to be mature adults by foregoing this recent phenomenon “adolescent” (cf. The Myth of Adolescence) except homeschooling.

In the course of the discussion it came out that two of my friends and coworkers with whom I’ve now been acquainted for approximately a year both thought I was homeschooled.

“What, so you really thought I was homeschooled?!”

“I had to ask.”

“Gandhi.”

No, I was not homeschooled! I reckon my mom would have killed me and my older brother by now had we been homeschooled.