Indigenous Theology

"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?" - Psalm 56:3-4

Although the story of Herod killing all the boy babies under two in Bethlehem is a post Christmas story, it is associated with it. The joy of birth comes after the immediate pain of childbirth. Joy mixed with grief is a clear juxtaposition in seminal life experiences. Jesus was born into this world as a baby in order to lay down his life as an adult in a grievous crucifixion. The joy and hope of new life and the pain and grief of a knowing mother was Mary’s experience.

Sometimes people like to exclude you from their circles. We are not always sure why and sometimes we do know why. In any case it doesn’t feel good to be rejected by others. Some people reject you to make you feel bad. Some people don’t even think about how their rejection affects you.

In 1995, Jonathan Maracle, a Mohawk from Tyendinaga Territory in Ontario, Canada, decided not to sing Amazing Grace at the Sacred Assembly in Ottawa, as he had been asked. What he didn’t know was that listening to the Spirit in that moment would inspire a band and ministry that would shape the rest of his life [and the church.]

Alcohol and drug use in Indigenous communities has a dark history among our people.  Due to intergenerational trauma communities next to American Indian reservations, or Canada off-reserve First Nation see many Indigenous people residing in Cities of Broken Glass from broken alcohol bottles and drug paraphernalia.

Broken shards of glass can be found in many parts of our Indigenous land. These sharp pieces of colored glass reflect, sparkle, glimmer, and shine and can be mistaken for a sea of glass, like crystal among metropolitan ghettos.  

So, you’ve been invited to attend a Talking Circle. As sharing is implied, one must conclude that a participant must share their feelings, thoughts, and opinions. 

I think a lot of people might think to themselves, “I’d rather see the dentist for a tooth extraction.”  Sharing for me can be compared to pulling teeth. Many people would rather stay home and catch up on reruns of the Dr. Phil then attend a Talking Circle.   

A United State Indigenous Churches policy was born in 1868 in a time when subjugation was the norm for native people. President Ulysses S. Grant advanced a “Peace Policy” to remove corrupt Indian agents, who supervise reservations, and replace them with Christian missionaries, whom the President deems morally exceptional.

"The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them." - Acts 21:26

Water is one of the most common metaphors for God in the Bible and is used to convey a range of experiences: being nourished by life-giving rain; being swept along by a powerful river joining in the flow of justice, or still water reviving our souls. Just as a body of water can buoy us, refresh us, and sustain us, it can also become fearsome in a storm and overwhelm us.

September 30th 2021 marks the first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation in Canada.  It coincides with Orange Shirt Day, a grassroots commemoration marked by the wearing of Orange Shirts for children forced to leave their families and attend residential schools.  In honour of this day here are five ways that you can engage in working for reconciliation.