Randy Woodley, a Cherokee himself, in his book Shalom and
the Community of Creation, observed that a large majority of native Americans
understand that there is “some sort of primal power in the words of oral
tradition.”[1] The transmission of
ontological truth was trusted to be passed orally. They heard the words spoken
“from the heart” and accepted them as truth. Yet, we in the West find it
necessary to dispense with that and teach these people to read. We teach them
to read the scripture, that’s good…right? In our arrogance we fail to discern
that many of these people view our sacred text with suspicion. The reason?
Woodley answers in a response of some native Americans: “We know that the white
man translated the Bible and he could have removed things he didn’t want us to
hear or he could have added things that are not true.”[2]
Hmmm….
What if we had, rather, taken the time to listen to those
who lived in the land? In a previous blog I wrote that maybe the Europeans were
lead by God to visit other lands. But, not to conquer. And, certainly not to force
their particular brand of Christianity upon the native population. Rather, what
if they were lead to these lands to learn from others, to humbly listen to the
stories that the indigenous people had to tell. But, Euro-Americans have a
tendency to talk first and listen, well, never. (This, too, is arrogance. To
think that what we have to say is more important than what anyone else on the
planet has to say.) Had we listened we could have learned about the land and
the people, about their special relationship to the cosmos. In dialog we could
have then, maybe, shared our story. We could have had an opportunity to see
where our different cultures merged and, just maybe, we could have found
connecting points that would have allowed the open sharing of the Good News of
Jesus Christ. Not to make others change to be like us.
But, to let our story and theirs join as equally viable
realities. We could have let go of the need to control the story and let the
people of the land take and assimilate it as they felt best.
Now, of course this raises the question of syncretism. And, as I’ve
read about missions, this seems to be at the crux of much errant thinking. Let
me digress a bit…The two major ancient churches both consider themselves the
one true Church. Both the Roman and Orthodox confessions claim to be able to
trace their origins back to the Apostles. Both claim to have the only accurate
traditions. And, both hold tenaciously to what they perceive to be that one,
true, apostolic tradition. All other claims to faith are, at best, considered
heterodox. At worst, they are considered heretical. Now, I’m not a math major,
but I can see pretty quickly that both cannot be right. And, to add to the
confusion, along came the reformers in 16th century who also claimed
to have the only true faith. What I want to point out by this is that we in the
West have a long history of trying to prove that we are correct and everyone else is wrong. We have
developed an unsustainable dualism that has allowed abuses that would make
Hannibal Lecter blush. Now, how would things have looked had we actually built
our faith on the teaching of Jesus? We would have been compelled to accept
others as created equal to us. We would have had to learn to listen. Yeah,
there’s a lot of red text in the gospels, but Jesus really listened to people.
How many times did he ask someone, “What would you like me to do for you?” How
often did he “look at,” really “look
at,” others with respect and compassion? He did not, like we have in the West,
simply assume that he knew what the other needed. Even today we assume that we
in America know what is best for people in Africa, Asia and Latin America. We
do not take the time to listen to what they
might think that they really need.
So, back to the problem of syncretism. Who said that we need
to control the Gospel? Who said that ours is the only true expression of
Christian faith? No one has. We seem to think that the Church and the Gospel
belong to us. Therefore, we have some right to control how the story is told and
how it should properly be understood. I think that there is Someone far more
qualified to do that than we. Jesus told his disciples that he was going to
send a Teacher. This Teacher would be Someone who would walk beside them and
show them how to live in God’s new realm. Paul wrote about the work of the Holy
Spirit. He wrote that it was the Spirit who provided gifts and direction for
the Church. Now, it is true that these gifts are realized as people cooperate
with the Spirit. But, it is God the Holy Spirit who is the director. I think
that trusting in God trumps our fear of syncretism.
We Euro-Americans would do well to hear what we have
actually done to indigenous people with our White, male, hegemonic, arrogant
approach. What we have thought of as Good News about redemption in Christ has
not had the effect that we may have thought it would. Again, I turn to Randy
Woodley:
The gospel, as it has most often been preached to Native
Americans, does not promise us restored balance or harmony. Actually, too
often, the gospel preached to Native Americans and other indigenous peoples
around the world was quite the contrary to good news. We have mostly heard the
gospel as “bad news.”
The “bad news” of Jesus Christ requires people to forsake
their own ethnic identity for the identity of the dominant culture. The “bad
news” of Jesus Christ means trading in shared communal values for economic
systems based on greed and the success of the individual over the group. The
“bad news” of Jesus Christ requires indigenous peoples to accept their status
as those meant to be colonized and to cooperate with their own demise. The “bad
news” of Jesus Christ askes us to draw our theology, values, and meaning as
people from a culture that wishes to make us self-haters.[3]
What to do? I don’t want to come across as having the
answer. I don’t. No one person, or group of people does. However, a good place
to begin searching for one would be to humble ourselves before Yahweh and pray
for forgiveness. Forgiveness for our arrogant disregard for the wonderful
diversity that Yahweh has built into humanity and the Good Creation.
Forgiveness for twisting Yahweh’s Word to fit our own perceptions. Forgiveness
for trampling on our sisters and brothers in God’s name. Forgiveness for not
listening to the people of the land, thereby trampling on the Good Natural
resources that these Others were called by Creator to be stewards of. Richard
Twiss said that the Native American community does not need missionaries. It
does not need us to just send money. It needs us to join in real relationship
as full partners.[4] I think that maybe it’s
not too late to repent and embody the love that Jesus Christ, the God who
walked among us, revealed is at the heart of God.
[1]
Woodly, Randy S., Shalom and the
Community of Creation, An Indigenous Vision, William B. Eerdmans,
Grand
Rapids, 2012, p. 140.
[2]
Woodley, 2012, 141.
[3]
Woodley, 2012, 150.
[4]Richard
Twiss: Hope For the American Church, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHKtDoKoD80,
last accessed Mar. 20, 2013.
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